How do I remove 4 bolts on harmonic balancer?

[zecchetti]

Good day all.

I've got a Corolla 1995 with a 4e-fe engine. I'm trying to remove the harmonic balancer pulley in order to get at my timing belt.

I've succeeded in removing the main bolt using the bump starter method, but my one has 4 bolts dotted around as shown in attached image. Any ideas on how to remove this without the whole thing spinning? Thanks greatly in advance!

 

P.S. I do have a harmonic balancer removal tool ready to be used.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Have not come across that part, but looking at your photo, it suggests it needs the puller to remove it and the slot at the 5 to position suggests there is a woodruff key being used as well, so make sure you do not loose it when the pulley drops off.

You might have to loosely refit the bolt for the pulley to work against to save damaging the shaft ?

Would Assume  (?) the four small bolts are holding two parts of the pulley together and nothing to do with it being held on the shaft...

[zecchetti]

7 minutes ago, oldcodger said:

Hi,

Have not come across that part, but looking at your photo, it suggests it needs the puller to remove it and the slot at the 5 to position suggests there is a woodruff key being used as well, so make sure you do not loose it when the pulley drops off.

You might have to loosely refit the bolt for the pulley to work against to save damaging the shaft ?

Would Assume  (?) the four small bolts are holding two parts of the pulley together and nothing to do with it being held on the shaft...

Thanks for your reply. I will use a puller, but will need to remove those 4 bolts first for the puller to latch on to.

 

I've had another idea which I may try tomorrow. Which is to use a ratchet to lock up the camshaft bolt against something solid. That should prevent the whole thing rotating. Thoughts?

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Think you mean Crankshaft bolt, not Cam shaft ?

Its getting the bolt out that usually needs something on the pulley to lock it solid, but once the bolt is out, pulling the pulley off is not affected by rotation, well not the ones I have removed.

[zecchetti]

16 minutes ago, oldcodger said:

Hi,

Think you mean Crankshaft bolt, not Cam shaft ?

Its getting the bolt out that usually needs something on the pulley to lock it solid, but once the bolt is out, pulling the pulley off is not affected by rotation, well not the ones I have removed.

I've got the crankshaft bolt out already, but there are 4 more bolts on the crankshaft pulley which I am trying to remove without the whole thing rotating. So I am going to keep the camshaft pulley still by latching on a ratchet to its Bolt and holding it against something solid so it doesn't spin while I attempt at removing the 4 small bolts on the crankshaft pulley.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Those 4 bolts / holes are there for possibly  2 reasons, first to provide a secure fastening for a special tool to lock the crankshaft in place to allow the centre bolt to be removed.

Sometimes, as shown for my later model,  they are there to allow longer bolts to be screwed in to push the pulley off , however unless you know your earlier  model is designed for that, it could be the wrong thing to do as you might break the engine case  !

Typically fitting the main bolt back in by hand  and then unscrewing a couple of turns and using a puller will normally get the pulley off, if there is space for the pullers fingers to get behind the pulley.

I would first get a couple of pieces of thin wood or plastic either side of the rear of the pulley and just see if it simply eases off as it might be just the woodruff key thats  holding  it on.