I need help from you 420A guys...PLEASE!!!, posible Crank walk in my 420a....

[RacethisTSI]

well i broke down tonight and took my Daily driver ( 97 talon esi) to the track. after a few runs there was a terible knocking sound from the engine bay. got out of my car and looked in and my crank pulley is siting on my frame. bolt in the center is still tight and im clueless. first thing i though of was severe CW. so i did a check, pushed the clutch in and my rpm tac was not effected, i chould not push and pull the crank so again i scarth my head. i then tried tightening the bolt more with no luck. i then got the idea that maybe the pulley was separating and tired to pound it back on, had little effect but worked for a few mintues before the sound was back. Has anyone ever heard of this or know what might be going on? i dont even know how im going to get the pulley off because its agaisnt the frame. the pulley should be at least 1/4 of an inch away from the frame from other 420As i looked at ........Please help if you can, im carless right now

[poonman]

with crank walk I beleive there are some test you can do, i cant remeber them all but i beilive if you drive the car around turns you can feel the clutch not engaging and disengaging corectly.

This is from another thread, hope it helps

Symptoms are different for every car; the only consistent symptom is the engine not running in the later stages. Sometimes there will be a loud clicking sound if the crank is wobbling enough that it is hitting the crank sensor. A clutch pedal that sticks to the floor on left turns is also a typical sign.

If it isn't fixed right away...you'll have to get a new engine/bottom end when your engine dies. If it isn't fixed at all...your engine just stops running and your car stays parked .

Don't freak out if you think you might have it...there is nothing you can do to prevent it if it has already started that is less expensive than replacing the faulty parts. A couple things you could do to help prevent it are:

1) Try to put the car in neutral as much as possible, instead of leaving the clutch in.
2) Disconnect the clutch start switch so you don't have to put the clutch in to start the car.
3) Make sure your car never gets low on oil. I remember reading a post by Kevin about how a dented oil pan starved his crank and bearings of oil enough to walk his 3rd 7 bolt...when we were doing my timing belt job I put enough blocks of wood and towels between the jack and the oil pan that it would have been comfortable to sleep on . Tips like that help so much (thanks Kevin!), and it is awesome when more experienced members share them.

[Locke]

Disconnect the roll stoppers and the passenger side mount, and tilt the engine down, if you need more room. Remove the pulley and inspect it. You will want to rent the Chrysler Harmonic Dampener Puller from your local parts store to pull the crank pulley. Remove it, inspect it. To check for crank walk, pull the oil pan and pry back and forth on the crank, with a dial indicator attached to check for axial play.

IMO, it is a problem with the crank pulley. Any engine can crank-walk, but crank-walk on a 420a is unheard of.

[RacethisTSI]

Originally Posted by Locke

IMO, it is a problem with the crank pulley. Any engine can crank-walk, but crank-walk on a 420a is unheard of.

thats what i thought, but im unfamiliar with the 420A.

i checked for other sings of crank walk, but have not found any reason to be so, the motor is running far to smooth and quiet. just got word from the prior owner that lock tight was applied to the crank pulley . but ill have to work to get it off. the only reason im leading away from the pulley is because it is still tightened all the way on the crank and thats still a gap behind it between it and the timing sprocet.

i guess getting the pulley off with yeild more infromation, ill let you guys know what i find.. thanks for the info already

[RacethisTSI]

it walked... nearly 80 thousandth of play. thats what i found when i took off the oil pan, go figure that my NT walks when my 4g didnt. just my luck


is this a first?