The crank tool would work but you can make one for 5 bucks if you have drill and an angle grinder. Took me about 8 minutes to make. The long bolt tool you don't really need to do the timing and the tensioner pulley tool is handy but you can use a small pair of needle nose pliers as well. Jay Racing makes a tool to hold the cam gears in place and I would suggest picking one of those up because it made my timing job a lot less stressful than my first attempt.

The tensioner tool is the most useful out of those. I have never needed to use anything special for the crank you can just use a 1/2" breaker bar in the front of it.

The crank tool is quite helpful when installing the flywheel.

The tensioner tool is useful if you had to reuse the tensioner. It could be slowly compressed on a vice grip as well. If your replacing the timing belt then you should be replacing the tensioner too, at which point the tool is not needed at all. You just have to remove it from the block. If you have spare cash its nice to have all this. But it's not mandatory

I recommend this:
http://www.jnztuning.com/product_info.php?products_id=3040

It's less money and comes with the holder for the cam gears.

Most of the time doing a timing belt the cams will want to move more than the crank. Typically the exhaust cam will try to roll backward which will throw you off one tooth and make for a bad day.

This is also less expensive.

These guys have a version of that crank holding tool, but theirs can also be used to keep the hub from spinning when torquing on the axle nuts: https://www.rtmracing.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17365.

For doing the timing, one of the tensioner tools and the cam gear holder makes it much easier to replace the belt or the cam gears/seals.

I just did mine and found that the easiest way to compress the tensioner is just to take it off and compress it slowly in a C-Clamp. Worked like a dam charm. I just used 2 chip clips to hold the timing belt and gears from moving. Super easy and free. 1/2 in ratchet and extension is a great "crank tool".

The small 2 dowl 1/4 inch drive tensioner tool is a must for pre-belt tension just before you pull the grenade pin on the hydraulic tensioner. I took off my valve cover and used 2 large vice grip pliers to keep the cams from moving/rolling. The crankshaft does not need to be moved at all when the camshaft belt if off so I don't know why they make a tool to move the crankshaft, and how can you get such said tool inside the engine bay without removing the engine? I used 1/2 inch drive ratchet with an 4 inch extension that fits nicely into the bolt that holds on the harmonic balancer to slightly rotate it to align the timing marks.

The crank tool is easily bolted on with the engine still in the car. It's use is to hold the crank still so you can remove the center bolt if you don't have air tools.

Is that a 1g oil filter housing on a 7 bolt in the picture, or is he using the crank tool on a 4g64

The tensioner tool came in handy when i replaced my camshafts .I was able to take the tension off the timing belt so i could sneak the cams out .

stars said:

The crankshaft does not need to be moved at all when the camshaft belt if off so I don't know why they make a tool to move the crankshaft, and how can you get such said tool inside the engine bay without removing the engine?

Click to expand...

Here is a picture of how it is bolted on. As you can see, there is plenty of room.



For those that are interested in making your own:

http://www.vfaq.com/mods/cranktool.html

chrysler kid said:

Is that a 1g oil filter housing on a 7 bolt in the picture, or is he using the crank tool on a 4g64

Click to expand...

At quick glance, looks like an Evo 8/9 ofh for a 7 bolt.

I thought it was fairly useful.