Balance belt removal

[Twinturbo120]

Alright, so I got the main timing belt removed, the water pump removed aswell (died on me) and now I need to get the balance belt removed. Now my question is, how do I remove it with the darn backplate in there? It's almost impossible to take it off with it there, I can't imagine putting a new one and nicking it -.-

Any suggestions?

 

[bryanwheat]

Yes, you have to pull the bolt, pulley, and separator plate off.

 

[Twinturbo120]

Yes, you have to pull the bolt, pulley, and separator plate off.

How would I pull that off?

 

[stuckwithgsx]

Use a pry bar, and GENTLY wiggle it around to see if it will just slide nice and easy. If not then take the bolts from the harmonic balancer and put those in the crank gear (that holds the timing belt-also where they came from) and then pry on those a little harder to see if you can make any progress. If that doesn't work then you're down to using a pulley puller

 

[bryanwheat]

9 times out of 10 you will not need a puller. You just remove the crank bolt than the pulley slides right off. DO NOT bent the plate, it will cause the belts to wear.

 

[Twinturbo120]

Use a pry bar, and GENTLY wiggle it around to see if it will just slide nice and easy. If not then take the bolts from the harmonic balancer and put those in the crank gear (that holds the timing belt-also where they came from) and then pry on those a little harder to see if you can make any progress. If that doesn't work then you're down to using a pulley puller

Looks like I'm shit out of luck. It isn't budging at all -.- The manual makes everything seem so easy "Remove the bolt from the center of the tensioner pulley, remove the pulley and then remove belt."

 

[stuckwithgsx]

Yep, a puller is your best option now.

Some people (idiots like me) like to get a little more agressive with a pry bar and a hammer, but that's not safe and you will probably break something!

Good luck either way!

 

[Twinturbo120]

Yep, a puller is your best option now.

Some people (idiots like me) like to get a little more agressive with a pry bar and a hammer, but that's not safe and you will probably break something!

Good luck either way!

Lol thanks buddy

9 times out of 10 you will not need a puller. You just remove the crank bolt than the pulley slides right off. DO NOT bent the plate, it will cause the belts to wear.

Well in an attempt to pull the sprocket out, I broke one of the holes for the 4 bolts of the crank pulley. So now, I HAVE to get the sprocket out. I'm screwed because I can't find any

 

[Rich_Howell]

^^^^Darn.

If you just needed to remove/replace the belt, you can remove the tensioner pulley, then work it around the plate. Unbolting the crank sensor can help here too.

Since that's not really an option anymore...your best bet is to use a lot of heat to get that pulley bolt off. Another good way to remove the crank pulley center bolt is to put a breaker bar/socket on there and have the handle resting against the chassis. A quick "bump" of the starter will usually do the trick. Since the main t-belt is off, be sure none of the valves are open all the way so you don't bend valves. It would be wise to remove the cams to make sure, but it's best if you reinstall the t-belt for this. Many times you can just install the t-belt and hold onto the cam gears to keep them from moving, then use yer muscles and a breaker bar on the crank. A helper is a good idea.

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Just realized that the problem is that the sprocket is semi-rusted to the crank. The only thing to do here is to spray it with some PBlaster and let it sit...then apply heat w/ a torch and a few taps of the hammer. Rinse and repeat.

You could also get long bolts that screw into the 4 bolt holes on the sprocket. Make sure they're longer than the sprocket is deep. Thread them all the way through until they bottom out against the front case, then continue to turn them all at an even rate to press the sprocket off. If you're not careful wih this you can crack the front case, so proceed with caution...but it SHOULD work just fine.

 

[Twinturbo120]

^^^^Darn.

If you just needed to remove/replace the belt, you can remove the tensioner pulley, then work it around the plate. Unbolting the crank sensor can help here too.

Since that's not really an option anymore...your best bet is to use a lot of heat to get that pulley bolt off. Another good way to remove the crank pulley center bolt is to put a breaker bar/socket on there and have the handle resting against the chassis. A quick "bump" of the starter will usually do the trick. Since the main t-belt is off, be sure none of the valves are open all the way so you don't bend valves. It would be wise to remove the cams to make sure, but it's best if you reinstall the t-belt for this. Many times you can just install the t-belt and hold onto the cam gears to keep them from moving, then use yer muscles and a breaker bar on the crank. A helper is a good idea.

--------------------------------------------------------

Just realized that the problem is that the sprocket is semi-rusted to the crank. The only thing to do here is to spray it with some PBlaster and let it sit...then apply heat w/ a torch and a few taps of the hammer. Rinse and repeat.

You could also get long bolts that screw into the 4 bolt holes on the sprocket. Make sure they're longer than the sprocket is deep. Thread them all the way through until they bottom out against the front case, then continue to turn them all at an even rate to press the sprocket off. If you're not careful wih this you can crack the front case, so proceed with caution...but it SHOULD work just fine.

The cams aren't moving because I have a piece of plastic holding both of them.
I thought moving the crank is bad because then it won't be tdc? Thus causing timing problems? Or is that just for the head? I got the balance belt off with a tough squeeze but the sprocket problem still remains. I'll try some WD-40 on it and then a little bit of my heat gun and see what happens.

 

[Twinturbo120]

9 times out of 10 you will not need a puller. You just remove the crank bolt than the pulley slides right off. DO NOT bent the plate, it will cause the belts to wear.

I think your confused, I removed the pulley already (harmonic balancer), the thing I'm trying to remove is the sprocket, that's in front of the backplate. Or do you have to take off the bolt to remove the sprocket?

 

[Twinturbo120]

Well today I tried taking off the crank center bolt and it does NOT budge. I tried the trick of cranking the motor with a big wrench on the bolt, holding it to loosen but it still didn't budge. What do I do, I'm so screwed

 

[bryanwheat]

So you are cranking the engine with the timing belt off? That is a HORRIBLE idea. And YES the bolt has to come out. The starter method will work every time if you do it correctly.

 

[Twinturbo120]

So you are cranking the engine with the timing belt off? That is a HORRIBLE idea. And YES the bolt has to come out. The starter method will work every time if you do it correctly.

NOOOOOOO I put the balance belt and timing belt back together. I guess I need to charge the battery more.

 

[ed1380]

Forget the balance belt. Just don't put it on. Instant balance shaft elimination without messing around with plugging the bearings. I've done it on every 4g63 that I've replaced the timing belt. Never had any complaints.

 

[pauleyman]

Why are you even trying to remove that bolt? On a 7 bolt engine there is enough room to put the balance shaft belt on without removing anything. On a 6 bolt you have to remove the crank bolt and get the plate off to get to the belt. It may not look like there is enough room but there is.

 

[Twinturbo120]

Why are you even trying to remove that bolt? On a 7 bolt engine there is enough room to put the balance shaft belt on without removing anything. On a 6 bolt you have to remove the crank bolt and get the plate off to get to the belt. It may not look like there is enough room but there is.

I must be doing something wrong because I keep scuffing and damaging the belt.

 

[stuckwithgsx]

You CAN turn your engine over without a timing belt on, just MAKE SURE all your valves are closed! If you're unsure, then don't do it.

The starter trick has always worked for me, but in your case if it's not going to work then try putting your car in gear, setting the tires on the ground, and using your pry bar with a really long extended cheater bar, probably with your hood off, and start cranking away. < Not exactly safe, but sometimes it comes to that. Make sure your parking brake is set too. I would probably use a whole bunch of PB Blaster on it and keep it soaked with it for about an hour before you start this.

If you have any access to an impact, and a wrench, and some help, then you could also try the starter trick, with the added impact. You may have to make some modifications to either the wrench or socket to do this method.

More or less, get creative! And I would probably be shopping for a new bolt to put in there when you're all done

Again my methods usually end up breaking something. Tools, parts, fingers, or even light bulbs from tools flying around the garage barely missing your face Do this at your own risk, and try to be as safe as possible about it

 

[pauleyman]

Doesn't anybody own air tools? Also do not put a breaker bar in the hole in that bolt. Use a socket. I'm not shooting flames at the OP but why do I read so many timing belt posts in dsmtuners? I've only been here a short while ubut I've been turning wrenching on mitsubishis since 1987. I just don't get it. The vfaq seems pretty straightforward. If you must get that bolt off and you don't have air tools then fab a tool. Is the front case caked up with anything? There is a decent sized gap between the crank plate and the front case. Even more so on a 2g because you don't have a solid round plate. You can rotate it around some and get the belt out even. Don't have to but you could. On a six bolt there is no gap between the case and the plate. Impossible to change the belt without crank sprocket removal. This is why the 7 bolt oil pans have that little dip in the front. The case has clearance.

 

[Twinturbo120]

Doesn't anybody own air tools? Also do not put a breaker bar in the hole in that bolt. Use a socket. I'm not shooting flames at the OP but why do I read so many timing belt posts in dsmtuners? I've only been here a short while ubut I've been turning wrenching on mitsubishis since 1987. I just don't get it. The vfaq seems pretty straightforward. If you must get that bolt off and you don't have air tools then fab a tool. Is the front case caked up with anything? There is a decent sized gap between the crank plate and the front case. Even more so on a 2g because you don't have a solid round plate. You can rotate it around some and get the belt out even. Don't have to but you could. On a six bolt there is no gap between the case and the plate. Impossible to change the belt without crank sprocket removal. This is why the 7 bolt oil pans have that little dip in the front. The case has clearance.

Air tools aren't cheap. The compressors to power the air tools aren't cheap either. I'm tight on money. I try to do the best I can with what I have. In this case it didn't work. I'm just looking for other options. My battery is crappy so I have to charge it, maybe thats why it didn't break loose the bolt.

 

[pauleyman]

You still shouldn't have to remove that bolt. A 7 bolt engine has plenty of room to move. I just don't get why you're having the problem. Pictures maybe?

 

[RamenPride]

I keep scuffing and damaging the belt.

You need to rotate the crank a little in order to make space where you can slip the belt through between the blades of the crank angle sensor trigger plate.

The balance shaft belt will get scuffed a little when installing it. However, it's designed to last 60K miles spinning at 7000rpm, so I doubt you'll do any real damage just using your hands unless you're really trying to.

 

[Twinturbo120]

Well, $71 dollars later I finally got the center bolt loose. You guys will not believe how much shit was on the bolt itself and the inside of the crankshaft. No wonder the sucker wouldn't break free.

I used my dads 250 ft lbs impact wrench and the bolt wouldn't even budge! So I went to Harbour Freight and bought a 700 ft lbs impact wrench (couldn't find anything with less ft lbs) and used that. The bolt came loose in an instant =D But anyway, after this I'm changing my water pump when I change my belts. The asshole that sold me the car changed the belts but not the water pump -.-