So here's an interesting story: Yesterday, backing out of my parking space my car stalled, I had no clue why. When I let it back the rest of the way down the small incline it was on it eventually stayed running, everything seemed fine when I inspected it... Today my car stalled when I put the brakes on leaving work. It wouldn't start so I popped the hood and lo and behold, my crank pulley was hanging by the belts and the bolt was in the fan shroud. I eventually got it started and limped a quarter of a mile to my nearest family member's house.

Here's the rub:

I've got an automatic transmission and don't have the money/time to buy and wait for the tool IPD has on their site. When I changed the timing belt I couldn't get a tool through the flywheel so I held a box wrench on one of the flywheel bolts while a buddy torqued the flywheel bolt down. I guess we didn't do a good enough job on that one...

What to do? is there a way to do this without taking the transmission reinforcement plate off to get at the flywheel? I put it on with borrowed air tools which I no longer have access to and it will be a PITA for sure to take it off again. I thought about hydro-locking the engine with oil...

 

I suggest you forget the flywheel trick.

Use the rope trick. Remove #1 spark plug and feed in a couple feet of clothes line to the cylinder. Then start tightening the crank bolt. If it goes through the compression stroke without stopping feed some more clothes line in.

But first remove the negative battery cable. You don't want the engine to accidently crank over when you're messing with it.

Tighten the crank bolt 44 ft-lb plus an additional 60 degrees.

 

Only 44 ft-lbs? I'm pretty sure I tightened it more than that the first time.

 

You forgot about the extra 60 degrees.

 

The rope trick works great, just used it again yesterday. Make sure you're at TDC and then back it off about 90 degrees (CCW facing the block) then feed in a couple of feet of rope. Then no danger of bending a valve since you're sure you're on the compression stroke.

BTW did the old 240 used TTY bolts? My old Haynes just says 50 pounds- 60 lbs.

 

I don't believe any of the bolts on the 240 are TTY. Those are usually reserved for manufacturers who are looking to save money nickle and dime. I am very surprised that only 44 ft-lbs is necessary for the crank bolt, most crank bolts I've encountered are torqued to well over 200! I'll have to phone my buddy who torqued the bolt for me the first time and use my best arnie impression to tell him he is a "puny weakling" who needs to "get pumped". Seriously, who can't torque a bolt to 44 ft-lbs with a foot and a half long breaker bar?

 

It has to go to 44FT-LBS then an another 60 degrees. Not just 44 FT-LBS.

 

I know, that was mentioned above, it still isn't that hard to do, torquing a bolt 60 past 44 ft-lbs...

 

It is more than you think when torquing a bolt.

 

Well, I was just able to do it with no trouble. Torquing a bolt to more than 200, that's a pain in the ***, It took more than just my arms and my breaker bar to do that last time I tried, I wound up using a 3 foot pipe too...

Thanks for the help guys, the rope trick is one to remember!

 

How does the rope trick work? This is interesting.

 

There are a number of writeups. Here's one from the Brickboard...

http://tinyurl.com/ng9r8b

 

I have to say, I smile every time I use it. It's so counter intuitive yet so simple. You wonder who thought it up.

We're trained from the get go to keep the combustion chamber clean and above all , free of foreign objects and along comes some guy who thinks to himself, "Hey, I'm going to shove a bunch of old clothesline in there and see what happens!"

 

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