Good afternoon. I've got a 1989 Dodge Raider V6 - automatic transmission w/ 200k miles and a stuck crankshaft pulley. I'm trying to get to the crankshaft seal that's notorious for blowing out on this model.
Now I'm stuck yanking on the pulley each day. From what I've read, the pulley should be removable by hand once the bolt is out but often needs some convincing.
The pulley has holes on the front, but they're not threaded. I tried a few different size claw pullers - it either can't get a good grip on the pulley or the bolt isn't long enough.
Looking around the web, the suggestion is to continue bathing it in PB blaster and use a couple of crow bars to wiggle each side - deadblow from time to time. This has been fruitless so far.
Any tricks to share or should I just keep wiggling it? If this continues to be an issue, is there a safe way to split that pulley to remove it (I have a replacement in the front seat)?
Thanks for the videos and all the answers here on the forums. Your guidance has undoubtedly helped me avoid blowing it up.
Victory.
I called a mobile mechanic to come by and assist with removing the pulley. After many "wtf"s and some bloody knuckles- we couldn't remove it w/ the pullers or pry bars.
What I ended up doing (poorly explained):
-Removed the radiator & grill.
-Tied the ends of a length of rope to each other to make a circle.
-Wrapped the rope tightly, multiple times around the back of the pulley.
-I placed one of the long pry bar vertically through the rope in front of where the grill was against 2 horizontal 2x4s to brace the bar.
-Shorter pry bar through the rope outside the vertical pry bar.
-Twist the short pry bar like a propeller.
I was able to prop the short pry bar against the bumper when it became difficult to twist - tap the pulley a few times with a mallet - twist more. Eventually I smacked it with the mallet and saw a little give and was able to wiggle it the rest of the way.
Still not sure how, even with an impact gun, they managed to get it that tight without snapping the bolt.
Hopefully this method never has to be used again. Thanks for everyone's input.
wow. What a bear of a job. Thanks for posting your results!
Impressive. I seriously think 99% of the time working on a car is getting off those few nasty bolts. And the rest is cake. Okay maybe not 99%, but a huge percentage.
Use a puller tool
I'll check with the local auto shops and see if they've got one on hand. The largest claw puller I've got is a 6" and it has a hard time getting a good grip with the diameter of the pulley. It also lacks that narrow pin that I think would be necessary.
pullers come in various styles
I've got a duck foot but I'd need to try and get in there and thread the holes it has- or drill new ones. The holes it has at the front of it aren't threaded and just seem to be there for the tool that holds the pulley while the bolt is installed.
The holes are for balance.
Remove the fan/shroud/whatever else for maximum clearance to get a big puller in there.
I would also find the biggest crow bar I have , and a block of wood for a fulcrum, and just wiggle it bit by bit, one side at a time.
(you did take the belts off right?)
I dunno .... hopefully you don't have to yank the engine.
The longer pry bars are likely the key to victory on this one. Should end up looking a bit like one of those gazelle workout machines.
Just about everything around the pulley has been removed. Now it's just this pulley, the timing belt, and the crankshaft sprocket removed to get to the seal that needs replacing. Then it's reassembly, replace the PCV valve, and then turn it on and hope the steady stream of oil stopped.
Regarding that crankshaft seal itself- I've gone through a few forums where some people recommended using some RTV on the seal. I didn't find anything saying it was a bad idea, only that others didn't think it was necessary. Any reason you can think of that would make that a bad idea?
From what I've gathered, this seal giving out is a common occurrence with this motor and I'd like to do whatever I can to keep it from giving again. At least for a bit.
Try to get your hands on a service manual for your particular engine. I would not attempt any serious repairs without one.
From my limited knowledge, RTV is only used on two-piece seals, where they meet. It should not be necessary for one-piece seals. Usually, quality aftermarket seals aren't as failure prone as the original ones.
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Would it hurt anything if you applied (to the outside only) some RTV ? Probably no. Not if you're careful not to get it everywhere, and don't put so much that the excess squeezes gobs of it inside the crankcase.
Good resource - thank you.
I've got a decrepit Haynes manual that came with it and PDFs of all the service manuals/parts catalogs. Bit of a pita that the Chrysler version of this year 6g72 is just a little different from what's in the manual- but not with this particular procedure.
I picked up a couple 3ft prybars and got to gazelle-ing. No dice. It seems to only move the tiniest bit if I smack it with the deadblow hammer, but no sign of budging thus far.
I think I'll give it a few more attempts before I admit defeat and shell out the $$.
Harbor Frieght sells a pretty good slide hammer . Put four long bolts through those holes and slide away. I assume you mean the vibration damper. Don't heat it up. It has rubber core that will catch on fire. Post a picture of what it looks like.
it's going to be awfully hard to fit a slide hammer into that narrow gap
I've only got a couple on hand that aren't great. I can get a few more after work.
Couple stock photos of the replacement if that's of any use.
You are not trying to remove the pulley. You ARE trying to remove the torsional damper to replace the main seal. Be sure to use a new damper or a repair sleeve on the old when when installing.
looks like it's a one piece unit doc
Looks like your right @mmj, again! But then again, what do you expect from Dodge? There motto is Faster & Cheaper.
Toyota uses them too. It's not that uncommon.
It's really a Mitsubishi - but I don't think that changes much.