I don't have any air tools to remove the crankshaft pulley bolt so I'm going to give it a try with the tools I have. The crankshaft pulley bolt looks like it will take a lot of torque to loosen so my question is....
How do I keep stuff from turning when I'm pulling hard on a wrench to get the crankshaft pulley bolt loose?
Not sure why you want to remove the crank pulley to change the timing belt. Go to the old tech articles, under Engine there is an illustrated article on how to change the timing belt.
Here's why:
"Cam Timing Belt Replacement and Set Up
By Keith Nubel & Pete Dunham
1) Before starting the belt replacement, remove the 2 accessory drive belts and the water pump pulley. Also break loose the crankshaft pulley bolt (22mm), an air gun is the easiest way. Make sure you can easily slide the pulley off the end of the crankshaft."
No, don't remove that pulley. No need to do that.
Removing the crank pulley makes it easier to get old belt off and the new one on. Some people prefer to do it without removing the crank pulley. It is possible to do the job that way. It's a matter of personal preference.
The cam pulley most the way to one of the outer 3 marks (3rd picture of the procedure) and the tensioner wheel (that is against the bold) is easy to turn (not putting any pressure on the belt)...so I need to align the cam marks and leave the others the same?
Did anything else move besides the cam pulley?
I don't think so. It was running the same way it did when I replaced the TFI and put the distributor back in a bit off. It would start, idle poorly and be powerless when I gave it gas. The "off-ness" was noted thru the observation hole before anything was loosened up.
And I gave getting the belt off without removing the crank pulley and I'm not adept enough to get it off without moving stuff, so hopefully one day this week I'll get back to it and play with an impact wrench.
Pete...I've got to say thanks for all the help you give here.
Thanks, just trying to contribute.
Just to be safe I would make sure everything is where it should be. If the cam timing isn't right, nothing else is either.
Yeah I agree with Gman. You don't necessarily need to remove the crankshaft pulley to set the timing/replace the belt.
There is a gap between the timing belt lower cover (IIRC*) and the crankshaft pulley that should allow the old belt to slip out and the new one to slip onto the pulley. You're likely going to find that the pulley is rusted/seized onto the shaft. If that's the case, removing the bolt is going to be the least of your worries.
A helpful tip: Remember that the belt is going to slip when you release the tensioner, so try to anticipate that by setting up the alignment between the cam pulley marks and timing cover pointer accordingly. When you release the tensioner you want the belt to move INTO the position/alignment you want, not OUT of it. A lot of people setting timing or replacing the belt (at least at first) don't get that.
You're probably NEVER going to get a precise alignment with the stock engine parts. The first time I did this I spent literally ALL DAY trying to get it "just so". Not going to happen! Now I get it close and make up for the difference with the ignition timing. I've had no problems with that method.
Good luck!
(*IIRC=If I Recall Correctly)