Crank bolt on mazdaspeed 3 2007

J

Jeff_1203

Greenie N00B Member
Greenie Member
Update: after monkeying the bolt it came off after a minute of holding the impact gun on it. Thanks everyone for the suggestions, they helped out in the end.

Hey I've been trying to fix the vvt issue on my mazdaspeed 3 and I'm up to getting the crank bolt off but it's completely stuck. Im pretty sure its because of the weather (about 20s) and I have my dad helping me. We've tried an impact gun, torching the bolt, hitting it with a hammer and a breaker bar and it won't budge. Does anyone have a trick to get it off in cold weather?

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Is the motor in the car? If your impact didn't do it your going to have to put a socket on the bolt with the handle pointing up and then put a long piece of pipe over the handle sticking out of the hood and break it loose that way.
 
We were using extensions to get the handle in a better position but some day this week we are gonna get a single extension that's long enough to be outside of the car so we don't lose alot of torque. We were thinking of doing this but we were afraid of breaking the head off of the bolt.

And yes the engine is still in the car.

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You don't want extensions to come out the wheel well it will be too difficult to apply the necessary torque. A short extension and coming out the top is what you need
 
Ah ok, thank you. I'll keep you updated next time we work on it.

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Get a map gas torch and heat the bolt up. If it gets rusted slightly it will be harder to break it loose. You'll probably need to replace the front crank seal though and be careful not to melt the rubber in the balancer pulley. It wouldn't be a bad idea though to JB weld the tone ring as @JohnnyTightlips has said before when the balancer is off.
 
Jeff_1203 said:
We were using extensions to get the handle in a better position but some day this week we are gonna get a single extension that's long enough to be outside of the car so we don't lose alot of torque. We were thinking of doing this but we were afraid of breaking the head off of the bolt.

And yes the engine is still in the car.

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I was able to get my makita half-inch impact in there without an extension to zap it off after twisting an extension in half with the breaker bar.
 
Ever since I got the Bauer corded impact wrench (Harbor Freight) I always recommend it. It’s relatively cheap ($80) and powerful—powerful enough to turn the crank pulley bolt the full 90° in the last step of tightening (that alone made it worth the purchase for me!).

I wouldn’t know how powerful your impact is, but the Bauer along with a little heat is worth considering.
 
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