79vetter

I've got a socket wrench on the middle of the pulley at the bottom and a pipe on the socket wrench helping me out with leverage but when I manage to turn the pulley it reverts back to its original position and so I am not making any progress Not much room down there...
Is there a better method of turning the crank? Here's a pic of how I am doing it:
http://www.photohost.org/gallery/sho...cat/500/page/1

MotorHead

Take the plugs out and take the fan off life gets much easier

Aflac

got the scratches on my forearms to prove it

79vetter

Yea, I've already got them too
I've got the plugs out. Do I need to take the fan and shroud out?
I see 4 nuts on the on the inside of the fan and the 4 up against the pulley for the water pump....

bobs77vet

you should be ok thats now i turn mine, except i use a long handled ratchet and a deep socket....

desi

I take the fan and the plugs out. But I use a 1" drive rachet....no problem. Get a bigger handle.

Jughead

I bought a crank turner from Jeg's. Mounts via the balancer bolts and stays on there until I nee it next. I also have a long (18") flex head racket whish is about as long as a breaker bar to make life a little easier.

yellow71

I bought mine from Eastwood.

john1977

I use a rubber plug with a string attached & tied then bump the starter until the plug blows then I know it in the comp. stroke.

johnt365

depending on your situation, this may be the easiest route. i did a dist. swap recently.
left all plugs in accept #1

disconnected power to distributor.

i used a remote "bump starter button"

with my left thumb covering the #1 plug hole ,my right thumb tapped the starter button until the compression stroke FORCED air out of the hole and my thumb off the hole AND the timing mark was on the tab

it took a couple of times around to get it to stop right on the tab. that got it close enough to start the motor.

this is not always the best method. However, it looks like you have a complete motor in the car. if the heads are off, well... nevermind

SteveG75

Like what I use except I got an ARP balncer bolt with a 1/2" drive socket.

ARP-134-2503

79vetter

Ok, I went and bought a long ratchet and deep socket and still no dice.
Set me straight- This does turn clockwise when facing the front of the car?
When I pull down on the ratchet and move the pulley downward, it springs back upward when i release tension...Its almost further back from when I started...
I do still have the fan on - plugs out...

79vetter

Now I managed to round off the head of the bolt in the middle of the pulley.

Is there another method of doing this like bumping the starter?
If so can you elaborate?

theoUK

Are you going at this from the top? I assume so from your photo...
Yes, it should turn c/w from front

If you're really struggling, try this - turn the engine as far as you can on the ratchet, then hold it there as you wedge a BLUNT object between one of the pulleys and its belt. This will bite and stop the engine from turning back under the compression pressure - then you can wind the ratchet back for another turn, and whatever you wedged in there will loosen off..

Before anyone shoots this idea down in flames , I should stress that you use something wide enough to spread the pressure over the pulley in question, thereby not bending it. It doesn't even need to be a very rigid object, perhaps a piece of narrow plastic pipe. The tendency of the engine to move back will not be so huge as to cause any damage to the belt/pulley as long you don't decide to wedge the pulley with anything sharp or hard...
good luck!

theoUK

ok, just posted this a little late, I actually started writing between your last two posts... Seems this job is being a bit of a pig. You have the plugs out, yeah? Should be relatively easy now, wonder why it's still tough?
Use a 6-sided socket on the pulley bolt, and make sure it stays on parallel all the time. That might get you out of the rounded head problem...

Bob in Dallas

If you have the plugs out, there is no compression to make it turn back. Something else is wrong. The rubber plug in the spark plug hole and bumping the starter until it pops out is a good way to get close. Then turn engine by hand to set to proper timing setting on crank pulley.

You should be able to easily turn the engine with the plugs out, unless it is in gear (manual trans) or there is a mechanical drag in the engine. Even a mechanical problem should not make it "bounce back". You should not need anywhere near the force required to "round off" the bolt head.

Look closely for the resistance to turning. Something is dragging or perhaps an accessory is holding the engine from turning (i.e., the A/C Compressor on)

Good Luck.

Jughead

It'll be easier to turn with the belts off or loose.

BigBlockk

Does this car have a manual transmission? If so you do have it in neutral don't you?

BigBlockk

Later.....

79vetter

I decided to put a kleenex into the #1 hole. I barely bumped the starter until the tissue popped out. The line on the balancer was then within the gauge. I then took out the distributor and put it back in such that the rotor was pointing to the #1 spark terminal on the Cap.
It wouldn't start--I rotated the distributor a little both directions and kept trying to start but it would not. Finally this last time a Flame about 6 inches tall shot out the top of the Carb...scared to touch it now,,,

Hammerhead Fred

Is the car in neutral?