I'm changing the timing belt on my '93 240 (B230 engine) this weekend. Can I use a pneumatic impact wrench without using anything to immobilize the pulley to remove the bolt? I don't have the special crank holding tool and am just wondering if I need it or need to secure the pulley some other way.

Although I own both counterhold tools for the B230 and B21/23, I no longer use either one. Instead, I prefer a piece of cotton clothesline (nylon or similar is OK too), for what is called "The Rope Trick". It's quicker and easier than the "tool" or any other trick, and the basic steps are simple:


1 - Remove all plugs and rotate the crank to #1 TDC Compression stroke.
2 - Look thru oil fill hole to verify #1 and #2 valves closed. The cam lobes will be pointing away from each other, with #1 pointing to the left and raised maybe 25° from engine horizontal line.
3 - Rotate crank about 60° past TDC to make room for rope in cylinder.
4 - Stuff some clothesline (2 feet is plenty) into # 1 plug hole, leaving 6" outside (feeding the rope in thru a short length of heater hose makes the job even quicker).
5 - Rotate the crank backwards until the packed rope stops further rotation.
6 - Use socket, breaker bar, and pipe extension to loosen pulley bolt. Then use pulley to rotate crank a few degrees CW by hand to free rope for removal.
7 - Tighten bolt the same way, but start with crank about 60° before #1 TDC Comp.
8 - When tightened to spec, back the crank up a little to free and remove the rope.

To my knowledge, this is the only "trick" holding tool alternative that allows tightening the bolt to book spec of 44 lb ft, then an additional 60° (B230),
or 122 ft lbs. for B21/23.

Here's what some first-time users had to say:

• "The "rope trick" for holding the engine still while removing the harmonic balancer bolt worked like a charm. Honestly, I doubted that it would, but WOW!"
• "I finally had an opportunity today to use one of the "rope" tricks to help take off the crank bolt. All I can say is - it worked like a charm! Two seconds and I had the crank bolt off..."
* 5/29/05 "I did this a few weeks ago exactly as ... described and it couldn't have been easier."
• 12/28/05"....the rope trick worked like a charm to loosen and tighten the crank pulley bolt!!,"
• 1-10-06 "tryed the . . . method without any luck but the rope trick worked fine to remove the pully bolt"
• 6-26-06 "(thanks for the rope trick! Worked like a charm.)"
• "i just completed the task using the rope trick and my opinion is that it is extremely gentle as compared to jamming a screw driver anywhere. it required about 5 to 6 ft. of 1/4 inch rope and made mission impossible mission simple."
• 4-25-07 at http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1178645.
• 7-7-08 at "Rope Trick Rocks".
• 7-20-08 "was amazed at how easily it worked" .
These just in, Jan, 2009:
• guillermo.
• sonoflee.
• N7SC
• 1-31-09
• 2-03-09
• 2-22-10
• 6-1-10
• 6-1-10
[I guess that's enough, right?]

--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

Yes, an air impact works fine.
BEWARE, though, to have everything lined up and tight before using the impact to tighten the bolt, otherwise the tiny nub on the crank/sprocket will be toa$$$t.

How about remove with air impact then reinstall with breaker bar. Will I not be able to get enough torque for the reinstall?

Also, if I set piston 1 to top dead center (as everything I've read says to do) will the air wrench turn the crank and misalign the pulleys? Or does it loosen the bolt without moving the crank and pulleys?

When you loosen the bolt with the impact gun, the crank will probably move, but the belt and pulleys will still be in the same relative position to each other. So, after you remove the bolt, you can set it back to TDC before you wiggle the pulley off.

Install it with a torque wrench to the correct value. Look in the FAQs for the correct value. I think it is 40 ftlb, which you can hold by hand without the locking tool.

Then the bolt gets tightened further to a certain number of degrees (also in the FAQs). I think it might be 60 degrees, which is one flat of the bolt. So, mark a point of the bolt head, mark the pulley next to that, and mark the next bolt head point location on the pulley. Then use the gun to line the first mark up with the second and you have the correct degrees. If it is not 40 ftlb and 60 degrees, adjust these instructions accordingly.

Charley

Tiny nub means trip to junkyard. Been there.

Have you looked into the rope trick? Brickboard FAQ describes this low cost, reliable tried and true method.

For the fun of Volvos,
Mike
--
'83 245 GLT, '92 245DL, '90 760 GLT

I wanted to get an early start without disturbing my neighbors so I decided not to fire up the compressor and impact wrench. Instead I tried the "rope trick" and I am in awe. It worked like a charm!

That $45 chrome MTC crank holder tool was about the best money I've spent on a special tool in ages, AND it fit the non-OE balancer fine. I can see it being annoying to use, slightly, with the engine in the car, but with it on an engine stand I put the new balancer on, torqued it to spec, then did the 60 degrees, with an angle gauge no less(!), in under 1 minute. Used the rope on other motors, works fine, but given a choice I don't put stuff in my cylinders.
Last time I did this, I used a notched piece of box steel set in the starter hole engaging the ring gear, that too works like a charm and I like it better for torquing the flywheel bolts since it holds closer to where the torque is being applied. More than one way to skin a Swedish cat.