Job: water pump, timing belt, and three seals.

I didn't realize that the volvo tool to hold the crankshaft pully is not designed for the B23. I have already loosened the other two pully's and all belts are off.

I just read up on using the breakerbar on the bolt while touching on the starter to loosen the bolt.

How could the rope trick help at this time?

What would you do at this point?

No impact wrench available.

I now realize that I should have loosened the Crankshaft bolt before anything else was touched.

Thanks in advance.
Joseph in New Mexico

The Rope Trick worked fantastically. Now I'm attempting to figure out when the front seals were done by the previous owner. Does anyone have any idea when the Elring crank seal went from orange to grey? The one in my 83 240 was orange. The new crank seal are grey.

I like a large rubber mallet and a 1/2" drive socket wrench. More room to swing if you work under the front of the car. Easier on everything than metal to metal impacts.

I used to hang an old V-belt on the damper pulley and let it dangle below the car. Then I would take a 2x4 about three feet long, slide it through the lower part of the dangling belt and let it rest up under the cross member, Then i would stand on the 2x4 in front of the front bumper, put a breaker bar on the bolt, from the top side, and wallop it with a hammer.

Then I got real lazy and just started using the "breaker bar against the frame rail and click the starter" method. That also works on the FWD cars. I mean I've HEARD it works on FWD's. Not that I've ever done it or anything like that. I mean that would be stupid.......

You two know how to keep a thread on topic. Crankshaft Bolt Removal.

No need to go off topic and hint at putting the crank bolt back on!

"Torque to 125 pound feet"

:-)
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Rope trick. With a cylinder at BDC preceding compression stroke. Fill with oiled cotton rope. Loosen...do everything else, tighten, remove rope.

This is the plan. How do I find BDC considering belts are off. Could I stick a wire into sparkplug hole #1 then turn crankshaft pully until it is at lowest, then fill with the rope. How much rope will this take?
Sounds too easy.

It seems too easy because it is. With the belts off "compression stroke" is meaningless. You just set the cam on the index mark. If you doubt yourself, look through the oil filler to see both lobes of #1 cylinder are "perky" and you know the valves are closed.

Yes, feel for the piston at the top with a chopstick or straw and turn the crank about a quarter turn to the right. Feed into #1 spark plug hole maybe a foot and a half 1/4" nylon rope and then loosen the crank bolt against the rope. Just loosen it a tad so you can again loosen it with just the ratchet. Back the piston off of the rope so you can pull it out, give the ratchet a spin and the bolt is in your hand.

Replace your leaky seal.

Reinstall by setting the crank a quarter turn to the left of the top, and torque the bolt to 125 ft./lb. Don't forget to reinstall the spark plug.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.

I haven't tried this, but I have heard of people jamming the flywheel with a screwdriver while loosening the crank bolt. Doubtful as to the effectiveness of this method.

I read that method too, but seems harsh on the car.