I understand that usually an airgun will undo the bottom crank pulley on a Focus 02 plate but is there another way if one hasn't got an airgun to hand?
I've seen crank pulley locking tools before but not sure there is one for my car?
Any help would be good please...

 

What are you trying to do? Replace the timing belt? I ive done a few timing belts on the zetec engines.

The last 2 I couldnt get the crank bolt out. I had to smash the bottom timing belt cover off and made sure I got all the bits of the cover removed. Then you can slide the timing belt under the crank pulley. It sounds gash but when your doing the car on your drive what you suppose to do.

 

Yes I need to do the cam belt, how are you suppose to put another cover back on?

 

The proper kit is essential, you need the bar to lock the cams and the crank locking pin.

Put it in gear and apply the handbrake and you should be able to undo it.

Once you undo the bolts it all becomes free floating.

Martin

 

No that won't work as I have tried that before even with someone standing hard on the break pedal, the pulley still wants to rotate. I don't understand why they didn't make these pulleys with holes in, there's no where to use a holding tool...

 

I haven't put the covers back on. I did my wife's 53 reg focus about 4 years ago and I know the car is still driving about without the bottom cover.

I did the wifes 10 plate focus about 2 months ago and thats still ok.
I also tried the car with it in gear and someone with there foot on the brake and it didnt work.

I thought it qas alot easier to time the engine up this way too cause you can turn the crank over whilst the time cam pulleys can spin.

 

Don't try and hold the engine with the timing pins. You will chip the corner of the cams.
Only realistic option is to beg, borrow or buy an impact wrench but it will need to be a good one.
The crank pulley on a zetec E is keyed so it depends on if its a proper "zetec" or the smaller Sigma engine.

 

take starter motor out and use a flywheel locking tool

 

Oh okay well it seems it has worked for you and as you've done there's no need to undo that bottom crank shaft bolt, crud but It's one way around it, thanks buddy!

 

Flywheel locking tool, okay I'll have a look for one on the internet and see what I can come up with!

 

Make your own, old valve, bent to 90 degrees, job done.

slot valve shaft in available hole in block and put valve head into flywheel teeth

 

That sounds like it could be a bit dodgy lol, what hole in the block do you put it in, do you mean the one that lines up the crank?

 

I used my snap on impact gun on both ones I did and it didn't budge the crank bolt.

 

normally one of the starter motor bolt holes.

common routine decades ago before readily-available special tools

 

I normally heat the head of the bolt up then airgun it off. Worked everytime so far.

 

Really, you would have thought being snap on it would have shifted it, bloody hell...!

 

Okay buddy, I will keep that in mind but I need an old valve first lol

 

Pull the starter motor out and get a mate to use a prybar on the flywheel teeth to lock it off. Then use a socket and power bar on the crank bolt to get it loose but you really need to give it a good pull and it will come off. I personally have done well over 30 belts doing it like that but now and then my milwaukee gun gets them out.

 

Without using a dedicated flywheel locking tool isn't there a chance the teeth could be snapped off, a bar, a bent valve as someone else suggested, seems like your asking for trouble??

 

It does sound a bit gash smashing the cover but i had no other option. Just think how many cossies (as an example) don't have a timing belt cover on. Like I said it was easier to time the engine up this way too. I think the whole job took me about 2 hours.

 

Excellent for posting the pictures, did you change the cam and crank shaft seals by any chance whilst you were doing your cam belt?

 

Nope. I changed no seals. I made sure the cam cover gasket was still usable.

 

what type/size of engine is it? you'll need to be very careful if it's a 1.4 or 1.6 as the crank pulley has no key, so as soon as the bolt is undone, the cams and crank turn on their own. if it's a 1.8 or 2.0, you could try the old breaker bar on the floor trick. Simply stick a breaker bar and socket on the bottom pulley and flick the key. you'll need the breaker bar resting on the floor at about 4 o'clock position when looking directly at the pulley. if you have it the other way (8 o'clock), it'll smash into your subframe or whatever else is in the way. It's a risky move, but i've done it several times over the years and never broken anything.

 

Hi, my car is a 1.6. I realize about it not having a keyway for the pulley as I did manage to change my cambelt once before except then I was able to borrow a good airgun...

 

This and only this. The tool isn't even a lot of money anymore, Laser make it with 3 different length adapters.

 

Can the flywheel locking tool break the teeth on the flywheel when trying to undo or do up the bottom crank pulley bolt?

 

Not a chance that would happen with the correct tool. Try and borrow a decent impact gun mate, in my 25 years as a mechanic I've only ever had one crank pulley bolt not undo with a decent impact gun and that was on a Chrysler neon which were renowned for having to heat up crank pulley bolts to remove them. Done many many zetec belt changes and never had a prob with decent impact gun.

 

Okay thanks for that gcfcos. I will try and borrow an impact gun but if not I might then go for the option of the correct tool to lock the flywheel. Where abouts are you if you don't mind me asking? I'm just on the outskirts of Honiton...

 

Was meant to reply to this ages ago lol. What I did in the end was use a flywheel locking tool and it was easy then!

 

would of been cheaper to take the starter motor out and put a pry bar at the teeth on the flywheel.
its not a good idea to use timming pins for this purpose as they get bent especialy the camshaft ones

 

You're probably right but I borrowed it so it didn't cost me anything plus with this method I knew I wouldn't have to piss too much with pry bars jumping out etc...
And you're right about the timing pins, one does have to be careful when tightening the pulley bolts etc...

 

i learnt this the hard way i was doing a timming belt on a 1.8 d fiesta. i bent the pin right around the back of the camshaft sprocket. i ended up taking the sprocket of the shaft and stupidly handed it to the apprentice to remove.he got the pin out for me but he didnt use soft jaws in the vice or a copper hammer.so he had to spend another hour dressing it up with a file

 

Oh dear lol, these things happen to us all at some point though with one thing or another. I take it you got it all sorted in the end!