I tried heat, then a Craftsman bolt extractor (#7) on the accessory pulley/harmonic balancer with negative results.
Whenever I had this problem on a Samurai fastener - mostly door mount philips-head bolts (!) - I welded a large nut to the top of the errant fastener to remove it.
The process has two effects - the heat of the weld really warmed up the bolt breaking down any locktite-like material and it gave me a larger rotating surface to attach a wrench to.
Yes, I have used WD40 Rust Penetrant - a most amazing product - with no effect.
You all being the "Pros from Dover", so to speak, I ask - do you think this "weld a nut" method damage the crank or nearby parts? I don't plan to weld all three nuts at once. The timing belt will be replaced so I am not worried about damaging it.
Here is a pic:
I'm thinking of sacrificing a couple of 6mm 3/8" allen sockets to the process.
Wow - sounds like you have done it all. I use PB and have to pound on them from time to time to break the bond but have never had that much trouble. My two cents is weld away. Nothing to worry about.
I finally managed to get the bolts off.... sort of.
Using drills (lots of them!) a Dremel grinding wheel and a chisel, I managed to cut the tops of the bolts off.
Although I haven't removed the pulleys yet, I have been told that I will have plenty of material to grab onto when removing the bolts. Because the bolts no longer have the axial stress load of holding the pulleys in place, they may easily unscrew.
Yes, I will definitely be replacing the v-belt pulley - too much accidental grinding done for it to be in balance.
A new Geba water pump arrived today - complete with O-rings. Since the engine is not in a vehicle and I have already removed the alternator, AC compresser and the mounting bracket, installing the new pump will be a snap - I won't have to monkey with the timing belt yet.
I am going to degrease the area around and under the pump first.
I managed to chop the tops of the bolts off and eventually remove the serpentine-belt harmonic balancer and v-belt pulley!
As predicted, the remaining bolt stubs easily screwed out.
Problem solved!
I am installing a double v-belt harmonic balancer because I will not be using the VW serpentine belt-driven AC pump and alternator. Instead, I will be using a Suzuki (or possibly a GM) alternator on the intake/exhaust side. Hopefully this configuration will allow room for the power steering gear in the same space as the serpentine driven stuff.
I would add that no, WD-40 is not amazing stuff. All it does is displace water, and is not a penetratant by any stretch. What you need is PB blaster or Kroll if you want something that is actually a penetrant.
Yeah, standard WD40 is not as good as PB Blaster... But the new New Rust Penetrant formula is AWESOME! (and expensive...)
I have had some great success removing old rusted bolts that held my Samurai's brake and fuel lines to the frame with WD40 Rust penetrant - But it just couldn't hack it when it came to removing those pulley bolts... PB Blaster was not much help in this situation either.
Ah, OK. I just looked at my can of WD-40 and it does claim to be a penetrate so I stand corrected. Sometimes things get just so rusted, nothing will free them up.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
VW TDI forum, Audi, Porsche, and Chevy Cruze Diesel forum
167K posts
102.1K members
Since 2007
A forum community dedicated to Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, and all turbo diesel owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, troubleshooting, TDI, maintenance, and more!