Turning V8 over by hand?

jp928

Well-Known Member
Is there a trick here, or ? dont even know what size the bolt head is, much less have a deep enough socket to reach it. With the multiblade nylon fan (viscous type) its VERY difficult to get fingers in there at all...
?
thanks
 
Put it in 4th gear and pull the car fwd by the slam panel, not worth holing the rad if you slip with a socket and bar.
 
But difficult when its up in the air...? Another question - how do you hold the crank when you want to undo the front bolt? Porsche have a fitting that bolts to the clutch slave bolt holes and engages in the flywheel teeth to lock things, very handy.
UQW6yE3.jpg

Might investigate making one like that.
 
I can tell you a very effective way to undo a crank damper bolt, but you may consider it a trifle risky. Remove the fan and belt, put a socket on the bolt with a very short bar to clear the pulley and have a long bar at 90 deg to the engine, wedge the bar tight against the frame rail and touch the starter :eek:
Works a treat, but is dodgy to say the least. Put a cover board over the rad.
You may get it to come undone by putting in gear, handbrake on, wheels chocked, long bar and socket.
 
Yes, I have heard of that method, but not a favoured process. I have a long enough bar to do the job, just need a way to lock the flywheel. the Porsche method requires having a bellhousing fitted , but thats not insurmountable.
 
The "mild" starter motor method described above by CB didn't work for me, the torque of the starter wasn't enough. So, after the advice of Harvey, i proceeded to the advanced version of the method, where you actually you let the bar hit the base unit when you operate the starter. It is the actual shock that starts the bolt, not the torque of the starter. In my case it was a 2 persons job, i was holding the bar and socket while a friend was operating the starter. It took us a few times as i remember. Dodgy, yes, but if you don't have rattle gun, you are not let with many options.
 
The "mild" starter motor method described above by CB didn't work for me, the torque of the starter wasn't enough. So, after the advice of Harvey, i proceeded to the advanced version of the method, where you actually you let the bar hit the base unit when you operate the starter. It is the actual shock that starts the bolt, not the torque of the starter. In my case it was a 2 persons job, i was holding the bar and socket while a friend was operating the starter. It took us a few times as i remember. Dodgy, yes, but if you don't have rattle gun, you are not let with many options.
You went advanced !! :eek::eek:
I dare not mention advanced in case I got black balled.
Truth is I tried advance once, but I did not know at the time I was trying it ;) It worked great, but I did not actually want the bolt undone. There is no truth in the rumour that I left a socket and bar on the bolt, none at all.
 
I'm told electric battery hand held high torque rattle thingydingys have improved greatly of late, and are surprisingly effective. I am not speaking from experience. I spend too many hours on the interwobbles reading about car related things, and not enough hours actually wrenching and fixing things. I read somewhere that they are as powerful as a similar tool powered by compressed air. Whatever method you use, mind how you go!
 
I use a battery 1/2" rattle gun/ The latest ones have over 700 ft/lbs of torque. to hold the flywheel i use a tyre lever in the starter ring gear teeth stopped against the side of the bell housing and floor. There is a rover flywheel locking tool similar to the one above. prices vary wildly so shop around...
 
I used an air rattle gun and just left the car in gear with the hand brake on. It was so quick and easy I do wonder if the front pulley bolt had been done up properly in the first place.
 
The front pulley on mine has "teeth"on it. I use a piece of square bar in these to rotate the engine. Also use this method to loosen/tighten the pulley bolt. The square bar went from the pulley over to the oil filter protection plate as a stop.

CraigIMG_5217.JPG
 
Hi, The starter mount is part of the engine block.

Colin
I had a tool for my Mini that fitted in the starter hole and locked the ring gear. Was a block of steel that was attacked with an angle grinder and a set of dentures, from the look of it, but it worked a treat.
 
Got it working...ring spanner on alternator nut, lean on the belt a bit. Small slow steps. Needed to get the timing marks visible so I could clean them and mark with white paint.
 
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