Need advice please, Re: Pulling crankshaft pulley | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Need advice please, Re: Pulling crankshaft pulley

edwx

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Joined
July 4, 2006
Messages
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City, State
Jacksonville, FL
Year, Model & Trim Level
2020 Ford Explorer XLT
I need to pull the crankshaft pulley on my '03 X, 4L. I'm pretty sure I need a puller to do the job. What puller do I need? Is there an inexpensive one I can buy? Not looking to buy a real expensive set to do a one-time job, if you know what I mean. Also, any tips on pulling the pulley would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 



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Many puller kits may work, mine did and cost about $10, a cheap set.

FYI, you do need 3.5" long metric bolts for the two main puller bolts, make sure that you have those before you begin, they should be in the kit.

Read a manual well on how to use the puller, the placement of the bolt in the crank as you pull is vitally important. Someone here surely has detailed the procedure. Good luck,
 






I didn't have time earlier to post a long answer, try this as a word guide;


The basics are simple, most crank balancers you leave the crank bolt in, threaded say 1/2" from being out. That gets the tool something to push on, and works well.

These 4.0 engines have a very deep balancer, the puller will not pull it off completely in one push/stroke.

If the crank bolt isn't too slick/lubricated(covered with oil), use that as above. Remove it and thread it back in about 1/2", 6-7 threads, and then use the puller. Take your time, and watch the balancer come off slowly, it will reach a point where it becomes very hard. Stop immediately there, the crank bolt will be stopping it from coming further.

The puller must be removed so that the crank bolt can be threaded out a few turns. Then use the puller again to pull it more. It could take three applications of the puller to get the balancer off. Be careful when it gets close, it will fall off, and is heavy.

If the crank bolt is too slick to begin with, the puller center shaft will simply thread it inward as you turn the tool(center shaft). If that happens, the balancer will not be moving, and the effort will remain high.
If the balancer is not coming off because the crank bolt is threading inward(slick), then you will have to use a small bolt instead to push on. If that is the case, you will need a 3/8" bolt I believe, about 3" long or so, which will easily go in the crank and not engage the threads. Then you want it to bottom out in the hole, the puller will push on the head of that bolt. A second shorter bolt may be needed to finish getting the balancer off.

Hopefully you can use the crank bolt, when you first get it out, wipe it down with a rag, get any oil off of it. The new bolt needs a couple of drops when it is installed, but you want that old bolt dry to not thread itself in when you apply the puller shaft onto it.

The hardest part should be holding the crank still when you loosen and tighten the crank bolts. A friend is very handy then, be patient then. Good luck,
 






The reason I asked about the crank pulley puller, is because I need to replace the seal. I'd like to thank everyone who replied to my post. The information is greatly appreciated. Also, any additional input on replacing the seal will be much appreciated.

I found a couple of pullers on ebay for about $10 (bought one....won the bid for $.99, but $10 shipping), and what looks like a good set (46pcs. including long metric bolts) at Harbor Freight for $10.
 






The seal is not too hard, tapping the new one on takes patience.

When you get to installing the balancer again, clean it very well inside. Have that as clean as possible, you need to carefully and gently tap the balancer on far enough for the crank bolt to reach. Regards,
 






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