Help with the crankshaft pulley

[infinity5]

I've got a breaker bar and a strap wrench on the pulley and with all my weight, sitting on top of the radiator, i can't get a single bolt to budge. the sockets just slip off. sdfjasdlfs. what possed BMW to put a bolt for something as simple and common as the water pump in an impossible place to reach?!?!?!

any tips from you guys who've done this? aparently the last person who did the water pump didn't even bother tighening back the bolt, so its already very loose, which means no matter what happens i have to be able to get to it, even just to tighten it back.

well.. i suppose it'll just take time, like everything else... off to the driveway.

[632 Regal]

crank bolt? what are you doing? i dont follow you.

[infinity5]

To remove the water pump you must remove the crankshaft pulley... (i.e. the "harmonic blancer" or "vibration dampener," whatever you want to call it) It's in the way of getting to the last bolt holding the pump on.

The problem is solved though, I managed to get it off with the help of a friend (it made it tons easier). there are 7 or so little bolts holding the actual pulley to the hub and its just a bitch to get them all off.

[Tiger]

Waterpump bolt tightening torque is very little so it does feel loose coming off. Do not overtighten it.

[632 Regal]

dude....somethings not right here...I didnt have to touch the crank at all doing my waterpump. your talkin about the 530 right?

the lower bolt was a bitch and it took longer than the whole job but to mess with the crank pully...idonno man.

[infinity5]

hmmmm. i wish i had a camera. even bently said to remove the pulley. there's a bolt thats under the crankshaft pulley that there's no way to access easily without the pulley off.

I could sort of reach it with a wrench and some magical-hand movements, but it wasn't worth the effort.

If you removed the belt tensior on the drivers side you might be able to slip a wrench behind the pulley and inbolt it that way, but i didn't want to mess with it.

with some help the pulley isn't that hard to get off, it's just breaking those 8 little nuts free thats annoying. Hopfully the torque on them isn't too bad when i put it all back together.

[winfred]

you shouldn't need to take the big bolt out to get the ballencer off, it's held on with the 8 little bolts

[infinity5]

yeah, i only took the 8 little bolts off, sorry for the confusion. they were still difficult to remove is all.

[632 Regal]

I did the magical hand movements now that you mentioned it...took many a cold beer.