12 replies to this topic

[Kyle Burkhardt]

Got my wheel from MSM. How do I get the crank shaft pulley off? I have read I need to put it in 5th gear and pull the parking brake. Do I have to remove the belt?

[FTodaro]

You need to
1) loosen the alternator and the belt you can take the belt off.
2) get a 21 or 22mm wrench and put it on the bolt in the center of the crank
3) get a 10 mm socket and extesnion and take off the 4 bolts around the crank center bolt and Your done.

The timing wheel goes on one way so look at and pay attention to how it came off its not interchangeable with either side.

Put on your new on. I can't recall the spec but it might be 8-9 ft lbs on the 4 bolts, Check the manual on that.

[Cy Peake]

Heat and an impact gun worked for me a few days ago...for the crank bolt.

[FTodaro]

Heat and an impact gun worked for me a few days ago...for the crank bolt.

You don't have to take off the crank bolt, were you just trying to put on the timing plate? if so you can leave the center crank bolt alone.

[Kyle Burkhardt]

Thanks Frank. So i'm just holding the crank bolt as a lever to keep the assembly from turning while i loosen and tighten the 4 bolts on the pulley?

[FTodaro]

Thanks Frank. So i'm just holding the crank bolt as a lever to keep the assembly from turning while i loosen and tighten the 4 bolts on the pulley?

Yes.

[Cy Peake]

You don't have to take off the crank bolt, were you just trying to put on the timing plate? if so you can leave the center crank bolt alone.

I needed to replace the timing belt so the toothed pulley needed to come off.

[Sphinx]

Heat and an impact gun worked for me a few days ago...for the crank bolt.

One of the tricks for removing that stubborn crank bolt that I learned from the miata.net guys was to put a cheater bar on my breaker bar (I used my floor jack handle) and brace it against the ground. Bump the starter a few times, and off it went.

But make sure you've got the cheater braced the right way or it will be ugly, and it helps to have a helper.

[Kyle Burkhardt]

Thanks guys. Got it done. Extremely easy. Turns out the PO had already dremeled his OE wheel. I replaced it with the MSM one for that extra bling factor. So how does this thing change timing? I indexed it CW as far as it would go (against the pin) and I reinstalled the pulley in the exact same place it was before. I under stand how the slotting of the wheel lets you move it back and forth independent of the pulley, but how does that trick the cpu to advance the timing?

[davew]

Make sure to use blue locktite on the pulley bolts

dave

[Kyle Burkhardt]

Thanks Dave. To answer my own question, I'm guessing it has something to do with the tiny nubs on the edge of the wheel passing the sensor at 4 oclock to the pulley.

[HoneyBadger - BrianW]

Thanks Dave. To answer my own question, I'm guessing it has something to do with the tiny nubs on the edge of the wheel passing the sensor at 4 oclock to the pulley.

Correct, those are used to "determine" the engine timing. It's kind of like talking with you wife... honestly, it really is 9 inches...

[Kyle Burkhardt]

Hah! YOu can't fool that sensor.