Does anyone know if an impact wrench is ABSOLUTELY necessary to get the stock crank bolt loose? I wanted to this install in my garage at home, but don't have any air tools. i'm hoping a combination of a long breaker bar/sweat would be enough to break it loose.

Anyone have experience with this?

 

I will be doing mine in a few weeks. I dont believe an impact gun is necessary although i have one. i think there is a write up

 

I've seen writeups of it done with just a puller and breaker bar. I think tacobill did it in his writeup w/o an impact tool.

Now that I read back over his install, it appears the breaker bar didn't get the job done. Pulley installs seem like a lot of work to me..

I know I've read of it done with break bar... you use two of them to brace.

 

I did mine with a 3' long breaker bar. I've got a standard,locked it into gear & set the parking brake.
Wasn't easy, but it did come loose.
I did however need a pully/gear puller, as the factory harmonic balancer did NOT want to come off.

 

a 3 footer?? wow! maybei could give it a shot. would spraying some penetrating oil be a good idea, like when you do header bolts?

 

I use PB blaster on any stubborn bolts.. soak that crank bolt in PB overnight, get yourself a breaker bar and I bet you'll make short work of it.

Rent a puller from autozone.

 

I got an 18" 1/2in break bar and just used some steel pipe and use it as cheater bar - it came right off. You do not need impact to break the nut loose, but you will want it (or an air ratchet) when you are using the puller. Not that it is necessary for either, it just makes it easier. The overall install is very easy.

 

a MAC air ratchet only puts out 40lbs of TQ so that wont work. if a MAC wont get it done nothing will. yes an impact is optimal but i got her done with a 1/2 inch ratchet. its probably only a foot long give or take an inch.
the impact is nice because its short bursts of tq. just a number for you a MAC impact puts out 1100lbs of reverse TQ thats the 1/2 inch not the 3/4.
put the trans in reverse and lock the ebrake and with hand tools you can get er done.
Remove the degas bottle and PS resivour and lay aside. pull the shroud and youve got a ton of room to work from above. I left the fan in as i didnt need the extra room for an impact.
just one warning be sure to use a stop on the end of the pully puller to stop the treaded und from going into the crank bolt hole. (mine feel out without knowing and umm yeah long story short.. custom bolt)

 

great advice everyone. so is there any negatives to spraying penetrant on the bolt to help it break loose?

 

no negatives that i can think of but no positives either. the penitrant wont help as it wont wick into the treads. its a bolt with no exposed threads.