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Taurus Pulley Removal Help

M

mosh

CEG'er
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
136
Location
Camas, WA
I've begun work on a 3L and took a few useful pics...

I know that info has been posted on this before because I've searched, but it's disjointed and often buried in posts about people going through hell to get them off.

Here's a quick and easy guide based on my experience yesterday with an 03 Taurus engine I'm working on...this should remove any ambiguity.

Before you start, see pic "Pulley-Balancer" to identify the target. Do not so anything until you understand the direction you must turn the wrench or you'll make it tighter (and harder to undo!)

1. Make sure crank can't turn! Use a bolt that just barely squeezes through a hole in the flex plate...anything smaller in diameter will slip. See "Flex Plate" Pic

2. Remove the Pulley. Use a 16mm socket and turn it clockwise...the opposite of normal. Don't be shy, this is correct. Use a big breaker bar and it will come right loose. See "Remove Pulley"

3. To get out the Harmonic Balancer Bolt switch to an 18mm socket and pull the bar Counter-Clockwise: The NORMAL direction. See " Remove Balancer".

4. No pics, but use a Harmonic Balancer Pulley to slip it off the Crank.

OK now if I can only decide whether to throw away those beautiful low mileage Taurus Cams for my 200k SVT Cams! What a tough call.
 

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Good job. I'm sure this will help many others to follow.

When I did mine, I stared at it for a few days and drank many beers before getting the sawzall out. Only then to realize that the thing is a solid piece and super easy to get off.

EDIT: Here's a pic of the pulley remover installed. However, don't look too closely at it. The crank bolt needs to be removed first. I was in a rush to take pictures and didn't do everything as I should have.

P1020622.jpg
 
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Also, sometimes even with a 3 foot breaker bar on the pully bolt (the large reverse threaded one), it will not break loose. I suggest and recommend that you cut the pully bolt in pie pieces, and that will release the tension of the threads and either fall out in pieces or will be able to be turned out.
 
I have a relatively cheap impact wrench which can sometimes break it loose without much hassle. If it doesn't I normally use MAPP gas and heat it up and it breaks loose every time. It's faster than cutting and much cleaner.
 
I actually just did this yesterday. I just stuck a bolt through the flexplate, as stated above, and it broke loose pretty easily. Its an 04 with 31k, maybe its because of the low miles :shrug:
 
Thought is was easy...

Thought is was easy...

Mine came off so easy with a 2ft bar...I thought most of the trouble came from people exerting a lot of effort in the wrong direction first...that's why I added this thread. Mine's an '03 with 40K.
 
I have done two engines. The first was an 03 with 3k miles - very hard to get off. The second was an 03 with 10k miles - very easy. On the first one I did try getting it off in the normal direction first, so I can not say that I didn't make it tight.
 
ok, so i've got an 03 with 42k miles and have broken two rachets and a breaker bar so i bought a stronger breaker bar and now the 16mm bolt is rounded off. what do i do now? how far down is the bold threaded to where i can cut it off and miss the threads? oh, yeah and i knew i wasn't turning it the wrong way, i read this thread before attempting removal.
 
Are you talking about the reverse threaded outer bolt that has the pulley on it or are you having trouble with the inner regular threaded. Bolt that is inside the Damper? The outer can be cut into a pie shape and will release tension on the threads enough to remove whole or even in pieces.
 
getting the pulley back on

getting the pulley back on

69Boss302 said:
Good job. I'm sure this will help many others to follow.

When I did mine, I stared at it for a few days and drank many beers before getting the sawzall out. Only then to realize that the thing is a solid piece and super easy to get off.

EDIT: Here's a pic of the pulley remover installed. However, don't look too closely at it. The crank bolt needs to be removed first. I was in a rush to take pictures and didn't do everything as I should have.

P1020622.jpg
Click to expand...

How tricky is it to get the pulley back on? The manual says to use a special tool and the pulley washer. Can you use any tool to get the pulley back on like the one pictured here or does it have to be a ford tool? Is this one the Ford tool? Can I just use a block of wood and a mallet? What do you guys usually do?
 
So when you all say to cut the pulley bolt. Where are you talking about cutting it? Near the head of the 16mm bolt, or back near where it attaches to the balancer? If I cut it at the balancer, the only thing I need to worry about damaging is the crank itself...correct?

I'm trying to get mine to break loose. Already broke a 1/2" ratchet and also tried an impact gun...no luck so far.
 
The outer bolt or the inner bolt? Make sure you're turning the outer bolt in the opposite direction, it is left handed.
 
Yeah, the outer bolt, with the 16mm head. I'm jamming the flywheel to keep it from moving, and turned the 16mm bolt clockwise...won't even budge.
 
Haven't done the 3L yet but on my SHO and my Cobra, hitting the bolt with a torch helps alot. As for putting a balancer pulley back on. Again, heat works wonders. I heated up the pulley shaft a little bit and it slid right over the crankshaft snout. Honestly though all you have to do is get the end on enough to where the crank bolt can grab and then just use to bolt to pull the balancer back on.
 
I finally got mine off. I did like was posted above and cut the shaft off behind the pulley. Then used a 24mm socket and impact wrench and it popped right loose. This was all after breaking a 1/2" drive ratchet, a 16mm deepwell socket, and a 1/2-3/8 adaptor.
 
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