Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - NST Pulley - Installed and Reviewed! (Crank bolt removal tip inside!)

juld0zer · 12-04-2013, 09:14 AM

I'm onto night #2 of my pulley install.
First night was pretty fruitless. Bolt stuck on hard. Tried penetrating lubricant and jolting the starter but i must've chickened out & let go of the clutch too soon because our cars don't have a mechanical ignition switch.

Tonight i managed to crack it loose... too loose in fact! I also had another go at using a cheater pipe on the breaker bar but no luck. Back to the dodgy trick. After 3 more jolt attempts, the latter 2 which lifted the front of the car a bit, the engine started!!!
Oil spattered around the front of the engine and underneath. Not a pretty sight but i've done my best to clean it all up.

If anyone knows where the ignition fuse is, they should reply here to save someone the mess i made. I found a fuse labelled IGN SW but wasnt sure
so i left it in. In hindsight, i should've played safe and taken that fuse out.

Removing the fans makes it a lot easier as you have more working space. Im not a big guy and i still found the space to be cramped.

For anyone doing the starter jolt trick, you need to have the breaker bar floating in the air at least 2 inches from the floor/whatever you intend to use as the striking surface. This creates some momentum before the end of the bar strikes the floor. Having it butted snug against the floor didnt work for me. Battery is in good condition too and had the belt already removed.

Only use a 6pt socket for this, preferably an impact socket.
My crank pulley didnt put up much of a fight. i didnt even need the puller. maybe when the engine started, it spun loose..

As for the alternator... what a bitch to remove!!
3 bolts - 1x tight 14mm long one (upper), 1x 12mm long one & a short 12mm one. The 12mm ones are easy to crack. 14mm bolt needed some muscling with the breaker bar & deep impact socket.

Then there is the 3 wire electrical connector, followed by the +12V lead
secured by a 12mm nut in a very cramped space.

Finally, 2x 8mm screws/bolts holding the loom bracket to the rear of the alternator. then wiggle the alternator free. be careful when it discovers freedom.. dont want to slice open any hoses or rip any looms!

Lowering the swaybar isnt hard. Just 4x 14mm nuts

best to lower it before you wiggle the alternator free. having the alternator resting as described above, then drop onto your foot/leg/crotch when the sway bat swings free is not fun.

Removing the pulley required some penetrating lube and a rattle gun. My little 10.8V one got it loose after a few goes so those with larger more capable guns will have no problem. Use a 6pt socket (24mm or 15/16 size). The nut is quite soft and shallow so you definitely dont want to munch thru it.

I was unable to get a good enough grip using the belt and hand method to tighten the nut to the specified 118Nm using a torque wrench. I'm just going to rattle it on for a good while and call it done.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

12-04-2013, 09:14 AM	#3 (permalink)
juld0zer Enthusiast Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Sydney Posts: 428 Drives: 11 Nissan 370Z MB M6 Rep Power: 138	I'm onto night #2 of my pulley install. First night was pretty fruitless. Bolt stuck on hard. Tried penetrating lubricant and jolting the starter but i must've chickened out & let go of the clutch too soon because our cars don't have a mechanical ignition switch. Tonight i managed to crack it loose... too loose in fact! I also had another go at using a cheater pipe on the breaker bar but no luck. Back to the dodgy trick. After 3 more jolt attempts, the latter 2 which lifted the front of the car a bit, the engine started!!! Oil spattered around the front of the engine and underneath. Not a pretty sight but i've done my best to clean it all up. If anyone knows where the ignition fuse is, they should reply here to save someone the mess i made. I found a fuse labelled IGN SW but wasnt sure so i left it in. In hindsight, i should've played safe and taken that fuse out. Removing the fans makes it a lot easier as you have more working space. Im not a big guy and i still found the space to be cramped. For anyone doing the starter jolt trick, you need to have the breaker bar floating in the air at least 2 inches from the floor/whatever you intend to use as the striking surface. This creates some momentum before the end of the bar strikes the floor. Having it butted snug against the floor didnt work for me. Battery is in good condition too and had the belt already removed. Only use a 6pt socket for this, preferably an impact socket. My crank pulley didnt put up much of a fight. i didnt even need the puller. maybe when the engine started, it spun loose.. As for the alternator... what a bitch to remove!! 3 bolts - 1x tight 14mm long one (upper), 1x 12mm long one & a short 12mm one. The 12mm ones are easy to crack. 14mm bolt needed some muscling with the breaker bar & deep impact socket. Then there is the 3 wire electrical connector, followed by the +12V lead secured by a 12mm nut in a very cramped space. Finally, 2x 8mm screws/bolts holding the loom bracket to the rear of the alternator. then wiggle the alternator free. be careful when it discovers freedom.. dont want to slice open any hoses or rip any looms! Lowering the swaybar isnt hard. Just 4x 14mm nuts best to lower it before you wiggle the alternator free. having the alternator resting as described above, then drop onto your foot/leg/crotch when the sway bat swings free is not fun. Removing the pulley required some penetrating lube and a rattle gun. My little 10.8V one got it loose after a few goes so those with larger more capable guns will have no problem. Use a 6pt socket (24mm or 15/16 size). The nut is quite soft and shallow so you definitely dont want to munch thru it. I was unable to get a good enough grip using the belt and hand method to tighten the nut to the specified 118Nm using a torque wrench. I'm just going to rattle it on for a good while and call it done. Hope this helps someone in the future.