(Home) Crankshaft pulley off, steering/brakes failure

I"ve just broken down & been towed home because my power steering went and at the same time brakes went hard , plus all dash lights ie brake/radiator/battery, coolant level etc came on with a highpitched warning sound. Can"t see anything visible yet but i know most of the garages are reluctant to touch these vehicles.

- (#6348) Brian Mitchell, 10 Dec 02

Sounds like the drive belts have failed, possibly the crankshaft pulleys fallen off?

- (#6349) Clive, 10 Dec 02

thx Clive, your were right , need a new crankshaft pulley & woodruff key apparantly..
Thats gonna be great fun trying to get them..

- (#6350) Brian, 11 Dec 02

Dealers will list & can supply, but check the end of the crankshaft carefully as well, the pulley has probably been thwacking around for a while & could have written off the crank if really bad. Regards Rob.

- (#6398) Rob Drinkwater, 12 Dec 02

Brian,
"need a new crankshaft pulley & woodruff key
apparantly..
Thats gonna be great fun trying to get them"

Various breakers should be able to help here or, try BBC spares. Also, look at the recent postings by Stephen Judge re crankshaft pulley problems. He might be able to advise as he obtained a pulley from a UK breaker (I believe)

- (#6667) John Davis, 6 Jan 03

The incidence of Townace crankshaft pulleys becoming detached, is, I think, a bit too common. Although the securing method, ie, right hand threaded bolt into a clockwise rotating shaft, is common to many vehicles, I feel that with the age of our vehicles, say 10/15 years, and the number of belts being driven, if there is the slightest slack in the securing bolt, crankshaft rotation, especially on start up, does help the bolt to "unwind". It should be torqued to 72 ft-lbs and, as an extra precaution, "Locktited" but, it is good practice, for any owner, to inspect this pulley from time to time and to check the tightness of the securing bolt. The pulley is drilled and tapped (to fit an extractor) but, on my next inspection I intend to investigate fitting a simple locking plate, shrouding the bolt head, and itself being locked by two diametrically mounted bolts, in the tapped holes.

- (#6668) John Davis, 6 Jan 03

I suspect that the problem is not only caused by the age of the vehicles, but also the fact that most of them will by now have had at least 1 cambelt change, indeed the direction of rotation of the crank, in relation to the bolt thread is a problem, but then many millions of other cars have the same setup without their pulleys dropping off everywhere. Another factor is the size of the pulley, it's huge & heavy and Toyota even have the audacity to bolt an additional pulley on the front for the p/s belt. When we did the cam belt on ours, about a year ago, the crank pulley was a little loose, and had been chewed at the end, the crank itself was OK, luckily we caught it in time, after fitting the new cambelt we refitted the pulley, added bucket loads of loctite on the crank & the bolt, then retightened the bolt as tight as my air impact wrench would go (approx 300 lb/ft), with a 12mm bolt (I think this is the thread size) of steel into a steel crank, it should withstand that kind of torque, but I wouldn't recommend anyone do it, in case they strip a thread or something. Touch wood it has stayed put. But the idea of a locking strap sound valid John. Let us know how it goes & I might copy it myself, just to make sure. Now is this going to qualify as another 'Achilles Heel' on the Townie, along with the cooling problems, how many has it happened to? regards Rob.

- (#6669) Rob Drinkwater, 6 Jan 03

Brian,
Plaza Parts - Stratford, London ( 02085360101 )sold me one - 4 belt for Liteace, @ £65 + £15 postage to Belfast.
Nippon Spares - London - 0208519500 also had one I think it was £80 excluding postage.
Don't forget to make sure your replacement bolt and woodrift key is included.
Also if the pulley has been rattling around for a while it may be a good idea to get a replacement cambelt retainer which is located against the bottom sprocket behind the plastic cover the crankshaft pulley locates through. It means a bit more disassembly but may be worth it for peace of mind.
Make sure your bolt has'nt broken and left some in the crankshaft. Use a small mirror and torch to look into the crankshaft.

- (#6670) stephen judge, 6 Jan 03

hi when pulley went on mine put new one on and then made a cap from a cut down socket welded a flat plate across the back drill two holes in and bolted it on the front useing two of the four holes that hold the outer pulley on ,this is a bit of a pain but it mit just stop it coming lose again thanks for a great web site it has helped me out a lot ian

- (#6725) ian whitby, 10 Jan 03

Ian,
That's my plan also. I have a section of old box spanner and will weld a plate onto it. I intend to use a round plate so that fresh holes can be drilled (for the locking bolts) if and when the pulley is removed again (timing belt renewal?) and the crankshaft securing bolt does not exactly line up with the existing holes. This will also help with balance. I feel that this securing device is essential on our engines to avoid the grief which comes from that multi drive pulley becoming detached.

- (#6726) John Davis, 11 Jan 03

hello please help "space cruiser 1990" when replacing o/s hand-break cable do i have to drop fuel (petrol) tank ? or is there an easy way to do it .many thanks
andy-u.

- (#6727) andrew urq, 13 Jan 03

Yup, unless you're blessed (?) with arms broken in a couple of places, you'll never squeeze in to undo the clamps.

- (#6728) david miller, 13 Jan 03

Replaced mine without having to drop the tank, can't remember any problems just fiddely.

- (#6729) clive, 14 Jan 03