Re: Timing belt replacement

["Dahl, Dave" <dad@roadnet.ups.com>]

>Regarding the special tool, there are actually two. The one you 
>need is the one that locks the balancer in place while you 
>loosen/tighted the crank bolt. The other is a bar with a socket 
>at one end, and is optional - don't buy it unless you plan to 
>do this every day. Personally, I wish every car had a provision 
>like the Audis for locking the crank while turning that nut. 
>How many times have you had to pull the crank pulley bolt and 
>struggled to find some way to lock the crank while doing so? 
>Well, OK, maybe I do this more often than other, more sane 
>folks, but I will say the Audi approach to this problem is a 
>damn nice solution. (BTW, an air wrench is fine for removing, 
>but doesn't cut it when you need to torque the thing going
>back on.)

I'm about to do this job, too, so I guess you could say the "timing" of this 
post was great!  (Bad pun intended.  So sorry.)  :)

Anyway, I was wondering about the special tools.  Is the thing to lock the 
harmonic balancer available only at the dealer?  Is it pricey?  And if you don't
use the other tool (bar with socket), do you still use the same torque when you 
put the balancer back on?  If not, how do you figure the right torque?  Or 
doesn't it really matter?  The Bentley manual makes a point of saying that the 
torque figure accounts for using that extension.

Comments are greatly appreciated, since I was resigned to having a shop do the 
job before this.

- Dave Dahl  (dad@roadnet.ups.com)
- '87 VW Quantum Syncro
- '93 Volvo 850 GLT