Main Crankshaft pully

[Nickichi]

Heya

I probably know the answer to this but i thought i would try here first (and boost my count lol, been a while)
I've been working on the front of the car trying to remove rust that has built up since the awful winters we've had for a while in the UK and when I got to the pulley after removing the fan I thought oh sh*t.

My initial idea was to use either the anti rust gel to clean it or use a dremal tool to grind it off but looking at it in the pic's, it looks like it is in a pretty bad state and im not sure if grinding will work (may even upset the balance).

I'm thinking now I'm gonna remove all the pulleys so i can see what they are like behind them and unless grinding will work I'm thinking it might just be easier to get a new oem part for the main pulley and respray it so it would last a bit longer than with the normal coating. The other pulleys I can replace with the GReddy versions except for the AC compressor which again could be cleaned/replaced and resprayed to resist the rust better.



Whats ur thoughts guys & girls?

 

[meddler]

You should be able to get it off at least. I am sure that someone makes a lightened crank pulley. Maybe Auss15 will remember who it is. Try cleaning it up. you have nothing to lose.

 

[spoonman]

Go Fast Bits make what they call underdrive or smaller pulleys to take load off your engine
http://www.gfb.com.au/products?page...age=flypage.tpl&product_id=144&category_id=67

but unless you have balanced your crank i would just take it off, (replace your front crank seal while you are there) clean it up best you can, not with anything that will dig into the metal then just put it back on.

if you do this, remember NOT to pull the balancer from the tabs where the belts go you will just break bits off, pull from the back or get a special puller that locks into the belts grooves

 

[S15_SAM]

Just wire brush it in situ nickichi! And scrap the extra rust off. Then spray it or brush it, with some black hammerite heat proof paint. You can hardly see it with the fan on so I wouldn't worry too much.

Have you got an under shield to better protect the engine underside?

 

[Nickichi]

if you do this, remember NOT to pull the balancer from the tabs where the belts go you will just break bits off, pull from the back or get a special puller that locks into the belts grooves

Thanks for the advice

Have you got an under shield to better protect the engine underside

Yea its still there, i think the majority of the crap came in through the front judging by the damage to everything in its path to the belts, bloody bolts are pretty well seized on everything i've tried to remove.


No more driving in the winter for this car


Im gonna remove the fan and shroud anyway Sam and replace with an electric setup which is why I want to clean the pulleys up more since they will be more on show when complete

 

[Auss15]

You should be able to get it off at least. I am sure that someone makes a lightened crank pulley. Maybe Auss15 will remember who it is. Try cleaning it up. you have nothing to lose.

Greddy make a very good quality light weight pully kit for S15's http://www.frsport.com/GReddy-13522126-Lightweight-Aluminum-Pulley-Kit-S14-S15-SR20DET_p_1576.html Ross Bond also make very good aftermarket Harmonic balancers

 

[Nickichi]

so just a follow up question, anyone know a good tool for checking the tension on the belts. I've seen one from the states that clamps on and measures it but i've been struggling to find one closer to home. Also found a post here suggesting the twist method but unsure how much twist is ok XD

 

[spoonman]

so just a follow up question, anyone know a good tool for checking the tension on the belts. I've seen one from the states that clamps on and measures it but i've been struggling to find one closer to home. Also found a post here suggesting the twist method but unsure how much twist is ok XD

basically, tight but still enough slack so that you can push on the belt in between the pulleys by hand and they will move a few mm. Or on the longest run between pulleys if you can twist the belt 90' but no further then its tight enough, if you do this and it squeals it too lose. Think of it as tight enough to grip the other pulleys but no so tight that you are going to stretch the belt and make it wear rather quickly. Whats more important is that the belt does not have cracks on the underside, or if the grooves are still roughly the same depth as from new, if the ridges on the belt have worn down then the belts ability to grip the pulleys has reduced.