crank's rear main bearing cap removal - help

It may be sacrilege to some, but I usually use slip-joint pliers with a piece of leather or similar material to protect the cap. If you can't get a good grip, and with the other main caps removed, you can lift the nose of the crank an inch of so. This will lift the rear cap off the crank without doing any damage.

Erik

Thanks for the info. I'll give it a shot.

Do these things come off fairly easily? I didn't know how much I could lift up on the opposite end of the crank. It only lifts about a quarter of an inch.

I figured I needed to get some force pulling directly perpendicular to the crank to get it off, like the picture in the manual shows if you have the pulling tool.

Thanks,
Jeff

If your engine is on a stand, flip it over, then tap on the crank with a piece
of wood and a hammer. Leave the bolts loosely in place so the crank don't drop out! Very easy actually......

I made a simple tool with some old flat steel bar-stock I had laying around. Drill four holes in the stock that correspond to the pattern of the two oil pan studs on the rear main cap and the two oil pan studs on the block right next to the cap on either side. Then, put two nuts on the outside studs and run them up almost till they snug up, then put the "tool" on all four studs, then run the bolts up on the inside studs and loosely snug the bar up against the first two nuts you put on. Then, simply start loosening the outside nuts uniformly. As they loosen, they will gently and evenly pull the bar down and put pressure on the inside nuts, pulling the cap down. The small nuts and studs on the pan have more than enough strength to loosen the cap (at least, they did the two times I did this).

I've got an even easier solution.

Screw two of the oil pan bolts back into the rear main bearing so that they protrude about 1/2". Use a common carpenter's claw hammer to pry up on the bolts, much like you'd use it to pull a nail. Alternate between the two sides, pulling gently. They usually come out fairly easily - the claw hammer works perfectly for this application.

Jay, that doesn't bugger-up the studs or the soft aluminum? I suppose if you are VERY GENTLE? Good idea. I may try that next time...wait a minute...I don't want there to be another next time...

Thomas

No, I've never done any damage with my "claw hammer" technique. While a claw hammer isn't usually a precision instrument, I'm not using it here for pounding on anything - just to lever up the rear main cap. The cap isn't held in that tightly - it's just that there is nothing to pull on when you try to remove it.

I suppose that if my technique worries you, you could put a block of wood, say 1/2" thick, on the block surface, and use a screwdriver to lever up on the underside of the oilpan bolts screwed into the bearing cap. Or, just lay a folded up rag between the hammer and block to cushion the aluminum.

The claw hammer method worked perfectly. I used an old leather glove to protect the surface of the block and with a few gentle tugs on the hammer, the crank popped free.

Thanks a lot for the help. Now I have got to figure out a few more things as I move on. Time for a new post.

Thanks,
Jeff
74 GTV