Impossible to remove lower auxillary crank pulley?

I'm trying to change my inner belt on my 2004 cobra and I can't remove the lower auxiliary crank pulley.

I know it's left-hand thread. I have the car in 6th and e-brake pulled all the way.

The problem is all of my tools break before the bolt loosens. So far I've broken 2 one-piece forged sockets, on my 5ft breaker bar I've broken the head (head sheared right off the bar) and on my 3ft breaker bar I added ~10ft. of pipe extension and ended up bending the breaker bar.

And the #@$#@ auxillary crank pulley is still on tight.

WTF do I need to do - remove the radiator and smash it with a 2000ft-lb impact gun???

If it matters the car has ~225k miles on it and has never had the lower off....

edit: I havn't tried smashing the breaker bar with a 5lb mini-sledge yet ... some posts suggests shocking it will do the trick ... let's see tomorrow....

Have you tried penetrating oil or heat?

If you try heat I do not recommend using a torch (seldom due) but rather a good heat gun.

You're not the first to struggle with a lower crank pulley removal. Keep us posted.

Are you using a floor jack on the breaker?


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Where r u located? Might be someone close to come help u with it..

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One man method put decent tension on a breaker bar with a jack. Then take the jack handle and rest it on one of the spokes from the top. Think long extension not prying. Whack the handle with a hammer. Not great for your bushing but the shock helps loosen it.

Difficult, but not impossible. Find a better way to lock the crank (like the factory tool).

MG0h3 said:

Are you using a floor jack on the breaker?


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This. Last time I broke mine loose I used a 3 ton floor jack and 18" breaker bar. I had to have my son step on the brake because the car was on jack stands. It scared him when it popped loose.

I had a hell of a time this winter with mine. Breaker bar and a 3ft cheater bar still wasn't cutting it. Resorted to using a propane torch for maybe 30 seconds directly on the socket hole and she came right off after a full day of pissing with it.

Have you tried cussing at it?


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The breaker bar & jack method worked like a charm for me over the winter. Pulley had never been off before.

Like others said, some heat may do the trick. Good luck

Hit it with your purse! J/K, sorry I couldn't resist. The tutorials I've seen usually recommend using a propane torch to pump heat in through the hex hole. You want to avoid getting the bushings or the balancer too hot.

Fly wheel tool is the proper to hold motor.

I have used a bar at driveshaft yoke on back of transmission

You need to shorten the pieces taking your torque.

This bolt is 9/16 Allen but at pulley it’s a 2 inch pipe threaded into crank

This is why it takes so much force to crack.

Once it cracks is comes off by hand

hah, got it off.

I whacked it with the 5lb-mini sledge for 10 minutes straight and nothing.

I tried the jack trick for a while but wasn't able to get it to work

What did end up though was a modified jack trick - I put the car on my 4-post lift, 1/2'' beaker bar with a 10ft. extension on it and then verrrrry slowly lowered the lift and used the lift/floor as a wedge. That pulley was in there tight - it turned a little bit, stopped, and at one point while the lift was descending the extension/breaker bar starting to lift the car up; then just when I was about to give up because it was getting too sketchy for my liking BANG, bolt finally gave.

If I had to turn my 4-post lift into a hydraulic press that SOB wasn't coming out by any hand removal method.

I had just switched to a metco pulley.

I rebuilt mine so many times those bushing were shot to where it ate the pulley.

And even without tightening that Allen the engine will tighten it that it’s just as hard to remove 5 mins later