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I am replacing the water pump in early nineties Toyota Celica I am finding the crankshaft bolt impossible to undo. Is there any possibility that it could be left hand thread?

Dave

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 17 September 2009

I can relate to your frustration. Sometimes these bolts are really hard to undo - not just on Celica's either.

In my experience the best tool for the job is what is known in the trade as a 'rattle gun'. This operates off compressed air and normally works every time.

I have seen back yarders take vehicles to their local garages just to get the bolt loosened by this method and then driving home to complete the job. Not recommended I might add.

A red alert warning - you must make sure you get the bolt tight on reassembly. There are a number of stories of crankshaft pulleys falling off after similar repairs. The worst case scenario is damage to the crankshaft nose and keyway resulting in a very expensive repair.

Hope this helps and you haven't lost too much skin off the knuckles so far!