March Performance power steering pulley stuck. Any Ideas?

Doomstein

Member

Apr 17, 2005

36

0

6

Lakeland, FL

Feb 29, 2012

#1

• Feb 29, 2012

• #1

Well my dumb**s went and stuck a new March Performance pulley on to a new power steering pump without thinking about getting the mounting bracket on first. No big deal right? Just take the pulley off. Oh no, no no no no... I wish it were that easy. While it wasn't hard to remove the old pulley with a power steering pulley remover, these March jobbies use a three hole system like a harmonic balancer. I tried using a harmonic balancer puller with some grade 8 bolts and I've just managed to bend the bolts : D I gotta tell ya the engineering on this pulley is amazing. All that force and won't budge a friggin mm. Any ideas on how I can get this thing off? Impact wrench maybe?

 

Doomstein

Member

Apr 17, 2005

36

0

6

Lakeland, FL

Feb 29, 2012

#2

• Feb 29, 2012

• #2

Pully is now off, I poured that sucker a tall glass of physics.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you 'The Infernal Machine!" One part home-made breaker bar, one part harmonic balancer pulley puller, one part power steering pump pully puller (the nut that the wrench is hooked up to) And finally, One saucy wrench.

 

ID89GT

10 Year Member

May 26, 2008

1,659

18

49

Spokane Valley, WA

Mar 1, 2012

#3

• Mar 1, 2012

• #3

Looks like a pain without a vice.

 

Doomstein

Member

Apr 17, 2005

36

0

6

Lakeland, FL

Mar 1, 2012

#4

• Mar 1, 2012

• #4

Yep, my life was so much easier with one, but I lost mine when I had to move in a hurry. I was actually going to buy one last week but chose to buy a vibratory tumbler instead. Whoops.

I gotta be careful about removing these aluminum pulleys too many times though. Two or three removals of aluminum press-on pulleys causes them to lose material around the shaft hole and cause them to slip off amd become paper weights. Had that happen a few years ago. Made a nice wind chime out of it.

 

C

Crash05r6

New Member

Nov 21, 2014

2

0

1

Nov 21, 2014

#5

• Nov 21, 2014

• #5

Doomstein I owe you a beer. I was ready to throw the pump and pulley away and start over fresh till I read your post. March screwed the pooch big time here with this horrible design. Using your hybrid tool method works like a champ. I tried to muscle this thing off for two days. Broke two different tools and my ego. Thanks buddy!

 

mikestang63

SN Certified Technician

Aug 27, 2012

11,606

8,859

214

In the garage

Nov 21, 2014

#6

• Nov 21, 2014

• #6

impact wrench would have had that off in a minute. Could have gone down to a machine shop and paid them $5 to slap it on for you. Thanks for the heads up though.

 

C

Crash05r6

New Member

Nov 21, 2014

2

0

1

Nov 21, 2014

#7

• Nov 21, 2014

• #7

Unfortunately my 1/2" impact wouldn't do the job. Without the hold down nut from the power steering pulley all it does is twist the long bolts or crush the washer. The second i put the hold down nut behind the balancer it came right off with my 1/2" ratchet and a little elbow grease. My problem was I put the pulley too far down on the shaft and had to back it out a RCH. Personally I quit taking my car to the shop, tired of dealing with them. No shop round here would charge $5 for anything anyway. Minimum half hr labor if not full hr. Plus I get the gratification of accomplishing it myself. Threads like this make my life easier and glad someone took the time to post how they solved the problem.

 

D

dr.zed

Member

May 17, 2020

17

6

13

Nova Scotia

May 21, 2020

#8

• May 21, 2020

• #8

You are my hero! I've had to do similar to get an ignorant driveshaft out of a rear wheel bearing.

It was painful and full of mechanical NON sympathy. But it worked!

Amazing how strong car stuff is....

Doomstein said:

Pully is now off, I poured that sucker a tall glass of physics.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you 'The Infernal Machine!" One part home-made breaker bar, one part harmonic balancer pulley puller, one part power steering pump pully puller (the nut that the wrench is hooked up to) And finally, One saucy wrench.

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