[markjs]

I now know what it is, but it's pretty horrific. Since it is an automatic we could not get the bolt that holds all the pulleys and the crankshaft sprocket itself to the crankshaft to have sufficient torque to stay in. It is listed as 62 foot pounds, but there is no way to hold the engine still easily. We ended up having to repeatedly put that bolt back in. I actually lost the original on a highway and was forced to drive several miles at high speed with nothing but belt tension and the timing belt cover to hold things together. The last time we put the bolt in, we used two kinds of lock washers and Loctite, and braced the engine through the camshaft sprocket using the timing belt to get the torque.

The thing never came out again, but the damage had already been done. We thought somehow it had skipped a timing belt tooth (since it is a round tooth type). The terrible reality though is that the vibration had destroyed the inside of the crank sprocket and the end of the crankshaft. See the crankshaft end has two flat sides of different sizes to keep it only able to be on one way, but now the inside of the sprocket has small half moons and the crank has small hills on the sides. I will most likely be without a car for some time to come.


We may be able to replace the crank sprocket at great trouble and expense and it will most likely work ok but technically the crankshaft needs to be replaced (although the damage is minimal enough I don’t think I will have further trouble provided I can get the damn bolt to stay in this time). The other small concern I have this time is the original bolt fell out on the highway and is long gone. We have gotten a replacement bolt at the hardware store, but I am somewhat worried about that even now….

Does anyone have any ideas about getting that thing to stay in this time? I mean I think we can get the needed torque, but now I am paranoid about the whole thing!