how do i keep the motor on a A4 from turning while trying to tighten and loosen the big bolt? will putting the car in park or in drive work?

 

Usually it involves dropping the starter and using a tool to grab a tooth on the flywheel to keep it from turning.

 

On the C5 corvette.

there is an inspection hole on the bell housing, remove the rubber cover and you will see the flywheel, grab one of those bolts carefully with visegrips, now you have something to block the crank from turning.

The mechanics that I was paying to install the balancer were about to give up when I showed this.

 

On an F-body just drop the starter (2 bolts) and have somebody turn the crank by hand. There will be an occaisional hole you'll see go by in the flexplate. Put in a big screwdriver or big Allen wrench L-key in the hole, and it'll keep the motor from spinning.

 

Put a 3 foot breaker bar on the end and brace it under the passengerside framerail. Turn the egine over carefully little at a time unless the bolt is loose.

 

like JMX said. thats how i did mine

 

MAY not be by the book,but this works for me ( 5 times)
REmove the small 2 in round plug on bottom of bellhouseing insert a BIg screw driver or pry bar into the teeth of fly wheel ( you will need a freind to help) may need to insert one behind the flap behind the starter also >>>( NO need to remove the starter) OR you may order the special tool from GM which will bolt to block which will hold the fly wheel
get a big peice of pipe to use as cheater on on ratchet or breaker bar ( some say bind bar and bump starter to loose crank bolt ( I WOULD NEVER DO THIS )
Will need a 3 leg puller that will pull from the inside ( never from outside ) of stock pulley (may rent from local past supplier )
when ready to re install I get two new crank bolts from dealer and weld a 5/8 x 4 in bolt to head of one ,
( will need to grind down the washer on stock bolt so that it will fit threw the pulley) screw the welded crank bolt in to crank slide a socket( one that will just fit inside the pulley- to use as a guide to start pulley stright ) over the welded 5/8 bolt ,use this to pull the puller back on this way you are not puting much strain on the threads inside the crank
hope this helps Johnny
ps:: I install a new seal any time I remove a pulley($10.00 and 10 minutes now is better than haveing a leak and haveing to remve pulley again

may make a tool to hold flywheel
hope the drawing of tool is understandable
use a 1/8 x 2 flat bar about 12 in long insert into flywheel threw the round hole in botton of bellhouseing ,the notch in side will hold tool in place
PS: THE DRAWING DOES NOT SHOW UP CORRECT ,it should be about 2 in wide all the way down

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You guys are doing it the hard way . . . all you need to do is put the socket end of a big breaker bar (I use a one-inch drive) on the pulley nut, then put the end of the handle against the garage floor. Pull the fuse for the ignition or fuel injection, or remomve the plug wires. Now tap the starter briefly with the ignition key. Works great! Just make sure the breaker handle is on the right side of the pulley, or it will fly completely around. I've done it this way several times, works great! And for those with doubts, I learned this trick at a GM shop.

Oh sorry Smoke Ford if this is the method you were talking about, didn't notice that! Bar against the passenger side frame rail would work fine also.