Loosening hub bolt

[BOTTLEFED]

After installing my Roe S/C, I decided to buy the tools and hardware necessary to pin the hub.
Well I tried and tried to get the hub bolt to loosen and nothing.

Is there a trick to getting it loose?

I tried an impact gun and a breaker bar with a 2ft cheater.
It is torqued to 250ft/lbs because I tried to loosen it with the torque wrench a couple times with it set at 250 and it would click as I pulled it but still not loosen.
I gave up and re-torqued it to 250.

I figure if it is that tight, I have nothing to worry about.
I'll check it periodically to see if it has loosened any.

 

[plumcrazy]

keep spraying it with wd40 for a few days and a longer bar. mine was a ***** to get off but it finally came off

 

[Kenneth Krieger]

I ended up buying the 3/4 drive torque wrench from Harbor Freight. I was in the car with my foot on the brakes HARD, and a buddy just pulled hard and it finally broke loose! THEN had to do the same thing when torquing it back down to 250 lbs after pinning. It's a ***** alright, but you can do it.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

are you guys doing it from under the car?


I can't seem to get a good straight shot at it
do I need an extension to get the torque wrench on it?

why did you stand on the brakes?
wasn't the car in gear with the e-brake on?

 

[plumcrazy]

from the top.

and if i rememeber correctly, i had to use the shortest possible extension on the socket too

 

[DAMN YANKEE]

With the hood still on, from the top, with someone in the car with foot on brake, in gear...

and with a four (4) foot breaker bar extension (a steel tube)...she just came right off.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

wow, I'm not sure where you guys are positioning the bar but I don't have that much room to get a pipe over a breaker bar between the engine and the crossbar
if I did, I would take out every pulley on the front of the motor as I turned it loose

 

[Viper Specialty]

-Take off the pulley if it isnt already off, and I am assuming the airbox and PS cooler are already removed. If not, them too.

-Put the car in 4th gear, and yank the e-brake.

-Use two people, one on each side of the car.

-Keep in mind this is a standard right hand thread, not left hand like some balancer bolts.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

the PS cooler?! nobody said anything about draining the PS syst.


this simple job just keeps getting harder and harder

 

[Viper Specialty]

the PS cooler?! nobody said anything about draining the PS syst.


this simple job just keeps getting harder and harder

You dont have to actually disconnect it. Just unbolt it and pull it up- zip tie it to a hood hinge. You will thank me anyway for the skin that remains on your hands if you slip off something anywhere near it... it is more like a cheese grater than a power steering cooler.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

I'll try it again this weekend when I have some help

thanks guys

 

[1TONY1]

You need a better impact and more air pressure

 

[chimazo]

Also, don't use your torque wrench to remove it - it probably won't "hold" and you could easily screw up the calibration using all that force.

 

[OKViper]

If it's that tight, do you really need to pin it?

 

[chimazo]

If it's that tight, do you really need to pin it?

The bolt is tight, but the pulley can still spin on the crank, being only an interference fit. The bolt really only keeps it from falling off, but the additional forces put on it from a blower can overcome the pressed-on pulley if not pinned. Some pin the crank even without a blower so you don't have to worry about the balancer falling off and ruining your day.

I don't know if it's the same with Vipers, but with LSx engines, you weren't supposed to re-use a crank bolt once removed. I don't remember if it was a torque-to-yield issue or just because the bolt had some sort of one-time use coating on the threads.

 

[Viper Specialty]

I don't know if it's the same with Vipers, but with LSx engines, you weren't supposed to re-use a crank bolt once removed. I don't remember if it was a torque-to-yield issue or just because the bolt had some sort of one-time use coating on the threads.

TTY type bolt.

 

[BOTTLEFED]

Also, don't use your torque wrench to remove it - it probably won't "hold" and you could easily screw up the calibration using all that force.

I was only using it to prove that it is tightened to at least 250
I was not trying to loosen the bolt

 

[Purdue_Boiler_Viper]

Most of us get to this point. But, it is not as hard as some here are making it out to be. You don't need to remove a lot of stuff.

I did mine by myself, with a little help standing on the brakes from the little woman, and it was difficult. The trick is to get a 3/4 inch drive wrench and a 3 to 4 foot braker bar. I used a pipe over a big ratchet. See this thread: http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-g...sked-why-put-5-lbs-roe-blower-your-viper.html

See Steve00RT/10's post. You will get the picture. I did mine from the top. It is tight.

There are lots of ways to drill the crank. I just got a cheap 90 deg drill attachment and had no problems.
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[SYNFULL]

Make sure you get a good drill bit! I was drilling for 15 min. and getting nowhere till I bought a carbide or titanium bit- I don't remember which. Then it was like butter.

 

[MacManInfi]

I'm tackling this one too.
Roe says 1 1/4" socket, but it fits real loose. Seems like the bolt is half a size smaller or something. Anyone else notice the same thing? I'm hesitant to try to get the bolt off with a loose fitting socket. Last thing I want to do is round that sucker off.

 

[dave6666]

I'm tackling this one too.
Roe says 1 1/4" socket, but it fits real loose. Seems like the bolt is half a size smaller or something. Anyone else notice the same thing? I'm hesitant to try to get the bolt off with a loose fitting socket. Last thing I want to do is round that sucker off.

It could be metric. 1-1/4" is 31.75mm.

Could be 30 or 31mm, or maybe even 1-3/16"

Dunno. Hope to never be an expert at the hub bolt, due to lack of needed experience.

 

[SYNFULL]

It is 31mm and hard to find. I've only found them online.

 

[Viper Specialty]

1-1/4" will certainly work in all but one year. The oddball year, 2004, uses a 13/16 socket.

2008 may be metric, havent checked

 

[MacManInfi]

It is 31mm and hard to find. I've only found them online.

Awesome. So long as I can get a good fit, I don't care if I have to order and wait. Thanks!!!

 

[dave6666]

I checked my '01 a while ago. 1-1/4" 6-point is a pretty good fit. Do not have a 31mm.

 

[Viper Specialty]

I checked my '01 a while ago. 1-1/4" 6-point is a pretty good fit. Do not have a 31mm.

Yep, should have mentioned this- make sure the socket is a 6-pt with this kind of torque.

I have never checked a 31mm, not saying it wont fit, but I cant see them purposely putting a metric head on SAE threads. it very well may just be a "crossover" size, like the majority of bolts used in the Viper that can be wrenched with Metric or SAE without a problem.

 

[Viper Wizard]

You need a better impact and more air pressure

OUCH Tony!

I hope I'm not to late?

Hey Bottlefed, can you say "flat spots on bearings"?

Take you hood off! Remove the A/box, move the P/S cooler, I use a 1.25" 6 point short socket 3/4" drive - 3" extension - 3/4 ratchet w/2' handle and then a 2' cheater. Car on the ground in 4th and someone on the brakes & P/brake. They all come off!

 

[MacManInfi]

Geese, 6 sided, that makes so much sense but I'd have never thought about it. Thanks guys! I ordered both sizes from McMaster-Carr and will use whichever one fits best.

 

[MacManInfi]

BTW, I got both sockets today in the mail. The 31mm fits much better than the 1 1/4". Six sided, 3/4" drive, 31mm from McMaster-Carr pn# 54175A67 if anyone else ever wants one. $14.40

 

[BOTTLEFED]

Well I finally got it loose
I took all the advice given
I put the car in 4th gear and had my GF stand on the brakes as I got a 3ft breaker bar with a 6pt 1-1/4" socket to break it loose

then I bought a couple new drill bits and a right-angle drill

there was just no room for the drill and with it being a close-quarters drill, it had a long handle that got in the way of the cross-brace

so I removed the rad. fan and that gave me just enough room to get a regular drill in and get the job done

then I put everything back together and retorqued the bolt to 250


thanks to all you guys for your help and suggestions

I definitely don't want to do that again!