Need HELP on GA16i Main Pulley

Apr 24th, 2003, 04:05 AM

Im doing a complete teardown and rebuild of a 1990 Sentra Engine, the GA16i to be exact. 12 Valve SOHC Fuel Injected/Throttle Body Hybrid.

Well this engine was rebuilt before for the previous owner by a local mechanic shop back in 1996. 2 years later the previous owner parked it for 4 1/2 years. And upon inquiry of the car he sold it to me for a dollar. The car was burning about a quart of oil every 10 miles to clue you into the why rebuild.

Now i have run into problems removing the pulley aka harmonic balancer in this engine. Basically in my attempts to remove the way over torqued Nut holding the pulley on i have about broken the pulley itself into 100 pieces. This is using impact wrenches and etc etc. Unbelieveable eh ?

The problem now is, what can i replace this pulley with ?
I'm finding a HUGE lack of parts for this engine, and the pulley being one of the most mysterious parts to charm up. Even with the local salvage yards and aftermarket/OEM resellers.

Is there another year model engine with a pulley that i could match with this one ? I would welcome anyones sage advice in this matter please.

Myetball · Apr 24th, 2003, 06:07 AM

The GA16i was used from '89-'90. The GA16DE, DOHC version, was used in the Sentra from '91-'99. You might try a pulley off a GA16DE. Although I'm not sure if it will work.

If all else fails there's a local yard that has about a dozen GA16i's, I could pull one and ship it to you.

SuperSentra4203 · Apr 24th, 2003, 11:11 AM

I don't think the GA16DE pulley will work. Finding a pulley for the GA16i should be really easy. Our local junkyard had about several GA16i motors complete sitting there. (one of them being from my old car) The pulley should cost no more than $50.

Apr 24th, 2003, 01:45 PM

Okay cool. I will have to branch out beyond my 2 local salvage yards then to find me one. I found someone today who could special order the OEM part from Japan and it was going to be over $200. I pretty much balked at that price. For that price i would want a lightened aftermarket version, but for this engine they are unavailable.

And for the record these pulleys shouldn't be this impossibe to remove should they ?

Mervic · Apr 24th, 2003, 05:31 PM

If money is no object, take a look at Unorthodox Racing Pulley for the GA16DE, since it is almost the same engine except the # of valves, cams and the VTC. It will free up some needed HP from your motor due to the less weight of the pulley and a little bit of underdriving of the accessories. I am considering of getting one for my own car. The header for the GA16DE will also fit the GA16i to give it even more power. Just an advice, use a puller to get the pulley out next time.

Apr 24th, 2003, 10:10 PM

T'wasn't for lack of a puller.

It was a prev. Rebuilt with the pulley bolt torqued to nearly 300 ft. pounds of torque. The straw was locking the pulley down in a vise and using a 3ft. long prybar to leverage and try to break the bolt. Instead the pulley *aka camels back* itself shattered like glass. Seriously. Even with rubber grips in the vise snuggling it.

Today we had to borrow an impact wrench that a friend normally uses to remove lugnuts on Heavy Equipment Vehicles, like cranes and non street dump trucks. And it had to hammer the snot out of the bolt to remove it. Took over a steady minute of use on this big ass impact to break it. The impact was almost as big as the block itself.

I do live in the south and i can surely imagine bubba at the mechanic saying "hey Earl, this damn pully bolt will never come out as he stands and torques the shit out of it" using his own heavy equipment impact.

Myetball · Apr 24th, 2003, 10:18 PM

I remember when I was a kid my good ole dad using a 6 foot pipe on a 3/4" breaker bar to tighten the flywheel on our volkswagen. He jumped on that sucker so he was sure it wouldn't fly apart. Tried to get it off later but couldn't no matter what they tried. BTW, he's from Kentucky.

Crazy-Mart · Apr 25th, 2003, 03:24 AM

hey myetball we use that same setup trying to get axles of a civic for my friend... after 2 1/2in breaker bar from Snap-on (wich snapped right!) He aske the biggest mother-fuck** bar the guy had with the proper socket !!

it did came of !!...

Mervic · Apr 25th, 2003, 04:44 PM

What about heating the bolt with a torch then hammer it a bit to get it loose.

Myetball · Apr 25th, 2003, 04:49 PM

To get the bolt of my E16 when it blew a head gasket I hooked up an 1/2 x 18" breaker bar to a 12" extension. I supported the extension with a jackstand and jumped on the breaker bar several times with the car in gear while someone was pushing on the brakes....it worked.

Apr 25th, 2003, 10:26 PM

Well IM STOKED.
I found a salvage yard back off in the woods about 5mi from my house, never knew it was there, looks like someones driveway, actually there are houses at the end of it before the yard.

He has a cherry 1989 Nissan Sentra thats Mine for the parting.
Well someone else got the front struts, oil pan, A.C compressor, and dismantled the dash cluster.
But otherwise this car is in better shape than the one im working on. It has the exact same interior color as mine, so im going to grab the dash and maybe the engine hood in a week or so, might even check the seats out tho they were covered as this was an all cloth and not vinyl like mine. Also am contemplating on getting the doors too. Okay im rambling here.

AND Everywhere else i called told me today that the pulleys for these engines are a quick selling item.

I wouldn't suggest doing this on a good engine, but i shoved the end of a wooden ballpeen up into the crankshaft today to EASILY remove the bolt holding that pulley on. I mean that joker came off easy greasy. Wish mine had been that easy.

SuperSentra4203 · Apr 26th, 2003, 07:05 PM

For future reference, get a can of rust penetrater. Don't buy that Liquid Wrench shit, might as well be using water. Get PB's Amazing Rust Penetrater. That stuff is awsome. My uncle working on cars (mainly our family's rusted POS's) swaers buy it. He always has two extra cans handy.

mparrish11 · May 14th, 2003, 11:50 AM

Also try checking Felton Auto Parts (www.feltonautoparts.com) in Snohomish, WA. They specialize in only Nissan/Datsun and Infinity parts. That's where I get repair parts for my B12 Sentra. Great people and they have pretty good prices.

Matthew

Jun 29th, 2003, 06:41 PM

several times on domestic cars with stubborn crank bolts iv'e used a breaker bar placed near the frame or body and used the starter by giving it a little tap.the bar contacts the frame and the power from the starter will usually break it loose.becareful and observe the crankshaft rotation when positioning the bar so it doesn't rotate to far before hitting the frame,avoiding it contacting something that can be damaged. KEEP YOUR HANDS HANDS AWAY FROM THE BAR!

AboveTheBULL · Jul 1st, 2007, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B12BOMBER

several times on domestic cars with stubborn crank bolts iv'e used a breaker bar placed near the frame or body and used the starter by giving it a little tap.the bar contacts the frame and the power from the starter will usually break it loose.becareful and observe the crankshaft rotation when positioning the bar so it doesn't rotate to far before hitting the frame,avoiding it contacting something that can be damaged. KEEP YOUR HANDS HANDS AWAY FROM THE BAR!

PERFECT advice, Bomber! I almost went out and purchased an air gun and compressor kit after struggling with this damned bolt for hours. Glad I ran up on this message! I had the bolt hand turning in less than 2 minutes, and with absolutely ZERO elbow grease!

To anyone needing more specific, step-by-step directions to remove the bolt from the crankshaft pulley/harmonic balancer of a 1990 Nissan Sentra or similar using this method, read on. First, don't believe the nonsense about putting the car in gear and having someone hold the brakes as you try to break the nut free. This WON'T hold the pulley still... it'll just make you furious! Instead, place a breaker bar and 1 1/16" socket on the pulley's center nut. Make sure the handle of the breaker bar is directly under the wheel-to-frame brace, as the crankshaft will turn clockwise when you click the starter, and you want it to contact this brace. Remove the ignition coil wire, so you'll be assured that you won't accidentally run the engine. Your goal is to just tap the starter. So, reattach the negative terminal to your battery (you did remove it before starting the job, right?) and, from inside the car, turn the key to on and bump the starter for only a fraction of a second. It took two tries before I succeeded, no sweat, no burned knuckles. Easiest part of the job, seriously.

Hope this helps somebody, and again, THANKS BOMBER!!! You're a godsend!