So as i understand it, with this mod when you remove the bolt to the main pulley you leave the torrington bearings lose and there is a chance that they can get whacked out of place and you can waste them when you tighten it back down and run the car. Now ive also read that you should have someone to hold the clutch in to 'keep the internals in place.' I dont get this. Wouldnt you want to leave the thing in 5th or something so you dont have the internals moving around when youre torquing the bolt? I dont need to jack this thing up and was just wondering if anyone knows how sensitive this thing might be. Any input is appreciated.

 

you need to have the clutch pedal down to keep the eccentric shaft in the forward position. You cannot use the driveline to hold the eccentric shaft in place when trying to loosen the bolt, there is too much slop and damping in all of the bushings and springs...



some people do it this way with much success:



put a 2x4 on the clutch pedal bracing it against the seat so it stays down

put a breaker bar on the eccentric shaft bolt, bracing it against the frame, or pavement.

cranking the engine with the EGI disabled (like doing a compression test) a few short bursts.



this will remove the bolt pretty easily... on mine I just bolted a piece of steel stock to the eccentric shaft hub (the thing the main pulleys bolt onto) and braced it against the pavement. Then just used a long pipe on a 1/2" rachet to take the bolt off. All this with the clutch pressed down.



You want to keep the clutch pressed throughout the entire time the bolt is removed, this will help prevent the thrust bearings from falling off the spacer.

 

Pengaru, one question... doesn't the bolt need like 150 ft lbs. when you reinstall it? I'm trying to think how I'm going to get that kind of torque on it with the clutch in (or even with the clutch back out and it in gear.... wont matter).

 

For that you might need a second person to help. If you can, get somebody to get under the car, remove the clutch inspection cover on the tranny, and use a screwdriver between the teeth on the flywheel and the back of the rear housing to hold the engine in place.

 

Use an impact gun. You're probably going to need one to remove the bolt. The FAQ on the subject is at:



http://www.mazdatrix.com/faq/pulley.htm

 

I tightened mine using an impact gun like 13BAce suggested, you can also use a piece of steel stock mounted on the front pulley hub just like I said for removing it, just brace it for the opposite direction.. and use a 1/2" torque wrench.



You need to keep the clutch in, no ifs ands or buts, it's not worth taking the chance... and even if you decide you can get away with it, using the drivetrain to try and hold the eccentric shaft in place while you troque it to 150ft-lbs will not work well. Theres way too much damping in place for you to be able to do any tightening, you will get your full range turned and won't be able to rachet it because when you try to go back there will be a preload from the various dampers... you won't get anywhere.



I tried it once a long time ago just to see if I could get away with it, I pretty much ended up compressing the damper springs on the clutch disk, the bolt dindnt get tightened, and I almost injured myself dealing with the recoil effect that ocurred when I had to release the preload that I had built up by compressing all the dampers.



I simply cannot recommend trying that method