NEED HELP! How do I turn the crankshaft? [Archive]

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11-09-2003, 02:27 PM

I am in the middle of changing the Automatic transmission fluid on my 1990 Mercedes 190E.

It calls for draining the pan (done) and torque converter. Then remove the pan, replace the filter, and put everything back together.

To access the torque converter I need to (per the manual) "turn the crankshaft" until the drain plug shows on the opening. The manual says the whole procedure should be done with the tranny in the "P" position.

Well, just how the hell do I turn the crackshaft? I called a coworker (car nut) and he said that since I already had the spark plugs out (I am also doing the a valve job) I could just pull on the belt and that should turn the crankshaft. Well, that is not working.

Any clues? :?

If I just can't do it, what can happen from me removing the pan? I figure it can't be that bad if I dont drain that portion of fluid. At least most of the fluid and the filter will be new. Am I missing something?

Tnanks in advance

Doug

11-09-2003, 06:27 PM

Bump it over with the starter? Or try a big ass socket and handle on the bolt for the lower pulley/vibration dampner

11-09-2003, 07:52 PM

Bump it over with the starter? Or try a big ass socket and handle on the bolt for the lower pulley/vibration dampner

Well, on my retarded car there is no access to that bolt unless you remove the radiator, and that requires removing the bumper. It's incredibly tight.

I think I will just leave it in there. There seems to be only about a quart of ATF in the torque converter, and since I drained about 5 quarts form the tranny pan, I figured a new filter and 5 quarts of new oil is good enough. The car is old anyway.

I am not comfortable bumping it with the starter since the valve cover and spark plugs are out bevause I'll be doing a valve stesm seal replacemnet in a few days.

SteveM

11-09-2003, 08:10 PM

11-09-2003, 11:07 PM

OK, bumping it with the starter is not going to hurt anything, especially with the plugs out. If the converter inspection hole is large enough to see the teeth on the flywheel, you could use a prybar to turn the engine a bit.

On most automatics, the majority of the fluid is in the converter.

I drained about 5 quarts out of the 6 quarts I was supposed to drain. So there should be only about a quart left in the converter. I removed the pan and the filter and let it drip forever. (Perhaps the angle the car was lifted at helped drain most of it out.) :?

I cannot see the gear teeth and the clearing is very small (about 1.5" by 2" , so no chance of moving it from there. Like an idiot I left the filter elsewhere, so I will put everything back tomorrow. I may try bumping it then if I'm in the mood, but I already spent a lot of time on this (mostly reading the manual and looking at the car).

blee

11-10-2003, 01:32 PM

Are you sure you can't get to the crank nut/bolt with a deep offset wrench? That may be another option if you can't get a ratchet wrench to fit.

I also like the "lazy" approach. Nothing wrong with leaving one quart of old fluid in there, IMO. If you're really paranoid you can just change the fluid again in a few months. You can also tap the tranny pan and install a drain plug (available from lots of places), which would let you perform this service with much less hassle.

11-11-2003, 08:32 AM

I did it. I was able to reach the crank bolt from underneath the car after removing the fan shroud. A simply twist later, the plug showed. 10 minutes later I was done with everything.

The reason I was wrestling with this was not the just ATF change. I need to be able to turn the crank to set the Pistons to TDC for my valve stem seal job (a $550 job that will cost me about $150). And if I had to do it for that, might as well drain the converter. If I had had easy access to the crank bolt, or known how to access it, the whole ATF change would have taken me 10 minutes more than a regular oil change. It was a piece of cake. Sure, having a lift would have helped accessibility.

Today I get my special spring compressor and I will do the valve stem seal replacement this weekend. It should be a breeze with that tool.
:D