Mine has came loose again, I fitted a new one about 6 months ago.
When I tighten the main bolt the engine turns over, how can I stop it from doing this, also what do you torque it to?

Any other advice?

Ta

Put the car in gear, and get someone to stand on the brakes.

Or do it properly with the Subaru crank pulley locking tool...
(Bit of bar with 2 bolts through it)

I'm about to do the cambelt, so I'll get to see how much fun it can be shortly...

Thanks!

What torque setting should I use?

LOADS!! According to the manual 98Nm...

soz what's that in lb per ft

it's about 114lbs.ft on the STI8 IIRC. J

Bad news, the woodruff key is shafted and so is the pulley :(

A few questions;

How easy is it to remove the old woodruff key?
Do I need to remove the rad and aircon?
How easy is it to replace the woodruff key, how far does it go?
I used a 2nd hand pulley last time and had it skimmed, am I best off buying a new one, if so where from?
How much am I looking at for a new pulley and w-ruff key?
Am I best buying a lightened steel item, as the std pulley seems a bit soft.

Any pointers?

Cheers

I just spoke to my local Subaru garage,who told me 9/10 that when the crankshaft pulley comes loose then the crank will be damaged.

I guess then it's big money :(

Top

Who last took the pulley off? could just be that some monkey has been working on the car.... :( and not done a proper job (i.e. used the correct torque setting) As long as its been caught ASAP and left, there should be minimal damage of the crank.

Q.<<How easy is it to remove the old woodruff key?>>
A. Depends how shafted it is. Can you get the pulley off and is there enough of the woodruff to get some pliers on? If it's really screwed and part of it has snapped off then I'm afraid you're gonna have to take off the crankshaft sprocket to get at this (you know, the thing that drives the timeing belt!). This is a right pain in the arse, but if your car is due a cambelt change then this is the time to do it!! Otherwise, you should be able to extract it out.

Q. <<Do I need to remove the rad and aircon?>>
A. Not entirely necessary to remove the radiator, but aircon might get in the way. If you've got time, then removing the rad will make the job easier.

Q. <<How easy is it to replace the woodruff key, how far does it go?>>
A. As mentioned above, the woodruf is shared with the crankshaft sprocket. So if it looks like you can get it out without having to remove the crankshaft sprocket give it your best shot!

Q. <<I used a 2nd hand pulley last time and had it skimmed, am I best off buying a new one, if so where from?>>
A. If you buy a new one you may consider getting a billet alloy one. Lighter and helps the engine rev free-er (less flywheel effect). If you want a standard one you can get one quickly from Graham Goode or a Subaru garage.

Q. <<How much am I looking at for a new pulley and w-ruff key?>>
A. Woodruff is a quid or so. Pulley is between 60-90quid, can't rightly remember but I remember thinking it was a bit of a rip-off.

Q. <<Am I best buying a lightened steel item, as the std pulley seems a bit soft.>>
A. See above.

<<Any pointers?>>
let me know how knackered your woodruff & pulley are and I can then comment a little further. (scrappydog@ntlworld.com)
But basically, what's been said before is true. If the crank is looking worn you have two options - machine it down and get a custom pulley made or get a new crank and use a new standard pulley.

Oh, and one theory I have about why these things get knackered. I reckon that people (at std service or DIY) are putting too much tension on the aircon or alternator belts. Often this is to remove any slip, however these belts may not be slipping because of insufficient tension, but rather because the belt is worn or perished. IMHO you should replace these drive belts quite often (say every 20-25K miles) because they seem to perish quickly and can cause this sort of damage.

Hope some of my waffle is useful,

Cheers,

Andy