Hi guys

OK, I'm picking up a new crank pulley and key this afternoon.

Will also pick up some new JB weld (or should I use loctite quick metal?)

I read through the link to the Miata repair and it mentions something that was concerning me.

That the pulley/key can move when tightening it up because of the play in the keyway and the still-soft liquid metal.

Do I just slip the crank pulley onto the crank, leave it to cure then bolt on the outer pulley and tighten up the crank bolt???

Or do I bolt it all up initially and leave it to cure??  and if so how do I ensure the pulley doesn't move when I torque up the crank bolt??

Really appreciate your help with this.

Thanks in advance
Tracy

I would first pull the number 1 spark plug or number 4 and look for the piston to be all the way to the top,make sure there is a mark on the new pulley and then jb weld the key into place and let it set up, you should be able to see if it is streight up, you can file the key to make it fit if you have to,
i heat my pulley in the oven at 200 deg. for a while so it will slip on and off,use gloves and when you get it to fit you can get some bearing retainer loc-tite for the pulley and crank put it on and torque it good around 100 lbs or so, you can use blue loc-tite on the bolt also.

Conversely, I would tighten the bolt before the epoxy (JB-Weld, quick-metal, liquid-steel, etc) hardens. There is enough force during tightening to crack or fracture the hardened epoxy should any shifting/movement occur. Once the pulley has been torqued down and seated into place, the material can harden and allow it's full strength to prevent any future movement. If the hardened epoxy got fractured during tightening, it's strength would be compromised.

The only problem may be if the pulley shifts too much during tightening, the epoxy may be forced out of the worn keyway to the extent that too little remains to do the job. You want the pulley keyway to be as well aligned to the crank keyway as possible, and STAY that way while tightening. You want the bolt to turn into the crank and not twist the pulley around with it. The trick is to keep the crank and the pulley aligned while screwing in the bolt. You can use a little lube between the surface of the bolt head and the pulley surface to prevent them from binding.

To keep the crank and pulley from turning, put the car in high gear and block the wheels or run it up against a wall or something to keep the engine from turning. Or put a pipe wrench on the driveshaft.  THEN hold onto the pulley to keep IT from turning. Then cross your fingers while you torque that sucka down!

Or something like that.