the key way on the crankshaft got smoothed out when the the harmonic damper bolt came loose by a freak chance so i was wondering instead of yanking out the crank couldn't i just weld the sucker back in and use a new damper??
Crankshaft key way smoothed
- Thread starter Boss302
- Start date
I know of a MKIV owner that did something similar a couple of years ago (For the same reason - he "forgot" to torque the crank bolt).
What he did at the time was had a welder "fill" the old keyway groove and then carved a new one into it. Ugly, ugly solution to an ugly problem.
I was worried at the time what putting all that heat into the crank would do.
As far as I know, he's still driving around on it.
It's a horrible idea, but you do what you have to.
What he did at the time was had a welder "fill" the old keyway groove and then carved a new one into it. Ugly, ugly solution to an ugly problem.
I was worried at the time what putting all that heat into the crank would do.
As far as I know, he's still driving around on it.
It's a horrible idea, but you do what you have to.
I'd be too worried to do that. If i were in your position, i'd bin the crank and get another that was in better condition.
I have had material welded into the keyway before, no problems. We welded up some material into the 'smoothed' side, then used a die grinder to cut the wall vertical again. It made a VERY strong weld, and held up perfectly. The best part, of course, is you don't have to remove the crank or the engine, but I do recommend removing the radiator for easier access.
did the key break and is in two peices?
or did it crack the snot of the crank?
can you get some better pictures?
when you say smoothed the key, im seeing a broken key, and it being stuck in the snot of the crank,
if thats the case do your best to remove it and see if a new one still fits..
or did it crack the snot of the crank?
can you get some better pictures?
when you say smoothed the key, im seeing a broken key, and it being stuck in the snot of the crank,
if thats the case do your best to remove it and see if a new one still fits..
no the snout it's self is smoothed out you know how it is suppose to have the walls for the slit well one side is rounded off. the key just got loose and completely came out and rounded it off along with the damper slot, thus needing a new damper i don't care if it's not warantied i'm just tired of it sitting around it's bad enough my white one is still under the garage:icon_conf :love: :icon_evil :cry: needing a complete rebiuld the way i figure it is the thing is close to fubar anyway so it couldn't hurt it at all. worse case senerio the crank looses integrity and brakes or what ever oh well $15 dollar weld big woop i've got another crank standing by thanks to scott :icon_bigg if need be so what ever i just wanted to know if anyone around here had done this before cause ford did something similar to the 89-92 probes.
I repair those, I am doing one right now. You grind the whole key way out and fill the void in with new weld. Then cut a new key way in on a mill. Crank must be out of the motor for this. For one, a key cannot be cut properly in the car, and two the welding will ruin the front crank seal. then you must put the crank in a grinder to true the snout again. Also if you put too much heat in the crank, it will deflect (bend) a few 10 thou. not that I have never seen a straight 7m crank anyway.
When you put it back together, pay attention to the 197 ft-lb torque spec. That will reduce your "freak chance" events considerably.