Here at Autofix we have recieved a number of questions relating to the crankshaft pulley bolt working it’s way loose on a number of V6 Pajero’s and I though it worthwhile to add my two cents into the subject. This seems to be a very common problem and due to the damage that can be done to crankshaft, owners contemplating changing the timing belt themselves need to be aware of this issue.

 Nine out of ten times when this has happened a timing belt change has not long been done which leads you to think that the crankshaft pulley bolt may not have been tightened adequately which is more than likely the case, however I know of a few occasions where the bolt has worked it’s way out during normal use.

 I think this highlights the need for regular checks of the crankshaft pulley bolt torque, perhaps every six months or so would be a good idea. Although checking the bolt torque without the right tools is not a simple job, a replacement crankshaft is definately more involved and more expensive!

 So how do we go about tightening or checking the crankshaft pulley bolt torque? The Mitsubishi workshop manual lists a special tool used for preventing the engine from turning and if you have a look at the picture I think anyone with reasonable fabricating skills could knock one of these up and I believe this to be the easiest method for doing this job. There are a couple of other ways to do this and I will cover these when I have access to a Pajero so I can include pics with the articles. 

NOTE: The torque value required for the bolt is listed in the workshop manual as 177-186Nm. Before removing the pulley bolt please be sure that you either have or have access to a Torque Wrench that can be adjusted that high. If you have completely removed the bolt be sure to use Locktight on the thread before refitting.

 I’ve got my hands on a ‘99 model Challenger that has the 3.0 24 Valve engine and have made up a copy of the Mitsubishi tool that I think could be adapted to all models of the Mitsubishi V6. Check it out here.

Craig