Removing the V-belt Pully

[RWBAUMAN]

I can not get my V-belt pully to come off my 89 Esprit SE to replace the water pump. All the belts are removed and the bolt holding it on is removed. I tried using a wheel puller, but it broke under the stress. The pully was off once before (5 years ago)to replace the timing belt. Has any one had this problem?

[lotusguy]

RWBAUMAN said:

I can not get my V-belt pully to come off my 89 Esprit SE to replace the water pump. All the belts are removed and the bolt holding it on is removed. I tried using a wheel puller, but it broke under the stress. The pully was off once before (5 years ago)to replace the timing belt. Has any one had this problem?

Hi,

Once helped a friend who had the same problem as you're having. We finally got it off using a propane torch to heat it and some light pursuasion with a dead blow hammer and a drift all around. Take care not to overheat the pulley as it's of alloy composition.

If this works for you, be sure to reinstall the pulley with a smear of anti-sieze all around to prevent a future siezing. Hope this helps. Happy Motoring! Jim '85TE

[karlfranz]

Hi Bob,

What a small world this is! Hard to believe that another Melbourne man is on my forum. I'm glad to see that you still have the car. You can see pictures of your car and my old SE at Palm Bay BCC campus by going to the image gallery. Just go to www.espritfactfile.com and select images, then "Esprit SE Photo Gallery". The pictures of our cars are on the top row.

As far as removing your pulley, after loosening the 19mm bolt, you may try soaking it with PB Blaster for a few hours and then give it some gentle persuasion with a rubber mallet. Eventually it should slide off. If you use any other tool, be careful not to damage the pulley as it is rather delicate. As Jim said, make sure to use anti-seize once you finally get it off so this won't happen again.

Let's get together some time. Send me email. A group of us are getting ready to go to Road Atlanta for the (Lotus sponsored) Atlanta Historic Races this weekend. You're welcome to join us if you have the time.

Cheers,

Karl-Franz Marquez :-)
www.espritfactfile.com