Crank woodruff key install tips....?

[Asmoday]

Please alleviate my paranoia...had a *ell day...

So I had a really difficult and frustrating situation develop today during my big reseal extravaganza...

Everything started off great. Damper came right off last night. No problems getting water pump as well as the timing cover off.

I have no idea how I'm going to get the nut back on the rear of the IP drivers side stud though....???

The problems developed when I went to remove the woodruff key in the crank snout. It would not come out...period. I had soaked it overnight with PB blaster, etc. etc. Using a punch I tried tapping front. then rear, back and forth etc. I originally tried using a small brass hammer but that did not seem to budge the key at all. I did step up to a light hammer but that started to deform the top of the key so I went back to the brass hammer. I found myself having to whack it pretty good to get it to rock back and forth but it just would not move much. I did this for a couple of hours....

Next came applications of heat to the crank snout and more tapping. Then the punch skipped onto the crank snout.... Then I decided to give it a try with diagonals...gripping the key and leveraging it up out of the snout. Well...that did not work and actually took away a large part of the key not to mention putting a couple of dings in the crank snout.

It basically got worse from there and I wont go into the gory details but the key became more and more jacked up. I decided to walk away and while I was working on other things and friend came by who used to be a machinist in the aviation industry.

He started to work on it but due to the material that was sheered away he wound up have to drill a small hole through the key, tapped it and then threaded a small machine screw into the key effectively pushing the key up out of it's slot. It still took light tapping with a chisel as well to get the end up...

Do to my chaos there were a couple of very small dings on the crank snout near the key slot and so he helped me take a jewelers file and file the damaged areas down followed by crocus cloth and then 600 grit emery cloth. I can't feel a thing now on the crank. It's like glass. I can see the little marks but can't feel anything so I pray that I'm good there.

My biggest paranoia comes from the fact that when the key was drilled...he drilled ever so slightly into the bottom of the key slot as well. Other than that there was no other damage that I can see.

He suggested that I give the whole crank snout a light buff with the crocus cloth and then the emery cloth as well which I did.

So...should I be concerned about the slightly drilled tiny hole area at the bottom of the key slot? It's maybe a couple mm deep.

He told me it would affect absolutely nothing and does not effect balance.

I'm just really paranoid now....and...I'm scarred to hammer the new key in worrying that I'll jack that up....

Any advice on installing the new key is appreciated as well...

Below is a pic of what's left of the key...

 

[Ken_86gt]

You have to think positive thoughts and then everything will be fine! I personally would not let it bother me, it sounds like it is very minor.

 

[Asmoday]

OK...I'm starting to calm down after my crankshaft woodruff key nightmare today.

Onward to finish the project...

So...just how tightly should the new key fit and what is the best way to install the new one...NOT damaging it...so that it sits flush?

I assume the keys are installed dry?

I picked three up from GM and they all are exactly the same in thickness measured with a digital caliper.

Thanks....!

 

[det rebel]

yes insteal dry best way is to see if it will sit in the center of the slot then lightly tap it down into the slot once it is in then tap it flat make shure there aint any trash in the slot before installing and you should be good

 

[det rebel]

install doing this off my phone aint easy

 

[det rebel]

or put some anti sieze on it and you will be able to get it out (next time hopefully wont be one )

 

[Asmoday]

Should the key be adjusted for fit by lightly sanding it on emery cloth on a flat sheet of glass or just leave it alone?

It does sit in the middle of the key slot.

What should I hammer it in with? I don't want to mark up the new woodruff key.

 

[det rebel]

if it is new you dont have to do anything to it and i use a small block of wood in between it and the hammer when i put them in the anti sieze helps in putting it in and taking it out if you ever have to again

 

[doghead]

Sand it lightly, wipe it with oil, set in in snug.


Next time, leave the old key if it resists removal, before damaging it.

 

[det rebel]

doghead to me it looks like it was already snapped so he had to remove it he also said that the key was the SAME thickens as the old one thats why i opted out for not sanding it cause too much and you get play (aint good in something like this) and the anti sieze would help it come out again if he ever had to just throwing to two cents not trying to be an a**hole about it if it seems like that

 

[wherewasi]

Hi ,

I know this thread is quite old (like myself) but I wanted to thank all of you as I think you solved my problem. I started doing a timing belt job on a 2001 Mazda Millenia and then winter showed up last year. I put away the tools and the parts and because of other commitments just started putting this back together when I realized the woodruff key on the crank was in the wrong position and wouldn't budge. I tried all the other suggestion.. lubrication, punches and hammers.. the thing won't budge.

But the drill / tap and bolt method (like pushing off old rotors with a bolt) sounds more than promising. I'm gonna give it a try.

Thanks in advance.

Tom