Hello, I have a 1980 Fiat Spider F.I. . I am doing a timing belt replacement on my own for the first time; the people that used to help me have either lost touch with the people around here in Cincinnati or they have died so I'm tackling it on my own; I am about to take off my crankshaft nut with impact and after reading online for a few weeks I'm not clear on something. After turning the engine to all the correct TDC points including the AUX shaft; when I take the crankshaft pulley off, won't that move everything again??? Do I really have to take off the starter and lock the gear/jam the gear? Can you turn the crankshaft independently of the rest of the engine without damaging anything? Should I cut the belt off before torqueing the crankshaft nut so as not to move the cams out of position?
Is the crankshaft pulley keyed so that when I take it off it only goes back on in one position? anyways, while I search for answers the nut which was once removed with propane is soaking in penatrating oil and my propane torch is ready. I used 5 cans of carb cleaner getting off black grease from the underside of the covers; nasty but it's been a decade and 50K. Belt actually still looked new, no cracks even under magnifying glass!

I just went through the whole process for the first time. You don't have to take off the crank pulley. I'm new to Spiders but have gotten good advice from others. you don't really need the back timing chain covers. remove all the bolts/nuts that hold them on. You'll also remove the water pump. Then you bring out the tinsnips and hack your way through the back covers. The worst part is removing what's left around the crank pulley. It can be done. I did it. It's a pain and I smacked my thumb. all the covers are now off. All but the front cover are in the trash. The rest is easy.

I was gonna remove the pulley. Called a friend to ask about blocking the crank. He said that within an impact air wrench to forget it. That sucker is torqued to 150ft/lb.

The engine is back up and running for the first time since I bought the car 3 weeks ago. Idle is rough. The valve timing is correct. the ignition timing set at 10 degrees. New plugs (gapped), new wires. Still idles like crap, although at higher revs she simngs a beautiful song!

Thoughts

I was tightening down tension on the tensioner bracket and it broke off, I got the broken bolt out easily and went to get a new one, found an exact one, I took pics before I took the tensioner apart, but it's been 4 months now, grrrrrr, this Fiat is cursed, even after I get the tensioner put back to gether, it's been a year and a half since I started this water pump replacement, and I won't remember how to put the stuff back to gether, I took tons of pics at every stage but I've lost all confidence! Any one in Cincinnati area with experiance!?!??!?!?

It's been a few years since I did this and I don't remember the details, but I do remember that pulley nut was a bitch. I ended up having to rent a high-torque electric impact to get it off. My air impact was of no use.

I also ended up accessing the nut from outside the body by cutting away some of the radiator support to access the nut. Here's a pic. I don't think I can post a URL, so put https:// in front of it.
picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nFl25dTZkwNFTh4OCXprzdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Scrolling to the next pic shows the pulley with two different timing marks. I can't remember why that was.

Brandon

Update! By removing the radiator and getting the right size socket from Sears, using my extension bars and air tools I was able to get the crankshaft nut off which allowed me to pull everything off the front of the engine; I spent days getting layer after layer of oil and crud off the engine; then I forgot how to put it all back together; had it towed over the winter to my local shop that had done these jobs for me in the distand past; they put it together and I've been running the car for about the last 5 months; just got back from the cars longest drive Cincinnati to Canton Ohio for the Hall of Fame weekend festivities, car performed well. Dropped the oil when I got home as it was 500 miles and the most number of consecutive operating hours the unit had seen in many years een thought the oil was new when I left, some contamination, new oil and filter; I am using 20W50, old habit on old engines. Happy!