Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 12:51:01 -0500 From: "The Malt Hound" <goalie22nospamail.com> wrote in message news:x8GFd.8896$Vj3.6312nospamsvr17.news.prodigy.com... > John, > > Yikes! Okay.. so you've scared me a bit, and I'm somewhat reconcidering > the car. I know what my wife would do if I bought another car and it > broke down on me right away! I'd be sleeping alone for the next 6 weeks. > I have a few questions for you about the crankshaft pulley problem. I'm > not sure if the owner had it replaced or not. He told me he was pretty > certain the belts were getting loose. He's a saab guy, and belongs to > saabnet They are also 5 yrs. old. > > 1. What causes the pulley to seperate? Age. Oil contamination. > Can anything be done to prevent it? Make sure that the oil seal is not leaking. > 2. How hard of a job is this as a DIY? (Remember, you're talking to a > computer geek here) It's a bit tricky for a home DIY guy to do. The nut on the ned of the crank is pretty tight, so you need big tools and a way to hold the crank from turning. You also need a big torque wrench for reassembly. > 3. How much should I expect to pay someone to do it? Dunno. I'v enever paid anyone. Just did it myself. > 4. What is the worst that could happen if I don't do it right away? If it goes completely slack you will not drive the alternator or water pump. > > The owner is adamant that there are no fluid, oil, trans fluid, etc. leaks > whatsoever. Looking in his driveway and under the car after driving it, I > didn't see anything. I read something about when replacing crank pulley, > there is a point where you replace some oil pump O-Rings, and reseat the > pump, etc? Shouldn't there be an oil leak of some type that goes along > with this problem? Nope. There does not have to be a leak. Hey, who knows, maybe it is just a loose belt? -Fred W