Dear GRM hivemind; which breaker bar?

I need to remove the crankshaft bolt on a honda. Who, in your (our?) opinion, makes the best breaker bars?

I've got a Harbor Freight future hammer that is about 2-3 feet long and I haven't managed to break it yet. Personally, I only like it because I don't need a big breaker bar like that very often so I can afford to snap this after a few uses and replace it.

I have a shorter (18 inches, maybe?) Craftsman that has served me well. The little ball-and-spring assembly came out a while back after I used it as a hammer, but Sears replaced it for me.

The bit of black iron pipe that is standing the corner of the garage now is probably my best breaker bar. Cut to fit!

Best? No clue. I've got the 1/2" bar from HFT. Cheap & effective. I've yet to break mine despite big torque

Never had a problem with the HFT 25".

You want a big (3/4" drive) impact gun.

I built a nice tool to hold the pulley and kept breaking the welds with a breaker bar. I never would have needed it with the big gun.

I also have the 25" 1/2 drive harbor freight bar and it is a substantial tool for the money.

Craftsman holding the special tool. Impact for the nut.

The breaker bar is the least of your problems with pulling the crank pulley on a Honda. They have a magic bolt that requires 400 foot pounds to remove after torquing to 130, so the most important thing is the holder tool for the front pulley. Or a 3/4" impact wrench will do the job...

Woody wrote: You want a big (3/4" drive) impact gun.

I've found that a 3' breaker bar will do better than a cheap electric impact gun, OTOH. I've got a Kobalt electric impact gun that's nearly worthless.

Whatever one has the best reviews at HF, or check ebay and see if its possible to buy a used snap on or matco for the same money.

Whatever bar I find, plus the handle off an HF 3 ton floor jack. Pretty sure I could bump start a car with that much torque.

Can't beat the 36" SnapOn one I have in my toolbox. Plus it was only $80.

I paid a local shop to break it loose with their big mama 3/4" impact, then snug it up enough for me to limp home.

Well worth the $20.

Three different 1/2" impact guns proved useless.

MadScientistMatt wrote:

Woody wrote: You want a big (3/4" drive) impact gun.

I've found that a 3' breaker bar will do better than a cheap electric impact gun, OTOH. I've got a Kobalt electric impact gun that's nearly worthless.

You need big air.

Woody wrote: You want a big (3/4" drive) impact gun.

Agreed. Sometimes it will come off with less. But many times, you just snap breaker bars and waste money.

It took me 15 years as a professional tech to finally break my HF 1/2" breaker bar. So many times I put on my safety glasses expecting it to explode, but it didn't.

When it finally did go, I warrantied it and bought a spare for less than one weeks payment on a tool truck.

25" HF breaker bar paired with either the handle from the floor jack or a 4lbs. blow hammer depending on the job.

IR 2135 Ti got the pulley off an Acura TL in a matter of seconds. I thought it was a joke that everyone says they are on there tight, the IR made short work of it.

My impact gun is rated around ~1200 ft/lbs iirc, and has always made short work of stuck bolts. It was not potent enough this time. I even broke out my trusty older IR that it had replaced, just to make sure the new one wasn't defective. Nope. That dude's just tight. The manual shows 180ft/lbs, but it seems like someone added a zero.

Cheap 3/4" breaker bar plus impact adapter. Won't break it with any pipe.

I think there should be high strength Loctite on there too. Have you tried adding heat?

I always thought the best breaker bars were broken HF ratchets.

Streetwiseguy wrote: The breaker bar is the least of your problems with pulling the crank pulley on a Honda. They have a magic bolt that requires 400 foot pounds to remove after torquing to 130...

^ this

Recommended technique:

Get your hands on a Makita plug-in 1/2" drive electric impact wrench. Turn the engine to nearly TDC on cyl#1. Securely place a good impact socket on the bolt. Pull the trigger. Catch the bolt.

Not-recommended technique that is the only other way I've been able to do them:

Drill holes in a piece of 1/4" steel plate long enough to reach the ground from the crank centerline. Secure to crank pulley in an orientation that makes the crank turn right (CW) when the plate is lifted. Put the breaker bar and socket on the bolt in an orientation that makes the bolt turn left (CCW) when the breaker bar is lifted. Make sure the end of the plate and the breaker bar are securely in contact with the ground. Make sure everybody stands clear. Raise the car off the jackstands minimally and pull them from under the car.

Drop the jack.

If you're lucky, the bolt is now loose. Raise the car, reinstall jackstands, remove the tools, remove bolt with socket wrench.

If you're not, you'll have had to dodge the breaker bar skittering across the floor.