Does the center bolt within the crankshaft pulley have to be removed to get the pulley off. The fender/ frame seems to be in the way. any tricks.This is for changing the water pump and timing belt on 1995 metro four cyl. Joe

First what make what model? And is (dampner) face foward or pass side fender well acess trouble is removeing main or center crank bolt loosened 4 or 5 outer bolts internal pulley puller on ballancer or three finger gear puller or center bolt push rod
install 4 or five bolts loose but middle of bolts do not tighten. Install center bolt tourque till tight. Tighten down 4 or 5 bolts
spin motor to verify ballecer is true without fuel. Diconnect fuel pump relay as so it wont start spin again verify true tourqu to 90 120 ftlbs

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/robert_c7b5aba9012a13b2

First, you have to loosen the crank pulley center bolt. Best way is with an impact gun-bolt is very tight. If you have to use a breaker bar to loosen the bolt, you will have to devise a way to hold the crankshaft from turning backward while loosening it. One method is to remove the starter and wedge a piece of wood against the flywheel, preventing it from turning, while you are loosening the center bolt.
From the beginning: raise and block the side of car that the front of engine is towards. Remove the wheel and the inner fender splash shield. Remove the belts. Remove negative battery terminal, remove starter. Wedge the flywheel so it won't turn backward. Loosen and remove the center bolt. Some harmonic balancers will slide right off the crankshaft now, some are on very tight, if you can't wiggle it, tap it, and get it to move, then buy an inexpensive harmonic balancer removal puller, just a few bucks, easy to use, will save balancer from trying to hammer it off. All you need is enough room to mount up the puller to the balancer, and get the balancer moving off the crank.
Some engine lay outs there isn't enough room: then you really have to get creative, either lowering engine enough to get to pulley, or raising engine out. But most engines are positioned where the crank pulley can come off easily, with enough room to get the puller on.
The pulley may have a woodruff key in a slot on the crankshaft, and a corresponding notch on the pulley, for proper positioning of the pulley to crank. Don't lose the woodruff key.

To get to the sensor, the harmonic balancer pulley on the crankshaft has to be removed. The center bolt on the harmonic balancer is on very tight. To loosen without an impact wrench, remove starter motor and wedge a piece of wood against the flywheel, or use a pry bar and hold the ring gear on the flywheel rigid, while loosening the crank bolt. The engine will try to turn backward when you loosen the crank bolt, so you have to hold the flywheel rigid. Once the bolt is removed, see if you can get the harmonic balancer pulley off without a gear puller. Just try tapping it to see if it slides off, or use two screwdrivers on each side behind the pulley and see if you can start it sliding off. If it is on very tight, as many are, you will have to get hold of a harmonic balancer removal tool-a simple, inexpensive puller that bolts onto pulley and can be drawn off. You might be able to rent the tool too.
BTW, you will need to have the wheel removed from passenger side, and the inner fender cover removed to get to the crankshaft. Once the pulley is off you can unbolt the sensor and put the new one on. GM recommends using a sensor alignment tool to install, because the thin vanes on the back of the harmonic balancer pass through the sensor, and if not aligned right could damage one or the other. If you don't have the tool, put the sensor on loosely mounted, just snugged up finger tight, then test the pulley will slide through the sensor slots without touching either side of sensor. If it looks right, tighten down the sensor in place, install the harmonic balancer pulley and tighten the center crank bolt to about 105 foot pounds.
Wedge the flywheel again so the engine won't turn when tightening the crankshaft bolt.
Good luck, and hope you get it.

1 Locate the crankshaft pulley on your vehicle. This is usually on the driver's side, but may be on the passenger's side if your timing belt is located on the passenger's side. Place the end of the tire wrench over the lug nuts of the appropriate wheel of your vehicle and turn the wrench about 45 degrees. 2 Put your emergency brake on. Then use the floor jack to jack up the vehicle's front jack point (an extension of the frame).3 Put the jack stands under the frame of the vehicle. Then, lower the vehicle onto the jack stands. 4 Continue to loosen and remove the lug nuts, and pull the wheel off.5 Remove the plastic rivets that hold the splash guard in place in the wheel well. To do this, you need to wedge the screwdriver in between the rivets and the splash guard and pry them out.6 Locate the crankshaft pulley. It will be right behind the splash guard you just removed.7 Remove the crankshaft bolt using the crankshaft bolt remover tool. Place the tool over the crank pulley bolt in the center of the pulley. This device prevents the pulley from rotating while you loosen the bolt.8 Place the socket end of the impact wrench over the crankshaft bolt remover tool. Set the impact rench to turn counterclockwise and turn on your air compressor. Wait until the compressor is fully charged. Then, work the bolt loose. It may take a while as this bolt normally requires in excess of 800 ft lbs of torque to remove.9 Attach the arms of the crankshaft pulley removal tool over the pulley and tighten the tool to the pulley using the tool's supplied bolts. Continue to tighten the tool using the bolts until the crankshaft pulley is pulled off the crankshaft.

Here are the instructions for removing the timing cover, and for replacing the timing belt. If this is helpful, please click my accept button! Thanks!
Remove accessory drive belts.

1. Remove water pump pulley to pump hub attaching bolts, then the pulley.
2. Remove right inner fender panel to gain access to crankshaft pulley.
3. Remove outer crankshaft pulley attaching bolts, then the outer stiffener/spacer and outer pulley
4. Remove inner stiffener/spacer, attaching screws, inner pulley and baffle plate.
5. Remove attaching bolts, then the upper and lower timing covers.
6. Reverse procedure to install. When installing crankshaft pulley, ensure curved lip on baffle plate and deep recess of inner pulley face outward

1. Remove timing belt covers as outlined previously.
2. Remove timing belt tensioner pulley attaching bolt, then the tensioner pulley, spring and spring cover
3. If reusing old belt, mark direction of rotation on belt to aid installation.
4. Remove timing belt from crankshaft and camshaft sprockets.
5. Check crankshaft and camshaft sprockets, tensioner pulley and timing belt for wear or damage. Replace components as necessary.
6. Align camshaft and crankshaft sprocket timing marks with marks on cylinder head and oil pump housing
7. Install timing belt. If reusing old belt, ensure belt is installed so that direction of rotation mark made during removal is positioned correctly.
8. Install spring and spring cover onto tensioner pulley, then install pulley and attaching bolt. Do not tighten bolt at this time.
9. Install tensioner spring onto anchor, then tighten pulley attaching bolt to torque listed at the end of this section.
10. Reinstall timing belt covers.

This photo shows timing marks.

look for timing marks????
Align groove of crankshaft timing pulley with mark on oil pump.
Align the marks on the camshaft timing pulleys with the corresponding dots on the front plate. (i can email pic if needed)
When timing marks are aligned, no pistons will be on T.D.C.
install timing belt. Align the dotted alignment mark on the timing belt with the mark on the crankshaft gear.
For correct belt installation, the letters the belt must be able to be read as viewed from the front of the vehicle. It is recommended for easy installation that the belt be secured with double clips after it is installed to each pulley. Align the alignment mark (white line) on the timing belt with the alignment mark on the RH bank camshaft timing pulley (on the left side as viewed from the front of the vehicle Secure the belt with a double clip.
Align the alignment mark (white line) on the timing belt with the alignment mark on the RH bank camshaft timing pulley (on the left side as viewed from the front of the vehicle Secure the belt with a double clip.
Turn the crankshaft counterclockwise to remove the belt slack between the crankshaft timing pulley and the RH bank camshaft timing pulley.
Install the belt on the water pump pulley. Remove double clips from pulleys. Turn the crankshaft pulley clockwise by two turns. Measure the rod protrusion to ensure it is within the standard. Standard 4-6 mm (0.16-0.24 in)


13) If out of standard, remove pusher, loosen adjusting bolt, and readjust. (Repeat from step 11). Tighten adjusting bolt to the specified torque. Torque 42 N-m (31 lb-ft)

1. Pusher

• Tighten bolt to the specified torque.

Torque 19 N-m (19 lb-ft)

1. Timing belt cover

• Remove crankshaft pulley that was installed in step 9.
• Tighten bolts to the specified torque.

Torque 17 N-m (12 lb-ft)

1. Oil cooler hose

• Tighten oil cooler hose bracket bolts to the specified torque.

Torque 22 N-m (16 lb-ft)

1. Crankshaft pulley assembly

• Using special tool J-8614-01, hold the crankshaft pulley.
• Tighten center bolt to the specified torque.

Torque 167 N-m (123 lb-ft)

1. Crankshaft pulley; P/S belt

• Tighten fixing bolt to the specified torque.

Install the belt on the idler pulley.

Take off Drivers side wheel, remove plastic inner fenders (two pieces - one has six screws and the other is held in with two 12mm bolts - one is hidden up front behind the first plastic cover you remove). Relieve tension from A/C belt (slacken centre nut on tensioner and then using a 12mm ratchet wrench, crank the tensioner in), relieve tension on power steering belt (loosen both bracket bolts and then remove the outer bolt and slide pump up on the arm), place 22mm deep socket on crankshaft pulley and wedge breaker bar on the frame (to the front of the car) and then crank the engine to break the centre bolt. Relieve tension on Timing belt. Remove the crankshaft pulley and tensioner, the crankshaft sensor is located behind the crankshaft pulley. Installation is the reverse of removal, except you have to make sure you put the timing belt back on exactly where it came off (mark the belt and toothed pulley before you pull the belt off) AND you have to pop the tensioner back on so it has the same tension as when you started (the tensioner pops into itself and is spring loaded, held in place with pin/panel pin/small nail while you're working it. Good luck. If you are lost on this, or are asking this because you aren't handy under the hood, leave it to a garage, you will do major damage to your car if you mess up the timing.

there should be an idler pully, one that doesn't drive anything mounted to a flat black bracket that is then bolted to your engine. That pulley has a 14 or 15 mm nut in the middle of the pulley. loosen it, but don't remove it. Behind the pulley on the bracket is a small bolt head. that will loosen the pulley shaft, allowing you to remove the belt. The bolt also may be on the underside, but it's there around that pulley on the bracket. Also be careful the bolt isn't seized, if it snapps you will have a very hard time getting the tension back on the new belt. You may want to spray it first when you find it. You may also need to remove another belt if there's one infront of it, like an a/c belt or alternator belt, loosening the alternator to remove the belt. It's very tight, and it may help to remove the wheel and plastic inner fender sheild, using a pair of needle nose pliers to gently remove the pop snaps.

Remove motor and transmission mount bolts and using jack under motor/trans. assembly slide motor away from inner fender well to remove pulley.