Hi from Oregon,
I am new to this forum. I am the original owner with a 1996 XJ12 - kind of a love hate thing. For the last few months it has had a short metallic grinding noise on a cold start a minute or two after start. After a while I noticed that the alternator wasn't charging until it made the grinding noise. Anyway, after a few months I have finally figured out that the alternator pulley on the harmonic balancer is loose.
I am not looking forward to pulling the balancer. Does anyone out there know what the socket size is, how to hold the motor shaft when applying the torque, or any advice before digging in?

 

Fair dinkum, you are stretching my memory now.

32mm springs to mind.

You can remove the tin pan covering the lower portion of the ring gear and jam a HUGE tyre lever in there, then get someone you dislike to lay under there and keep it in place while you HEAVE on the front bolt.

OR, my preferred method, place the socket on the bolt, breaker bar resting on the concrete on the LH side of the car, and "flick" the starter, works a treat. Please understand you only need to "FLICK" the starter, not crank it much at all.

The tyre lever method will be required for retightening sadly.

Radiator out would give more room.

Once that bolt is out, the pulley should basically fall off the taper. Watch out as it is heavy.

Some current 6ltr owner may pop up and clear up my doubts, hopefully.

 

That's the method I use as well.

Being a bit cowardly (that is, not wanting the possibility of tools flying all about ) I disable the ignition or fuel injection first so the engine can't possibly start

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks! I find it unbelievably funny. I always thought of that method as kind of a lead into a disaster. However, the way the thing is designed it actually makes sense. Definitely going to disconnect the ignition and maybe put a piece of plywood between it and the radiator.

 

Yep, it sounds rather agricultural to some to do it that way.

I did forget that bit, I usually trip the enertia switch.

Forgot once on my V12, and it has NEVER fired first "flick", they just do not do that, but this time it did, and you realise how slow your reactions are when that happens, funny as hell, no damage, just me and my slackness, socket and bolt an the ground and pulley dangling on the snout of the crankshaft.

Pity you cant rotate these anti-clockwise for refit, haha.