Sorry for posting this, im sure its been asked but i cant find it. Anyway, i have a junker car and need to get to the timing gears. I have all the bolts out of the cover and i believe i need to take off the crankshaft pulley nut. The clutch does not seem to be working, the transmission is still there but i cant put it in gear. The engine is still in the car. The pistons are exposed. I can not come up with a way to stop the engine from turning! Like i said, this car is a junker, i would like to keep cutting, breaking, slicing, and general destruction to a minimum but it is an option. ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
David

If the flywheel is still attached you can stick a big screwdriver through the opening where the starter was and jam the teeth in place.

Funny you should ask this. I just pulled the crank bolt from my B20 tonight on the engine stand. I had the flywheel, starter and head off it and couldn't figure out how to remove the bolt. Then I decided to stuff a bunch of rags down one cylinder, and temporarily remounted the dead. The rags provided adequate resistance when turning the crank bolt that the bol came loose.
Try it, you'll like it.
JD

Thanks, i was so in the mindset of take-apart i didnt even think about put-together. I stuck a rag in there, 4 bolts to hold it down and it worked like a charm. Thanks to everyone that responded

David

does the engine still have a starter?

if it does, put a socket and a long breaker bar on the bolt - at about the 4:00 position, so the end of the breaker bar touches the ground. Bump the starter. Voila!
--
'73 142, '75 242, '75 245, '80 245, '86 244, '87 745T

That's an interesting one!

Probably be hard pressed to find in Haynes.. ;)
--
Norm Cook Vancouver BC; 1989 745T 200,000KM

Nope,no starter, the engine is almost completely disassembled. I also tried taking off the oil pan but the car is on blocks about 2 inches off the ground and its near impossible.