Plum it's the X-Type, the engine was cross way.

 

Just to keep the crank bolt topic in one spot, I took the recommendation of a few other posts, having failed with my impact wrench and heat, I again looked into the suitability of my existing tools, and tried the starter method.

I have a Harbor Freight 3/4"drive set with a long breaker bar, the breaker bar with 15/16"socket is a perfect fit on a 24 mm bolt so the breaker bar can rest exactly perpendicular to the bolt with no angles safely on the side frame rail.
So I fastened a bungee to hold the breaker bar and socket securely and squarely on the the crank bolt, rested the handle on a block of wood secured to the left-hand front frame rail, pulsed the key and the crank bolt released instantly with a quick SNAP! In fact it was so quick I initially thought I probably broke the crank bolt. No, crank bolt was fully intact, and with that being a 24mm bolt, it would take severe abuse or defective crank bolt to break it off.
With the breaker bar still held securely and squarely in place with the bungee (not having careened across the garage or rotating breaking everything), I pulsed the key a few more times until I could use a strap wrench and the 3/4" drive ratchet with the 15/16" socket. I was astounded how quick and easy it was, and I was very tempted to just use the starter to drive it all the way out, but then I would have shot oil all over the place.

Yes the bolt was somewhat stiff from the locktite, but not so stiff I could not hold the pulley with the strap wrench with one hand and and ratchet out the bolt with the other, no more than 5 minutes total time.

For pulling the harmonic balancer and pulley, Harbor Freight has a very heavy duty H Bar bearing separator / pulley puller that also has the correct hardened shaft thread bolts to fit fully into the threaded holes in the harmonic balancer, so in 5 more minutes the pulley with cone was extracted, and 5 more minutes the timing cover was off.

Stress over nothing. Time for alcohol ...! Tomorrow, heads ...

Torque is torque, no matter how it is applied.

Cheers!

 

Hi Steve. Do you perhaps have any pics of the modified crank pulley bolt you made to work with your puller. I am trying to remove the pulley using a similar tool to what you fabricated. Thanks so much, regards Jurgen

 

Hi Jurgen, ,
M8, 1,25 thread, quality: 10,9, the long of the screws is depending on your tool.
Have a succesful work! Steve

 

Thank you Steve, got the M8 bolt like you suggested and it worked like a charm. The pulley came off very easily. I appreciate your help.