Loose Crank Pulley, Risk of Engine Damage?

A garage I asked to change the timing chain on did so.

A few thousand miles later the engine began running like crap. I took it to another garage and they told me that because thread-locker had not been used by the garage changing the timing chain, the crank pulley had become loose and possible engine damage (damage to the crank) was possible!!!

It runs ok now but I'm worried, is my engine fcked?!

What engine make and model number?
But yes loose crank pulley could be bad news, I never use loctite as in my simple mind if its tight enough it aint moving.
If its running fine now you might have gotten away with it, but its always going to be nagging in the back of your mind.

I never use locktite but once i have tightened them i just mark them with some tipex and keep an eye on it, never had once come loose yet

lynall said:

what engine make and model number?
But yes loose crank pulley could be bad news, i never use loctite as in my simple mind if its tight enough it aint moving.
If its running fine now you might have gotten away with it, but its always going to be nagging in the back of your mind.

Click to expand...

110 300tdi

cornish rattler said:

I never use locktite but once i have tightened them i just mark them with some tipex and keep an eye on it, never had once come loose yet

Click to expand...

The mechy who fixed it told me it was the hardest job he had ever had near-enough. He was on the verge of actually giving up and throwing his hands up in abandonment.

He basically could *not* get the pulley to re-tighten at all at first he told me.

Eventually he was able to restore it but the lack of any loctite being used was almost surely the factor in it becoming slack and working loose. It is loctited to death now.

He was unsure if it had sustained damaged itself but would not give any assurance.

Assuming the worse and it is knackered, what is the going rate for a crank replacement??!!

cornish rattler said:

I never use locktite but once i have tightened them i just mark them with some tipex and keep an eye on it, never had once come loose yet

Click to expand...

I don't suppose you have a picture you could show me?

As said above, thread lock is not required, however the correct torque is required on the bolt (initial torque plus angle tighten). Rather than doing it properly the original garage probably used a impact gun to install the bolt.

BuzzLand said:

I don't suppose you have a picture you could show me?

Click to expand...

No sorry

To start with the 300tdi is a timing belt not a chain.

Also as the crank pulleys are on a keyway the engine should have run fine, yes it may have made a rattling sound but it should not have altered the caricaturists of the engine.

So as it's on a keyway as long as the damage isn't major and the bolt is now tight you should be fine.
I had the same on a 406 2.1td, once the crank was cleaned up and a new pulley put on it carried on for another 70k without any problems.