Re: 356 timing sprocket damage

Posted by Fish'n Jim On 2022/8/22 10:06:11

Keys are actually soft steel, so they'll distort rather than shear off. You don't want to damage what it's keyed into like a crankshaft. Not a "fuse", per se. It's job is alignment and to transfer torque. It'd have to be brittle to snap and that hardness would ruin the slot. Cast isn't that strong to begin with and ages poorly.
I saw another situation at one of the brand sites and the small starter gear broke into 3 pieces trying to start a stuck motor, so not that uncommon working on oldies. Everyone is in a hurry to get them running and pay dearly.
They make a tool for attaching to the flywheel teeth so one can rotate the engine on the stand or with the inspection plate off. Of course when socket challenged I go to the socket store first.
The big box retailers think we shouldn't have any bigger than a 3/4 and not all the sizes. Makes me mad and have to order which takes days not now when I need it. I have an old 1" drive and one socket for it but mostly use wrenches on big stuff.