How to Remove a Rusted Set of Screws From a Hardened Pulley

Diesel engines provide a more efficient alternative to gasoline engines, but their special parts require special maintenance. The crankshaft pulley, in particular, can endure a lot of wear in the normal operation of a diesel engine. The screws that hold many pulleys in place can become rusted and require special techniques to remove them and help return your engine to working order.

• 1

  Spray rust remover on the surface of the screw heads. Let the rust remover work its way around the screw heads for about five minutes and try loosening them. This is often enough to remove rusted screws.

• 2

  Strike the hardened pulley with a hammer and try loosening the screws with a screwdriver. The force of the strikes sometimes loosens the rust around the screws enough to make them mobile.

• 3

  Strike the heads of the screws with an impact driver. Insert a bit the same size as the screw heads into a manual impact driver and place the tip of the impact diver bit against the head of a rusted screw. Hit the butt of the impact driver with a hammer. This will deliver a large amount of rotational force to the screw heads that screwdrivers or power drills cannot.

• 4

  Heat the screw housings with a propane torch, then try removing the screws with a screwdriver or impact driver. The heat will cause the housings to expand slightly, allowing the screws more room to move. Do not heat the screws if possible, as this will expand the screws at the same rate as the housings and diminish the effectiveness of this technique.

• 5

  Remove the screws with a screw extractor. Drill a hole slightly smaller than the screw head into the screw head with a power drill and drill bit. Replace the drill bit with a screw extractor bit and place the tip of the bit in the drilled hole. Turn the bit counter-clockwise using strong downward force. The extractor bit will grip the head of the screw and begin unscrewing it.