Cummins Diesel Spanner

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Fabbed this up in about an hour. I needed a way to hold the crank on my Cummins so I could loosen the harmonic balancer bolts. The front seal was leaking, and I wanted to check to see if I had the "Killer Dowel Pin" problem (do a Google search if you want to know more about it), so the timing cover needed to come off. Being I have an automatic trans, I needed a way to hold the crank, without removing the starter and locking the ring gear. It fits into the grooves in the balancer.It's made from a piece of 4" rigid conduit, a piece of 1/2" rigid pipe and some 1/4" plate. It worked like a champ. It would hold itself against the frame of the truck, whther I was loosening or retorquing the bolts. Attached ImagesMiller Thunderbolt AC/DC (Sold)Miller Dialarc 250HFMiller MM251Miller MM200 (Sold)Miller MM130Miller Spot WelderVictor O/A rigMiller Spoolmatic 1 (Sold)
Reply:Making tools on the fly is always fun, especially when they work out perfectly. Hope the truck is ok
Reply:All is good. Truck was back together last night and on the road.Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC (Sold)Miller Dialarc 250HFMiller MM251Miller MM200 (Sold)Miller MM130Miller Spot WelderVictor O/A rigMiller Spoolmatic 1 (Sold)
Reply:I love seeing tools guys make when needed.  I try to make what I can.  I have a powerstroke but I thought I read that there is a replacement dowel pin for the cummins?
Reply:The dowel pin that locates the timing case can fall out on the 12 valve and some of the 24 valve Cummins. When it does it can either fall harmlessly into the oil pan, get caught between a gear and the housing resulting in the housing getting broken (about a $2000 repair), or it can get caught between the gears, shearing the cam gear off and destroying the engine, hence the Killer Dowel Pin name. Mine happened to have an updated housing that had a shouldered dowel pin hole, but there was no way to tell without taking it apart.Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC (Sold)Miller Dialarc 250HFMiller MM251Miller MM200 (Sold)Miller MM130Miller Spot WelderVictor O/A rigMiller Spoolmatic 1 (Sold)
Reply:Originally Posted by bratkid63The dowel pin that locates the timing case can fall out on the 12 valve and some of the 24 valve Cummins. When it does it can either fall harmlessly into the oil pan, get caught between a gear and the housing resulting in the housing getting broken (about a $2000 repair), or it can get caught between the gears, shearing the cam gear off and destroying the engine, hence the Killer Dowel Pin name. Mine happened to have an updated housing that had a shouldered dowel pin hole, but there was no way to tell without taking it apart.
Reply:Glad you had the "good" version!  I thought I had read in a diesel magaine about the killer dowel pin and a replacement or fix they had for it.  I didn't read the full article because it didn't pertain to me.
Reply:For anyone who wonders what the pin failure can look like, somewhere I had posted pictures of an on-the-truck front cover patch job I did.The 5.9 engine's gear train  had swallowed the pin, and then spit it and a few other pieces out through the front cover.  But the engine still ran, so it didn't warrant disassembly.I'll try to find the pictures.Good Luck
Reply:I had a 1st gen dodge which had the potential dowel pin issue.I opened up the front cover, and just hit that shoulder that the pin sits in with a ball peen hammer which flared the end of it enough that the pin could never fall out.Free fix.RussMiller 302GMIller 12RC SuitecaseMIller 30A spoolgunHF-251D-1WP17 Tig torchSmith HD torchHypertherm 45Jet drill pressHF 7X12 wet cut horizontal band sawPlasmacam CNC table
Reply:Originally Posted by highplainsdrifterI had a 1st gen dodge which had the potential dowel pin issue.I opened up the front cover, and just hit that shoulder that the pin sits in with a ball peen hammer which flared the end of it enough that the pin could never fall out.Free fix.Russ
Reply:Originally Posted by MondoIs there no documentation from Cummins noting the date or serial number that the ECO fixing the problem was introduced?-Mondo
Reply:Originally Posted by bratkid63. . .Here's a photo of where the dowel pin USED to be. . .
Reply:Originally Posted by denrepAnd here's a photo of the way it went:  Attachment 41057This one drove home about 150 miles after the pin jettisoned. I figured that was a  good enough test, and just patched the hole.
Reply:Limited lifespan engineering.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build