Tool Review: SP Tools Dodge Harmonic Damper Pulley Puller
The SP Tools Dodge Harmonic Damper Pulley Puller, No. 13450, aids in the removal of the harmonic damper pulleys found on the Dodge 5.7L and 3.5L engines. The space allowed to insert the puller leg through the pulley is too small for a conventional universal puller to work without grinding away all of its strength. Then it still may not have the correct geometry to stay on the puller landings cast into the back side of the pulley. The 13450 has a slender design to fit the small windows in the pulley, and its geometry increases the bite of the leg to the pulley as it is tightened.
The review
Being able to employ a tool on a job where he or she isn’t afforded a whole lot of space to conduct a repair is something every technician appreciates. According to Eric Moore, co-owner of Columbus, Ohio-based DeMary Truck, the SP Tools Dodge Harmonic Damper Pulley Puller, No. 13450, was easy to test and proved to be quite effective in those types of situations.
“Most three jaw pullers require a bit of contortionist mindset and holding your tongue right to keep the jaws in place while screwing in the pusher to start to apply pulling force,” says Moore. “(This tool) was easy to use and figure out, as it is essentially a three jaw puller with a machined bore in the pusher bolt (so as to use the extension pieces included in the set for deep offsets).”
The tool, which arrived in a blow-molded case, was tested on a DeMary Truck employee’s Hemi pickup.
"Our tech used the tool for removal of the crankshaft pulley on his 2014 5.7 Hemi pickup, in order to replace the crankshaft front seal, because it was just outside of warranty." Additionally, the tool was used on a 2011 Chevrolet Monte Carlo a number of Mitsubishi Fuso and Dodge Sprinter vehicles.
"When we used it on the Mitsubishi Fuso and Sprinter vehicles, it was because the arms fit over the pulley nicely, where the other pullers we have in the shop were too big for the area. The lower profile of the Schley puller made it work for the task at hand," says Moore. "Sometimes using the tool other than what was intended for can help you accomplish a different job. Improvisational skills are always a blessing in the repair world."
The technicians at DeMary Truck have “dozens” of two-jaw, three-jaw and specialized pullers at their disposal, says Moore. However, in his opinion, the Schley tool differed from those other offerings in a few key ways.
"(This tool) has a machined bore in the pusher for deep offsets with interchangeable extensions, where most times there would be one puller for one specific application with an offset,” explains Moore. “The spreader also has a bolster to back it up with a wrench when applying pulling force, so it’s easier to keep the tool from twisting, once you have it set.”
The Schley tool required no set-up time unless, Moore says, the application it was being used for required use of the three pusher extensions included in the set. And though the co-owner of DeMary Truck states that it can be challenging to ready the tool for proper use in limited space, he believes it is considerably easier than trying to use something else that is not well-suited for the job at hand.
“We liked that the jaws were relatively stiff on the spreader, which kept them in place once you placed them,” he says.
Moore says he received no additional feedback for improvements on the tool from DeMary Truck technicians.
