Can't get camshaft bolt off

[maestro123]

I'm having a lot of trouble getting my camshaft bolt off. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. This is the bolt in question.



From my understanding reading the FSM and other sources, most people use a wrench to hold the camshaft steady and then put a 19mm wrench on the camshaft bolt itself. I'm pretty sure to turn the bolt counter-clockwise, I'm supposed to start from near the top and then push downwards. When I do this, however, it starts to round the bolt a bit or the camshaft itself starts turning. I just want to make sure I'm doing this right (because I can't afford to round the bolt anymore or I'll be in even bigger doo-doo). Am I doing anything wrong? Any tips on how to get that bolt off?

[pdgizwiz]

I've found that these can be tight too. One of my posts has a picture of how I did it.
You mention a wrench. I use a 19mm 1/2" drive six-point socket with a breaker bar, and remove the half-round plug in the end of the head to allow access this way. On the camshaft I use a 10" Crescent wrench on the rough hex at the center of the camshaft, and support the end with a 2x4 against the floor. That's with the engine on a stand, though. I see that your engine is still in the van so the crescent wrench can be supported against the body work to keep it from turning.
I hope there's enough meat on the bolt for a six-point socket to get a good purchase on it. Otherwise things get much uglier.

[maestro123]

Thanks so much! Getting the half-moon plug off to allow more access is exactly what I needed to get a 19mm socket on that bolt. That made all the difference.

I'll be getting a new camshaft sprocket bolt to replace the one that I rounded. I did a little researching, and for anyone that needs it in the future, the part number is 90105-12261.

Now, I've got a different problem, but I'll create a different thread for that