Removing crankshaft pully nut and stopping crankshaft moving

[BobProperty]

Any easy ways of doing it?
There's a VAG tool to keep the crank from moving apparently, but that's not a route I can take, I don't think.
Haynes, in its usual circular logic says hold the flywheel by putting something in the starter ring teeth. To get to that, remove starter motor. To remove starter motor, remove engine mount. In order to remove engine mount you need to hold up engine with hoist or engine crane (I've looked and there isn't either in the bottom of my toolbox). Presumably it's not possible to hold the engine on a jack because you'd go through the sump or something like that.
So, apart from trying to sneak up on the nut and surprise it with a 1/2" drive air impact ratchet (and I can't find one of them in my toolbox either ) then what alternatives are there?

[tezk]

Would sticking a socket and breaker bar on there, setting the bar against something solid and cranking the engine work?
Been known to work on other cars..

[Crasher]

Why are you trying to remove the centre bolt?

[BobProperty]

Would sticking a socket and breaker bar on there, setting the bar against something solid and cranking the engine work?
Been known to work on other cars..

No because the timing belt is off, there probably isn't anything "solid" to put a bar against and, knowing my luck and modern cars, it will strip the starter ring or pinion trying that.

[BobProperty]

Why are you trying to remove the centre bolt?

Because I need to replace the timing belt pinion. The whole story: When I got this car, I thought it a good idea to replace the cambelt as there was no knowledge or service history saying it had been done, plus it didn't look that great. Someone previously had tried to take the aux pulley off and rounded off all the socket bolts (I suspect by using a Torx instead of an Allen head) I ended up having to drill the bolts out. I replaced the bolts with VW originals and it worked happily for several months. Now, after all the fun with the head rebuild, the pulley came loose and the aux belt jumped off. I replaced the bolts again and, as a precaution, used some loctite on the threads. A few days later the pulley came loose again and I can now see that, one, the aux pulley is fractured and, two, the thread in the timing pinion is damaged. The only sensible repair now, IMHO, is replacement of both pinion and pulley.

[Crasher]

Pinion? You mean the crank?

[BobProperty]

Pinion? You mean the crank?

"Crankshaft timing belt sprocket" is apparently what it gets called in the Haynes manual.

[Crasher]

What is the engine, a 1.9TDI and which year?

[BobProperty]

Aex 1.4 1996.

[Crasher]

Well to take it apart I would use my air impact gun but to tighten the new bolt up (it must be replaced, part number N 902 928 02 and about £1.80) I would use the VW 3415 or 3099 Counter-hold tools of which I have both and to achieve the torque of 90Nm plus 120 degree turn (oil the threads and back of the hex head and washer) without either of these would be virtually impossible.