Don't want to break it! HELP!

[55'Fleetwin7.5]

I have a Really sweet 1957 35hp Lark with no spark... She has been sitting for 30 years! (Now... I have removed flywheels from 5.5's 7.5's, but never one this big...) A guy here, who I trust, is telling me to tap it on the nut while holding it off the ground, rather than using the puller method. Reason? He said I might warp it or crack it... What is the deal... I really don't want to wreck it and i have heard you can't be timid when attempting to remove this one... OK guy's talk to me!

Thanks,

Tom

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

Tom,
From my brief experience you need to put some GOOD hardened grade 8, 1/4-20 bolts in the flywheel through a good harmonic balancer puller and just putting a good bind on it--as much as you can with a medium sized ratchet. Once you get a good bind on it, you might try a rap on the puller bolt with a hammer--not too hard though.
I read a lot of threads on this subject to see what other folks have done and watch the responses from folks that have far more experience than I have and they say use a puller and keep pulling. You are much more likely to damage your motor doing it the way you were describing than by using a puller. Don't start banging on it or you will ruin the flywheel or crankshaft bearings. I personally have good luck with another trick but the experts say don't do it and therefore I won't mention it.
Just some ideas,
JBJ

 

[nineteensixtycaddy]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

just pulled the flywheel off my 59 evinrude lark. Removed the nut, by holding a screwdriver carefully in the teeth of the flywheel, between the starter bolts, and turning the nut. Then getting the flywheel off, put the bolts in about 1/3 inch, and then cranked by hand on the center of the puller. When tight, turned one full turn beyond with a small wrench, and tapped the flywheel with a rubber mallet. Turned one more full turn, tapped around again. Repeated until I hit 4 full turns, and tapped around again, and it popped right off. Mine's two years newer than yours, but I'm betting in pretty similar shape. I'd try it. The guy I rented the puller from, said to crank it 5 or 6 full turns, and nail it with a sledge. I prefer a gentler approach on anything "old" or "antique" I woulda used the sledge if it didn't come easy, but I guess I got lucky.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

Use the puller - you are getting bad advice.

 

[wbeaton]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

Use a harmonic balancer type puller not one that grips the outside of the flywheel. You can leave the flywheel nut on, but threaded to the top of the crankshaft. Attach the puller and crank it down. If the flywheel doesn't pop then just wait a while. Maybe even over night. It will pop on its own. A tap on the flywheel nut after you've torqued down the puller may also cause it to pop. Just be careful of the crankshaft threads and don't pound too hard on it. Personally, I won't take a hammer to the crankshaft.

 

[55'Fleetwin7.5]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

OK... I am going the puller route. But I am using a puller I bought at AutoZone... It has three legs and each leg tapers from the centerpoint down. As a result, My bolts end up bending. Has anyone had this experience? Am I using a bad one? Any tips? Tomorrow is D-Day.

 

[wbeaton]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

Can you turn it over?

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

You need to find a harmonic puller with slots that extend close enough to the center for the three bolts to be positioned straight up/down. Don't use the one you have if it won't do that. You must also make sure that the bolts that screw into the flywheel are Grade 8, and are the proper size, thread count, and thread length. All of these things are important in general and are particulalry important if you think the flywheel is going to be hard to get off. If you don't get everything just right, you will probably end up stripping the threads in the flywheel and/or breaking the bolts.

 

[55'Fleetwin7.5]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

Yes the engine turns over nicely. I asked the salesperson at ACE hardware for number 8 bolts and he looked at me as though I was speaking Greek. In the absence of number 8... would stainless be ok?...

 

[wbeaton]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

I meant can you turn the puller over as I had thought you meant it tapered out from the middle like the one I posted. Go to a different store. Home Depot or a good hardware store will have them. Grade 8 bolts are very common. Anyone working in hardware should know what they are. Be leary of anyone that doesn't.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

Most definitely Wayne is right as usual. If you don't turn it over where the flat side of the puller is up, then your bolts will bend. You won't have any problem taking the tip of the puller bolt and screwing it in the other direction so you can have the flat side of the puller up. I got my puller from O'Reilly's and it was like your's. Ask for grade eight or grade 5 1/4-20 bolts about 4 inches long. If they don't know where to find that you need to go to a better hardware store or find a different person in the store who actually knows about hardware.

 

[55'Fleetwin7.5]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

OMG! I can't believe how that was staring me in the face! Thank you so much! I have been doing that way so long! What a DOPE! I took everything off (except the flywheel) looked into the inspection port...Fried Coils! The flywheel has the teeth all around... I carefully placed a flat bladed screw driver between the teeth and the gear in the starter to allow me to remove some of the bolts that engage the rope... Is that ok? Now... with my puller in the correct "attitude" should be a much nicer experience. I will go to the max... then tap with a rubber mallet... is that OK? or just keep tightening till the pop... What is the rule?

 

[F_R]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

Don't be afraid to take it off. And don't be timid. As everybody has already said, use the right equipment and then give it heck. Tighten that sucker down as tight as you dare. If it hasn't popped off yet, lift up slightly on the flywheel and give the puller bolt a whack with a hammer. NOT a sledge. A 12oz hammer is fine. It is the shock that does it, not the bash.

Having said all that, I have a top quality flywheel puller made by OMC and I assemble it to the flywheel and take the air impact wrench to it. About 5 or 6 rat-a-tats of the wrench and that thing is OFF of there. Never takes me even a minute to get one off from start to finish.

 

[55'Fleetwin7.5]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

Wow... Badda-bing... Badda-boom... Came right off. Amazing what can be done when you do it right for a change. Only question... What is the best way to stabilize the flywheel when trying to tighten down... It obviously wants to turn too... I used a strap wrench... but is there a better way?

Thanks.

 

[nineteensixtycaddy]

Re: Don't want to break it! HELP!

As for the comments about the sledge hammer... it's what I was told by an "old pro" locally. I didn't do it, but might have if it didn't come off as easy as it did. I believe in using just enough ooomph to do the job, not any more, and not any less, so as NOT to damage anything. Aluminum flywheels are not flimsy, but not bulletproof either. How many of you with electric starters can see where the teeth have been ground, or bent, by normal use.

Anyway.

I was told not to tighten the puller until the flywheel comes off completely, but to get it fairly tight, and then whack it. I used a rubber mallet, and alternated sides in a similar pattern to how you'd tighten lug nuts on a car tire. N0T a sledge. Three taps and it came of nice and easy.

As for holding the flywheel steady when cranking on the puller, I used a screwdriver to hold the flywheel from turning, stuck between the starter bolts, carefully so as not to let it slip, or scratch/bend the flywheel. I guess it's all a matter of how you use your tools. I think a strap wrench would have probably done an even better/safer job, but I went with what I had available. As long as you're gentle, I don't see any problem using what you have. Perhaps yall can correct me if I did something wrong?