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jeepwm69

Uh oh. Flywheel puller stripped out

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This morning I tore down the engine for my buddies new (to him) 450FM.

 
Everything went smoothly and the bottom end looked to be in great shape until I got to the fly wheel. I threaded my motion pro flywheel puller in and hit it with an impact, same as I have done dozens of times.  This time the flywheel didn’t slide off the end of the crank like they normally do. Instead I got the sickening sound of the flywheel puller bolt suddenly letting loose and spinning freely.

 

When I tried to back it out it just spins freely in the other direction as well, so they only thing I can think of is the threaded center section of the flywheel must’ve broken loose from the rest of the flywheel.

 

I worked it around a bit trying to put it in a bind to see if it would catch and back out with no luck.

 

So now I have a good crank with a flywheel stuck on the end of it and no way of getting it off.

 

I’m always amazed at what you guys come up with so what are your thoughts?

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Bummer i can only think to use penetrating oil on the flywheel and put it through some heat and cold cycles.

 

can you rig up a slide hammer that grabs around the base of the flywheel? 

Edited by Goober

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1 hour ago, Goober said:

Bummer i can only think to use penetrating oil on the flywheel and put it through some heat and cold cycles.

 

can you rig up a slide hammer that grabs around the base of the flywheel? 

 

Three's an idea.  I have a bearing puller with a slide hammer on it, but I really need to figure out how to get the Motion Pro bolt out of the back as it's kinda in the way for anything I thought about doing.

 

For example, I put my 3 jaw puller on it but since I have to put the tip of the center bolt on the flywheel puller/bolt that flops around, I can't get it very tight before it pops off to one side.

 

Also wondered if I could use something like this and put it in the holes where the hex bolts were that hold the flywheel to the gear. 

 

 

https://www.harborfreight.com/bolt-type-wheel-puller-set-62620.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12144811130&campaignid=12144811130&utm_content=117789278798&adsetid=117789278798&product=62620&store=658&gclid=Cj0KCQiA09eQBhCxARIsAAYRiynsz9euYrnBGUmXLiARi_Arj9BcIZg_Gq-ZU0fEqjEygPiRQIEtW4YaAtAIEALw_wcB

 

 

 

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I'm planning on just replacing it.  Used ones on ebay are cheap and I'm sure there is some wallowing out that has happened as I've tried getting that puller bolt out.

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Ok Since flywheel no more good. Can you stake the inner sleeve of the flywheel to the flywheel body? Assuming it was freeze fit or staked. Or drill a hole between the two so you can drive a pin to stake they sleeve 

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If that center bolt on the puller still has resistance smack it with a hammer. I only tighten (with wrench and not impact) the puller just enough and give it a decent smack to pull flywheels.

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2 hours ago, Goober said:

Ok Since flywheel no more good. Can you stake the inner sleeve of the flywheel to the flywheel body? Assuming it was freeze fit or staked. Or drill a hole between the two so you can drive a pin to stake they sleeve 

Well I got the tool out the  @basfnb way.  I went full stupid with the grinder lol. 
 

When you say the sleeve what exactly do you mean?
 

With the cut off wheel I didn’t touch the crank though, which is what worried me.

 

I tried my 3 jaw puller with the crank pulley bolt threaded back in. Banged on the puller bolt and all over the flywheel with it under tension.   No dice.

 

I left it under tension.  Figure I’ll let it sit like that for a bit.  Wintery weather moving in. 

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You may be able to take a threaded pipe nipple, large enough to go over the end of the flywheel shaft. 1 1/2”?

 

Drill and thread a bolt hole or two so that you can run the bolts onto the shaft. Drive the bolts down onto the shaft. Pinning the shaft with the pipe and bolts.

Install the slide hammer on the threaded end of the nipple. 

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I did some nosing around and think heat will be my next attempt.  Saw a guy who was breaking grade 8 bolts on an outboard flywheel puller, someone suggested leaving a heat gun on it for an hour or so, then whacking on it, and it worked.

 

Figure I'll try that, see what happens.  @Goober if it comes down to it I'll try drilling, but I'm not the world's best at such things without ruining the part I'm working on, so more grinding/drilling is a last resort for me.

 

Took me almost an hour to get the old puller bolt out because I was doing so little at a time out of fear I'd hit the crank with the cutoff wheel.

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7 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

Weld to it !!!

My welding fu is weak.  Very weak.  I guess worst comes to worst I can just weld on the flywheel to heat it up. 

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 a beam puller could work , you weld two bolts to the inside the flywheel and thread into the collar --- i have a couple of size of these 

 

image.png

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8 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

 a beam puller could work , you weld two bolts to the inside the flywheel and thread into the collar --- i have a couple of size of these 

 

image.png

 

I have a bearing puller that is similar to that.  I just figure if the biggest 3 jaw I have isn't budging it I'm gonna have to figure out a way to "pop" it loose.

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The picture doesn't do it justice ,  this isn't a steering wheel pulley ----    The push screw in the middle  is 3/4 diameter and the two tie rods are 5/8 

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29 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

The picture doesn't do it justice ,  this isn't a steering wheel pulley ----    The push screw in the middle  is 3/4 diameter and the two tie rods are 5/8 

 

The one I have is a biggun.  I got it to take the rear crank bearing off of cranks after I pull them.

 

That said, it's chinesium, so not great.  Vince at Mr Crankshaft said he'd pull them for me when he rebuilds the crank, and ship the bearing back to me, so I've just been having him do it.

 

 

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3 hours ago, jeepwm69 said:

My welding fu is weak.  Very weak.  I guess worst comes to worst I can just weld on the flywheel to heat it up. 

I got lucky with welding , senior year at school I had 3 hours a day in welding class , then I went thru an heavy equipment  apprenticeship program for 4 years and welding was a course , then I welded a lot at work during my years of being a mechanic , so not to toot my horn , but I am a pretty fair welder ----  that being said , I really don't like to weld long beads for hours on end  , bad for your  eyes and lungs , rather  fab things with short welds , LOL 

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16 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

I got lucky with welding , senior year at school I had 3 hours a day in welding class , then I went thru an heavy equipment  apprenticeship program for 4 years and welding was a course , then I welded a lot at work during my years of being a mechanic , so not to toot my horn , but I am a pretty fair welder ----  that being said , I really don't like to weld long beads for hours on end  , bad for your  eyes and lungs , rather  fab things with short welds , LOL 

Wife works at a nearby community college, so I can take classes there free.  The problem is, the welding classes are all during the day, during the work week, while I'm at work.

 

They offered a night class a couple of years ago, and @basfnb and I were the only two to sign up, so they cancelled it.

 

Everybody says just to watch youtube, but I haven't done much good using that route.  Of course, all I have is a cheap mig with no shielding gas.

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Still no progress on this.  I put my 3 jaw puller on it, put a big hose clamp around the arms to hold them in place (they kept slipping off) and tried it, but it still wants to twist the puller.

 

Dang thing is on there tight.   I'm going to heat it up this afternoon and bang on the flywheel with a sledge with it under tension with the puller and see if it will pop loose.

 

Next step, if that doesn't work, will be to go to the ag supply place, get a big grade 8 nut and bolt, and take the engine to the local welder, have him weld the nut onto the buggered up flywheel, and then use the bolt like the original flywheel puller bolt I had that stripped out.  Hopefully a big grade 8 nut/bolt, along with the heat from welding the nut to the flywheel, will break it loose.

 

I need to stop and talk politics with my welder guy anyway.  He told Dad I hadn't been by to see him in a long time.  LOL

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Jeep

I have had good luck threading bolts into the holes where the hex screws were and using a steering wheel puller

but as stuck as yours is though, it might be good to torque the puller down and try heat and hammer taps

hate to see you rip out the threaded holes too but if flywheel is buggered now, no big deal

I also usually put a nickel or small coin in the flywheel center to not mar the end of the crank,

 I  have a slotted bolt I cut off to screw into the threaded hole as well to protect threads

I wonder if someone sheared a flywheel key once and might have decided to use red loctite on the taper?

If so, heat will definitely help

If that doesnt work I think the grade 8 nut idea along with the welding heat should do the trick

 

Edited by AKATV
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Well this one is now at the local welders shop.  I tried heating it, 3 jaw puller held in place with a big hose clamp, and still no dice.

 

Found a bit bolt and nut, told him to weld the nut to the flywheel, and see if the bolt will push it off.  If that doesn't work, gonna cut it off! LOL

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On 3/7/2022 at 11:05 AM, jeepwm69 said:

Well this one is now at the local welders shop.  I tried heating it, 3 jaw puller held in place with a big hose clamp, and still no dice.

 

Found a bit bolt and nut, told him to weld the nut to the flywheel, and see if the bolt will push it off.  If that doesn't work, gonna cut it off! LOL

yep, at this point, i would weld a grade 8 nut to the front of flywheel, use a grade 8 bolt through the grade 8 nut to pop the flywheel off.

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Well, welded nut to the flywheel was still a no go. 
 

Out came the plasma cutter. 
 

looking at the key I wonder if the flywheel wedged up on it.

 

At any rate, it’s off and I have a used flywheel coming from eBay.

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