Flywheel removal
 

Any tricks for removing the flywheel? I've tried everything I can think of so far. I've tried a puller and cranked it as hard as I could (the flywheel nut is backed off about 3/8" to allow the flywheel to move back) and it hasn't budged at all. I even tapped it with a big hammer with the puller on, and nothing. Am I overlooking something obvious? It won't move even the tiniest amount.

Have you tried searching for "flywheel removal"? :)

What never fails with me is to pry on the flywheel from the back with a big pry bar while you or someone else smacks the front with a big hammer. Use a piece of wood to prevent damage to the surface if you intend on reusing the flywheel. Generally it takes one or two blows.

Gear puller plus hammer = removed flywheel.

Tighten the gear puller as tight as you can w/o stripping the bolt threads. Pound the face of the flywheel (hopefully with a rubber mallet). Retighten, pound, retighten, pound. Repeat if necessary and it should pop off soon.

Prying from behind? Why not just chain it to another vehicle and pop the clutch?

Brian

Prying between the flywheel and the engine. All it takes is a little pressure in that direction and a hammer blow to shock it loose.

Gear pullers are unnecessary and you have less chance of damaging the eccentric shaft if you don't use one.

Thanks guys. I'll give the pry-n-hammer blow a try. What the hell makes it so tight? Is it a tapered fit?

i have never used a puller on a rotary flywheel, ever. try the method Aaron suggested.

It's a tapered fit pressed on by the nut...Very tight...

A puller is obviously the right tool for this job. Prying, beating and banging are crude and potentially damaging to things like thrust bearings and main bearings.

You just have to build a unit that is up to the task.

Mine, as you will see pictured below, is 3/8" angle iron with a 3/4" bolt and a 1/2" flat steel chunk for the end of the E-shaft. The weak link is the smaller diameter of the holder bolts which are limited by the holes in the flywheel. They've held so far, but I'd venture a wager that they're a bit longer now.

Slick like butter.

Just grab a rubber mallet and hit it as hard as you can. Seriously.

No worse then the engine experiences during normal clutch operation.

If this is done right the it literally takes one (sometimes two or three) hammer blows and the flywheel just pops off.

Aaron - It took exactly 2 blows with a small sledgehammer on a bar, and it popped right off. Thanks!

Heffboost - I made a puller amazingly similar to yours 2 weeks ago, angle iron and all, bolted to 2 of the pressure plate hold down bolts, but I tightened it as hard as I could (using a big, 1/2 drive ratchet) and I wound up actually bending the angle iron without the flywheel budging at all. So when Aaron suggested the hammer, I hit the angle iron 2 good taps, and the flywheel popped right off. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

whatever, i've seen more damage done with pullers than with my methods.

on these threads someone always tries to tell me this method is damaging to the flywheel or engine yet i have never once experienced any damage to either. the damn stock flywheel is 26 freaking pounds! it'll hurt you before you hurt it. even lightweight flywheels take a damn bit of force to begin warping.

I find it somewhat amusing that you guys want to buck common sense. Sure, there's a lot of ways to get things done, doesn't mean it's right. Take a look at page 34 of the engine section of the FSM.

You can do whatever the fuck you want with it, it's your engine after all.

I'm just trying to be the voice of reason.

indeed... no prying involved.. and the small pullers dont do jack. just make sure you have a bolt on there still threaded a bit, or you will have a new hole to breathe through.

Please explain to me how the shock load of one hammer blow (which is absorbed as soon as the flywheel breaks free) is more damaging then the extreme pressure that the throwout bearing places on the pressure plate when you hit the clutch. :)

Mainly my point about the flywheel removal is this: The first time I tried to remove a flywheel years ago I did it with a puller. Result? Broken puller, one stripped flywheel puller thread and damage to the e-shaft. Ever since then I have used the pry and hammer method and not had a single issue. I think the most hammer blows it ever took to remove the flywheel was 3.

If you have a puller and want to use it, then go ahead. If you don't have a puller and want the flywheel removed in under 5 seconds, grab your hammer and pry bar.