I used to have one of these years ago but it seems to have disappeared into the same abyss as my previous 2-1/8" by 3/4"-drive socket.

The places I've checked so far to no avail include Princess Auto, Canadian tire and Quality tools. All have some variation of the type of puller required but none are large enough to do the job.

The puller required is a bolt-type design, ie: a center bolt passing through the threaded center hole of a steel bar, and two bolts passing through slots in the bar on either side of center. These outside bolts then thread into holes in the flywheel, and by tightening the center bolt against the end of the e-shaft a pulling motion is created by the outer bolts to remove the flywheel.

This puller needs to have:

a) bar that has a minimum slot length of five and a half inches (bolt hole spacing on the flywheel is 5").

b) A reasonably stout (ie: 5/8" diameter) center bolt.

c) an approx. one-inch diameter tapered point on the end of the center bolt where it makes contact with the e-shaft. If this diameter is too small the pilot bearing will get wrecked.

This last requirement is desireable but not absolutely necessary since I could always improvise by placing a few penny washers between the tip and the e-shaft.

 

Tried the hammer trick?

Have someone pry against the rear of the flywheel with a pry bar as hard as they can. Now strike the face of the flywheel with a 2 pound hammer and it will almost always pop off during the 1st or 2nd blow. If you want, use a block of wood to protect the surface of the flywheel.

This has never failed for me.

 

I've always been reluctant to try for fear of breaking something. "Always" of course being mis-leading--- you could count the number of rotaries I've torn down on my fingers and still have room for a couple of transmission swaps, and the last one was years ago.

However, during these teardowns I did tap on the flywheel while the puller was in place and exerting pressure and this worked ok. I still had the flywheel nut spun on a few threads just in case the flywheel decided to pop off a little too vigorously.

But since your method worked without damage to components I just might have to try that. Thanks Aaron.

 

remember to keep the Nut ON.at least two turns.so when the flywheel does loosen up it doesn't Fall and take out your Toes...and Strike the Flywheel in a spot that is Not Used by the clutch/and away from the studs,Holes...If you Really need to "see it" in action..there is a Video On the forum..But you will have too Search for it(I can't recall what it is Called.. But the flywheel removal is Done by a GIRL!)

 

Hammer trick works Brett. Me and Chev used it last time. Only forgot the nut. It was catastrophic, but the flywheel was garbage anyways.

 

i've never had a problem with the hammer trick either.

 

That settles it then.

Now all I need to do is fabricate a flywheel brake. The bar bolted to the flywheel via the clutch assy bolt holes method works, but does mazda sell a small device that blocks the flywheel ring gear teeth?

 

I know mazdatrix sells a flywheel blocker as you discribed, but I made my own bar that bolts on using the PP bolt holes. Worked perfectly, until the bar bent while trying to remove a REALLY tight flywheel nut. Note for next time, use a bar thicker than 1/8". I suggest 3/16" or even 1/4". You never know if your going to run into a flywheel that was torqued on to 800 ft lb for some stupid reason.

 

those stupid flywheel blocker things are not much good unless you have a
vice big enough to clamp the whole motor in to keep it from turning
the blocker things were made for one reason and that was to hold the
flywheel when removing the nut with a impact, not a breaker bar!
matt

 

yeah, when i replaced my clutch the first time. i rented and electric 3/4" impact gun and it didn't even labour to remove that flywheel nut. if u use an impact gun u don't even need a flywheel brake.

 

Last night I tried another angle--- I inserted a 5/8" dia. bolt into one of the balancing holes that are factory-drilled into the circumfrence of the flywheel. (two of these holes are at least 1/2" deep so I used one of those).

I then threaded a transmission housing attach bolt into one of the holes in the rear iron where the engine bolts up to the trans. This bolt acts as an effective "doorstop"--- when the flywheel is turned counter-clockwise (ie: as it wants to do when you're trying to remove the nut) the 5/8" bolt sticking out of the hole in the flywheel fetches up on this "doorstop" bolt and the flywheel can therefore turn no farther in that direction.

Now all I need is a snipe (extension) for my breaker bar. The engine is currently mounted on a stand, and since all other engines that I'd previously removed flywheels from were on the floor with a long flywheel-arresting bar attached I'd like to see if I can remove the nut and front bolt with a breaker bar and extension while mounted on a stand.

If not, I'll place the engine on the floor and remove the nut or better yet, purchase (I prefer not to rent) an electric impact wrench. I didn't think an electric would have the power to remove these but if it has worked for others...

 

Electric worked for me. It took about 4 minutes of sustained impacting, but it broke loose finally. My arms were like jelly, so beware.

 

what i did recently, (yesterday) was bolt a chain on the flywheel (preasure place bolt) and on the the tranny bolt, stops the flywheel from turning, I used the 2 1/4" socket with a 3/4" breaker bar, i hit the bar with a hammer and it loosened it just enuff the i could continue to use the breaker bar untill i came off

 

not to be Picky..But the Flywheel nut is 54 mm OR 2 1/8 "..I'm sure it was a MisType on your part Syritis..On the other hand that Chain thing has got me thinkin to put a link To one of the Holes in the flywheel,using an extended bolt of the same thread size and puttin another link to a bolt on another Part to the engine..So,I thank you(heh,heh!)

 

Musta been a somewhat looser nut than mine, or you have access to a bigger hammer than mine. It'll probably be the weekend before I have the time to tackle these engines again, and I should have a snipe by then. BTW, how easily did your front pulley bolt come loose using a hammer?

 

Update:

Sean's 13B in my garage was no problem--- flywheel came off easily and front pulley bolt was no fuss at all. No snipe needed and one tap released the flywheel from the e-shaft.

Can't say the same for the two 12A engines though. They'll need a little more persuation/blackmail.

 

Really curious about the shape of Seans 13b, when is it coming apart?

 

i put blue thread locker on the the flywheel nut and hub bolt when i assemble. i tryed my impact gun, WD40, a snipe and liquid wrench i was outta idea's when i i had the breaker bar and socket on the nut, i had the hammer in my hand and outta frustration i hulk smashed the breaker bar with the hammer and i worked. i flipped it around and did the same on the front hub. this is while the engine is on flat 2x4s on the ground and i'm hitting the breaker bar from a nearly jumpping possition.

 

Possibly this weekend. I have a wedding to do on Saturday and Sunday morning is booked, but after 2pm (assuming Sean can make it--- he wants to be here for the teardown) we plan to open it up.

 

Update:

Sean couldn't make it but gave me the ok to tear it down for him. I spent an hour doing this and the preliminary results are as follows:

Rear iron: Wear is at (or possibly beyond) limits in the combustion chamber area. Factory end mill pattern is still slightly visible so it's likely never been re-surfaced. Remote possibility of re-use if dial indicator finds there is enough material left to plane down.

Rear housing: The usual coking in combustion area and downstream of exhaust port, chatter marks and slight flaking at outer edges of wear surfaces. No sign of overheating, ie: no baked-on oil deposits on botton of exterior surface of the housing, the portion that lives in the oil pan. The groove made by the apex corner piece is deep enough that it might snag a corner. I'd be hesitant to re-use if it were mine.

Rear rotor: Carbon deposits but no stuck seals. (corner seals are a little stiff though). No immediate signs of damage. Gear teeth and bearing surfaces appear ok.

Center iron: Toast. Engine has sat for a long-*** time. Severe wear in the usual places, as well as pitting in those same areas.

Front rotor housing: Almost exact same condition as rear.

Front rotor: Much carbon deposits as well as corrosion from moisture entering this rotor housing, possibly from a breached water jacket seal(?). All seals except side oil control o-ring assemblies are seized in their grooves. this rotor had zero compression. However, all seals are intact.

Front iron: Pitted and worn beyond limits. There is also a small chip on the water jacket side of the "land" between the coolant seal groove and the water jacket.

Accessory drive chain: Worn beyond limits.

Thrust washers and bearings: These appear ok at first glace.

Stationary gears: Both look ok at first glance.

E-shaft: Looks ok, but need dial indicator to measure run-out.

This engine has been overhauled at least once before as evidenced by the over-abundance of sealant squeezed from between housings and on oil pan and front cover gaskets. With the exception of the rear iron, the remaining irons have no sign of the factory machining marks on their wear surfaces. It's a moot point anyway considering the advanced state of wear and corrosion damage.

 

Thanks man. Maybe I'll stop by next week to get a better look. Alls I really wanted out of the core was the rotating assembly and the rotor housings in any case.

 

Funny how someone else for once does the work for Sean. I always thought Sean was everyone's bitch, who's gonna crawl under my car to change the oil now?? Who's gonna put that last coat of wax on Neils car before winter? Damned if Bretts gonna drive all the way to Hidden Valley to pick up the dog **** in my yard, I sure hope you haven't broken any of Sean's training on this one, we spent a lot of time on him.

 

ROFL... Not to worry, G--- He's still trained to pick up after your dog, as long as you continue to tie that rotor dangling on a stick so that it hangs just in front of him at about eye level.

 

Yaaaaaaaaaaaay! Shiny Object!!!!!

 

Yet another update:

I opened up the 12A from the silver GSL, the one that I stripped over the summer. The engine had lost compression last March on the rear rotor, but an inspection through the exhaust ports revealed that the apex seals were ok. I suspected that I may have lost a triangular apex corner since that would also cause a loss of compression.

Once the engine was apart I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The cause of the compression loss turned out to be a severely flaked chrome wear surface on the rear rotor housing (I'd written the housing off anyway so no big deal), but aside from the usual worn oil seals everything else looked ok--- the irons had very little wear and the factory machining pattern was still visible on most of these wear surfaces.

All seals (ie: apex, side, corner) were still intact and floating freely in their grooves (three years of feeding the apex seals two-cycle oil rather than used engine oil from the pan seems to have that effect), and the rotors themselves appeared to have sustained no damage. The thrust washers are spalled (this is a high-mileage engine, upwards of 260,000km that I'm aware of) but I intended to replace those anyway.

The e-shaft looks ok but like everything else will need to be properly measured, and the front rotor housing looks like it could be re-used--- not very common with these old 12A engines.

On the other hand, the spare 12A that was given to me, which I tore down earlier this evening, seems to have no redeeming qualities at all. It looks like it had been fished out of the bottom of a lake due to the extensive corrosion inside, probably caused by breached water jacket seals. I had hoped to scare up some spare parts from this engine, but now I guess I'll be turning some parts of it into a fish tank and others into wall clocks...