S4 flywheel removal problems
 

Ive been trying to get this flywheel off for awhile now and can't seem to get it loose so I'm looking to see if I'm missing something. The nut is obviously off. I've tried using a puller on it but I'm afraid of damaging the eccentric shaft. And I've put a slide hammer on it. All with absolutely no luck. Just wondering if there's something holding it on other than the nut or if anyone has any bright ideas. Thanks

you could try heating the flywheel and cooling the shaft, maybe... it's keyed, so it could just be gummed up enough to keep it from coming loose... rocking and tapping and turning and pulling. Good luck!

Place the main nut back on loosely. Then take a hard plastic mallet and hit the flywheel in several alternating spots on the perimeter of the wheel (not the gear teeth). Hit it with force. It will certainly come loose. By reinstalling the main nut you will prevent the wheel from falling to the ground or, more importantly, on your feet.

thanks for the advice guys. i ended up just towing it into work, putting a puller on it cranked down, heated the flywheel with the torches and tapped around with an air hammer lol it was on there pretty good!!

yes they r stubborn if they've never been off before, but heat from a torch isn't necessary. hitting it on the outer edge(not on the ring gear) will do the trick. usually a couple blows with a brass or dead blow hammer.

One quick note to echo above posters.

1 - Do not remove the nut. just loosen it up about 1-2 threads worth. The reason for this is that the flywheel can pop off fairly violently. I had one shoot about 6-8 FEET across my garage once and it ruined the threads on the eccentric shaft when it came off. If I had the nut on there loosely - this would not have happened.

2 - Rotate the wheel and hit it with a plastic or heavy rubber hammer. Do not hit the ring gear, but rather, just inside of that. Keep rotating and hitting over and over and it should come off in about 10 hits. You don't even really have to hit it that hard. I'd say light-to-medium hits. You can take off the two flimsy metal dust covers on the rear housing to get a better shot at the flywheel.

yeh but let me tell you a heavy rubber mallet did not do the trick on mine trust me. i hit the hell out of the thing with not even the hint of movement. but yes, leaving the nut on is a good idea, and under most circumstances it should only take a few hits with a mallet. My scenario was just different and required a little more persuasion

^^See#3 above.

i dont know id any of u heard f this but this is the easiest way tought to me by an older mazda man named mazurick who just past away , loosen the nut and dont take all the way out grab a 1" chisel and a hammer and put the chisel in between the tensioning bolt and the flywheel
a couple of blows with the hammer and comes loose , works everytime