1956 Evinrude Lark 30 HP Tear Down

[Jdunham]

Is that whitish stuff the same as whats in the water jacket? Aluminum oxide and mineral deposits.
others with more experience than i will need to weigh in, but it could be water intrusion from a failed head gasket.

if you put your finder where it can tough the block and the the flywheel and try to rock the flywheel with the other hand, can you feel it move?

 

[Crosbyman]

let's be hopeful...maybe only the rings are stuck ….. have you tried soaking with some Marvel Mystery oil or PB blaster a few days


wirebrush the crap out of the cyl faces and blow them out clean then soak it soak the rings where you have access

clean up the cyl head and flatten it out over 150 sandpaper on a flat plate

after a few days alternately wack the piston faces with a round wood peg (one inch) and a hammer and see if you have some movement on the flywheel (scratch a or mark a referrence point)

if no movement resoak and try again in a few more days

as to the innards … anybody's guess
dry gearcase… well…. better dry than cracked

all of the above a free…
patience brings joy

 

[Piomarine]

There is no movement in the flywheel at all. Not even a jiggle!

 

[Crosbyman]

stuck rings will do that ….try soaking has suggested and remove gearcase to exclude it asa problem possibility

took 2-3 weeks to revive my 9.5hp

it is up to you...

 

[Piomarine]

I went back and looked at the flywheel again. It doesn’t “move” but does have the ever so slightest jiggle to it. Not like anything is actually moving, but more like I am feeling the tolerance in the flywheel itself. I sincerely doubt that actually means anything but in case it does I thought I’d mention it.

 

[oldboat1]

Sounds like it's loose on the shaft. Take off the flywheel nut and see if you can lift the f.w. off -- that or pull it with a steering wheel puller (harmonic flywheel puller). The key may be missing or damaged, but you may not be up to that yet.

With the flywheel off, see if the mag plate is locking up (coil screw too long -- something like that).

 

[Piomarine]

So I was able to get in a little wrench time on the Lark this afternoon and I am starting the process of stripping the powerhead for disassembly. I still don't have a great work space but I have a little room to work. I pulled the starter (had to drop the cam on the flywheel to get to the bolt), and put a flywheel puller on the flywheel. Does anyone have any tips for getting this 65 year old flywheel off this motor?? I have the puller on, and it is tightened down and under pressure but it will not budge! it's bending the washers on the bolts before any movement on the flywheel. I have tapped on the center bolt of the puller with a hammer, I have pried up with a flat-head, I have done both simultaneously, I have put loads of penetrating oil on the shaft...nothing! I have it under load for the night, we'll see if anything changes by tomorrow. I also pulled the access panels on the cylinders again and actually got a look down in the crank case...it is surprisingly and pleasantly clean and rust free! Any help on the stubborn flywheel is appreciated!

 

[racerone]

I would say that the slight flywheel movement is due to the proper bearing clearance in the big end bearings.---Rings are stuck.----You pictures indicate there is much hope for your motor.----Hurry to your local boat shop to get the flywheel off.----Factory puller works the best ( have 3 of them ) as pullers that bend / give just are not up to the task !!!

 

[Jdunham]

Dont strike the end of the puller, it can damage the lower crank seal.

Have you removed the lower unit yet to make sure that isnt the cause of the binding?

Racerone is right that a better puller will work better but that one will get the job done. You can ditch the washers if you use carriage bolts which should take some of the give out of it. The steel quality on those HF pullers isnt great, grease the threads or it wont last long.

Take the puller off again and re-install the flywheel nut but leave it loose. When it lets go that flywheel may jump and you want something to keep it from hitting the floor. If you dont want to take it off, lay an old rug or something over top of it so it cant jump much.

Make sure the 3 bolts are seated as far as they can be without touching the coils and torque it down again and walk away. Come back every few hours and check it. If you have one, a light duty impact driver is a good idea. You dont want so much torque that you damage something but the rattle will help.

If you have a heat gun you can warm up the flywheel but dont get it hotter than you can keep your hand on.

 

[Piomarine]

I have not pulled the lower unit yet, I need more room to work first. It’s not a HF brand puller, I think I got it at O’Reily, but either way I had to replace the bolts to fit the threads on the flywheel. I got 2” grade 8 bolts and double thick grade 8 washers. That’s a good idea reinstalling the flywheel nut until it pops. I have a cordless impact driver that I thought about putting on it, I want to avoid heat as much as possible as it can cause other problems.

the biggest issue I’m having right now is the motor clamps. They are frozen solid, I have soaked the I’m penetrating oil but no change and I don’t want to over torque them and break the pins on the handle. I’m a little worried I will have to replace the mounting bracket.

 

[racerone]

In 50 years I have never had a flywheel jump off and hit the floor !---Not sure where that idea comes from ??---I would not worry about motor clamps until motor has been torn down / evaluated.---Clamp screws are a " no money fix " in my opinion.

 

[Jdunham]

Racerone. It was probably an amateur mistake that caused it. The first flywheel i took off was a 1956 fastwin. Like piomarine i was applying upward pressure when it finally let go. I got lucky in that it landed on cardboard and did no damage on its way down.
On every motor since i keep the nut on and no longer lift the flywheel. I do not know if it was me lifting or just the stretch of the bolts in the puller that launched it but there is no harm in being careful.

 

[oldboat1]

Keep the nut on at the top of the flywheel so the puller contacts the nut and not the shaft. Crank it down tight, then whack the puller center post with a two pound sledge once or twice. Repeat as needed. When it comes loose it may sound as if something exploded. It didn't. Don't hit the flywheel itself.

 

[Piomarine]

I went back and tried it again with the new shorter bolts and sure enough...one of the bolts popped and pulled the threads with it. I lucked out however, I didn’t have them screwed in all that far so it only pulled out the top 1/3 or so. I put the original bolt back in to check the threads and it still closes just fine...I got lucky! I will be taking it to an outboard shop to get it off at some point... before I do some REAL damage...

 

[Piomarine]

Tried it one last time and got the same results. I replaced all of the bolts on the puller, I applied some gentle heat with a heat gun, and this time I got after the puller with my cordless impact gun per the recommendation of an outboard mechanic. I did not get any movement in the flywheel and unfortunately it pulled the remaining threads out of the damaged hole. So now I am left with a flywheel that is still stuck but only 2 good mounting holes for the puller...I don’t know what to do now. I really don’t want to drill and tap a new hole but I don’t really see another option...

So I guess I will be tapping a bigger hole...joy...

I have determined that it is the powerhead that is locked up. After the flywheel debacle I dropped the lower unit, but it is still locked up. Kinda what I figured so no real surprise there. I also pulled the whole carb assembly and the front half of the engine housing base. Once I can get this God forsaken flywheel off I can pull the rest of the ignition system and finally get the powerhead off of the exhaust housing and really start getting things cleaned up.

 

[Piomarine]

Additional note...thank you JDunham for the parts manual, it will come in VERY handy.

 

[racerone]

Well-----Flywheels are torqued down to stretch the flywheel taper over the crankshaft taper.----That fit drives the flywheel.------That type of fit makes sure that there is NO MOVEMENT between the parts at 4500 RPM.----And yes you need the proper puller and technique to get them off.