1956 Johnson 15hp rebuild continues - Flywheel will NOT pop off!

[bonito1]

Okay, slow going but going well so far. Points, coils, condenser, carb kit, tank and impeller came in! So, on to removing the damn flywheel. Memorized the top secret sticky on this and attached harmonic puller, 1/4" bolts, leveled and tightened away. NADA. Let sit, tightened more and tapped. NADA! I let it sit overnight, tried to tighten some more, tapped some more and still nothing! No pop. One of the troubles is keeping the flywheel from rotating while tightening. Wife and son even joined in the act to hold wheel while I tightened, to no avail. How can I keep that booger from rotating while I tighten the heck out of it. Any other thoughts?

 

[AlTn]

Re: 1956 Johnson 15hp rebuild continues - Flywheel will NOT pop off!

how far in did you thread the 1/4" bolts?...if far enough in so that they've gone through the threaded portion of the flywheel completely, the upper portion of the bolts should be stiff enough to use a long screwdriver as a lever between 2 of the bolts to hold the flywheel while you tighten down on the center puller bolt...otherwise...use whatever you held the flywheel with when you took the crankshaft nut off <this is the safer approach>..I have used a rubber strap wrench from harbor freight and < thanks to a poster on the forum> when the rubber became stretchy. I replaced it with a used serpentine belt from a 94 caravan...works very well and fits larger diameter requirements, btw, if you didn't, it's a good idea to thread that crankshart nut on a thread or two so that you and the flywheel don't go stumbling into something... btdt...when you have the flywheel under tension, have you tried hitting the outer edge of the flywheel with a plastic faced or soft faced hammer?...not like you're trying to drive a 16 penny nail through dried oak, but something more like a jaring strike

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 1956 Johnson 15hp rebuild continues - Flywheel will NOT pop off!

Apply as much pressure to the center puller spindle as possible.... hit the wrench sideways if necessary. Then with a large screwdriver or some tool of your choosing, apply pressure under the flywheel, prying the edge of the flywheel upwards to eliminate the play you'll encounter.

Now, belt that center puller splindle straight down with a good size hammer. Don't play with it by simply tapping on it.... give it a sturdy whack! It'll pop right off.

 

[bonito1]

Re: 1956 Johnson 15hp rebuild continues - Flywheel will NOT pop off!

Bolts are threaded to 7/16 into the flywheel. I will try your method with a long screwdriver or section of rebar. Crankshaft nut came off fairly easy. Wife and son held flywheel then too! Left the crankshaft nut on with about 1/2 it's thread on the post so if it ever pops it will not fly off and damage something or someone!

 

[yorab]

Re: 1956 Johnson 15hp rebuild continues - Flywheel will NOT pop off!

I found success using a nylon ratcheting strap to hold the flywheel from spinning. I was actually tightening the flywheel nut at the time, but keeping the flywheel from turning applies to both situations the same. When I wrapped it around once, the strap slipped. When I wrapped it three times and had a buddy use the ratcheting mechanism as a lever, the strap did not slip and I was able to tighten the nut to spec.