Flywheel Pullers

[Matt]

I've been using a harmonic balancer type puller for a while, but it usually becomes harder then it should be to get the flywheel off. I usually end up going through a few sets of bolts and washers on one engine before it pops.

Has anyone used any of these snowmobile-specific pullers, and like it?
SLP:


SLP HD:


Sno-Stuff:


SPI:

[jdrob]

Matt I have solved the problem of using a number of bolts washers bending and breaking them off also ! I just went to Lowes the other day and bought 4 Stainless 6mm-1.0 pitch X 40 these are nice and long. turn your puller around and face the flat side of it toward the bolt heads ! buy 3 small 1/4 fender washers and wah-lah I pulled 4 different flywheels and never had a problem Make sure your 6mm bolts are in the flywheel at least the thickness of the threads ! Unless your planning on pulling 3 flywheels off everyday for the next 10 years i wouldn't bother spending money on a specific puller.. I think the bolts were 2.27 and .25 for the washers ! feel free guys to offer your experiences with these pullers ! Sorry Matt Just 1 too mant trips to get a supply of 6mm bolts

[TOYMECH]

Matt,

Rob has relayed one of the key points that i have found as well with my experiences removing flywheels and that is using a good high strength bolt (however, i always found stainless steel fastners to be "softer/less tensile strength"..? - need to check this one out)..
I use a Snap-On harmonic balancer puller. Key thing i found is to use a 1/2" drive impact gun - be careful to hold the flywheel, however to minimize (as much as possible) the shock being applied to the crankshaft assembly. I will generally use a Tecumseh flywheel holder (strap wrench) to hold the flywheel.
Imapct gun works well since some of the Kawasaki flywheels can be awful stubborn to remove.
Hope this helps,
Greg

[400brian]

My genuine CCW puller is built along those same lines. It uses large diameter pulling bolts, that are necked down where the threaded portion is. This makes it so you can't thread the bolts into the flywheel too far.

Pulling the flywheel on the '72 340, I used the impact wrench ( which I normally didn't do ), and broke one of those special bolts. I had some metric bolts on deck for back-up, and using them I did get the flywheel off.

The short puller is great in that works in confined spaces better. I've pulled the flywheel on the 340/S several times with the engine installed in the sled. As the 340/S flywheel has no ring gear, it will come through the fan tower.

So yeah, I guess I like the puller of that type of design.

[Matt]

Rob, your Lowes must be better then mine if they've got stainless bolts and fender washers in those sizes. Great ideas though. I think I do know a local Sears hardware that would have them. Greg, I always thought Stainless was weaker as well. I see the above pullers all use 10.2 strength bolt, which I'm sure I can order online from MCM or wherever.

Greg, I do use a 1/2" Snap-on impact, and hold the flywheel, but my bolts or the washers that hold against the puller are what fail first. The slots in the puller are made for a much larger bolt.

[jdrob]

Ok so if stainless is a softer metal then I will be on the search for grade 8 6mm-1.0 pitch X 40mm !! If none can be found I will do my own heat tempering my grade 2 bolts i have for spares... I will look into it ! MCM or I have a fastenal right down the road from me !

[jdrob]

Matt Don't buy any bolts I got 50 coming from MCM I don't think we will ever have a problem again with bending bolts!!! You just need the small fender washers !!

[ICCSF 108]

When I purchase metric bolts for my pullers I get the allen headed metric bolts they seem to be harder that the hex headed ones & don't snap off or bend.
I get mine at Ace Hardware.
Kenny

[JDT]

You can buy 13.9 metric bolts in both hex and socket head.

Rather than using fender washers which are rather thin go with the extra thick hardened washers.

When going with the longer bolts like 40 mm use caution not to thread them in too far as you will damage the stator especially if the flywheel rotates as you are hittin' it with the impact.

A swat with a BFH goes a long way before you twist the little 6mm bolts off.

[TOYMECH]

Matt,

A thought just came to mind with regards to finding tough washers - (this is what i use for a puller).... At one time in my career, i worked at a race engine builder's/machine shop and naturally accumulated a lot of "handy" things in my tool boxe's junk drawer - in particular, hardened, parallel ground washers (generally supplied by Milodon, Moroso etc in stud and or fastener kits)... If you have an automotive machine shop in your travels that does high perf work, pop in and see if they have a few of those kicking around you can mooch as they are super tough.

Brian, know the bolts you are talking about with the heavy shoulder - ground shanks with (i think) rolled threads as opposed to cut -used to see them in a lot of the Mercury Marine special tool sets and OMC tool sets - no metric however .....

[Invader440]

I've got the older version of the SLP one that looks like the SPI puller and it's worked great for me so far.

[JD_Sledder68]

I have the first one listed (SLP). I went through the bolts in no time. Found some grade 8 bolts (allen socket) and used a few extra hardened ARP washers left over from an old car engine I tore apart and scrapped.

I hate how damned hard those flywheels come off though. Seems they shouldn't be on that tight, to me.....

[nick80lf]

Like Todd, I also use socket head cap screws that are 12.9 hardness with hardened washers such as these.
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/de ... 581&ucst=t

At the moment I'm too lazy to go out to the garage to see if the ones I use are 1/4" ID, but you get the idea.

[jdxrobin]

I know this is sacrilege around here, but I bought a 1972 Skidoo Olympique with a 300cc single a couple of weeks back (in a guys shed since 1981...he bought it new!) and I needed to remove the flywheel. It has a 38mm threaded portion without any puller holes that you just thread the puller on and turn the screw...wow!!
The easiest time I have EVER had removing a flywheel. a minute and a half later...I'm cleaning points.

Robin

[JDT]

Older Sachs and JLo singles used similar flywheels. A bolt was all you needed.
But it is big and has very fine threads.