Clutch flywheel removal

[FFTS]

Well I said I know nothing but will learn fast. I have Lolas clutch cover off, engine jacked up, bolt removed, puller on and tightend with a 3 ft bar, hammered the bolt, tightened puller, hammered, tightend and on and on. Now it wont turn anymore and still cant pop the flywheel off???

Its a verto clutch and am changing it for a diaphragm (phragm???) cant heat it or cut it, left it over night, tightened again, left it. Now it just wont tighten anymore. Am I doing something wrong or any suggestions. Can bash it through the starter hole as its still on for now as I can get the rear bulkhead out due to the centre column so having trouble getting to the bolts.

Help!!!!!!!!

 

[FFTS]

Oooops!! sorry should have read CANT bash it above.javascript:emoticon('')
Embarassed

 

[Phaeton]

Chris,

Sounds like you're doing it right. I remembered I did do it on the 998 I first had in Lola, it was an absolute pig & when it eventually did come off scared the dalights out of me, it went with such a bang. Only other thing I have read is to hit the 3 bolts in succession not just the middle one.

As to getting lower bulkhead panel off it does come out. Slide seats foward, undo inner seat belt mounts, undo 2 nuts holding gearchange mechanism don't need to remove screwed bar, undo hex bolts holding top of centre console on & remove it. You should then be able to remove console, once that's out the bulkhead is on captive bolts.

Alan...

 

[FFTS]

Thank you Alan.

OK you peeeeeg. Im goona get you today, even if I have bent the puller center bolt.. grhhhhhh.

 

[iank]

Bending the puller is by no means unusual it's a pig of a job - make sure you replace the bolt with a proper high tensile one.

Haynes manual is a work of fiction/humour as usual.
Good luck it should come off suddenly, but be careful with the heat, too much can weaken the crank tail.

I've heard a number of times that people tend to give up and go and have a cup of tea (with the puller still under tension) only to run outside to see who's been shot when it lets go with a huge bang.

 

[FFTS]

Well its been on over night and didnt hear anyone getting shot in the garage. I shall go and check. Where would I get a suitable bolt and know its high tensile?? I guess B&Q may not be the place?

 

[iank]

Well its been on over night and didnt hear anyone getting shot in the garage. I shall go and check. Where would I get a suitable bolt and know its high tensile?? I guess B&Q may not be the place?

B&Q is the home of bolts made from silver cheese Ideally you want a proper bolt shop or a decent tool shop with a bolt section. Yellow pages should be able to help. If over the internet http://www.namrick.co.uk are very good (if a touch pricey on the standard P&P - their web site isn't working today though ).

If it's imperial you want grade S which can be seen from three lines on the head IIRC.
If Metric grade 12.9 is probably the best for the job though 8.8 should also be fine. Strangely Screwfix sell ht bolts for reasonable money, but you'll end up with a big box (50 or 100). They should be marked with the grade on the head.

 

[FFTS]

OK THATS IT!!!!!! Now Im getting really really p****d off. How does any garage make money out of changing a flywheel? Took back the first puller that I destroyed with a combination of brute strength bending the bolt and many hammer blows that bashed the head in. Got it exchanged and now managed to bend that one. It just will not torque up any more no matter how many bashes I give the main bolt, the lobes, or the flyweel through the started hole. 2 days now and its solid. Got to go and buy a blowtorch now and start spending again.

Tell you what.. driving it is much more fun than this but I guess i may feel some satisfaction when the battle is won.

I should have taken Alan up on the offer to pick it up take it home, change it and return it haha Ahh well.. I'll win in time (I hope)

 

[RichardG]

I know exactly what your going thru. Took me several days and a very bent puller before ours came off. I had just about given up and decided to scrap the engine altogether. One last try with a very long pole (about 5 foot of scafold poll for extra leverage) and it finally came off. What I can remember is that no matter how hard we tried the effort was all just causing the spanner/ratchet to flex. I bought a huge very rigid ratchet so that the extra force generated by the long pole turned the bolt rather than flexing.....

Good luck

 

[FFTS]

The trouble is the input that should be torque is now just being turned into a bend in the bolt in the direction that should be torque. Im bothered I may snap the bolt if I give it too much.

 

[wurzell]

I'm struggling with exactly the same problem at the moment on a spare/freshen up MG Metro unit with Verto clutch, to one day end up in Jimmy/Mike's Buggy........Had various pullers on, including THE proper Churchill jobbie, and a Sykes P. hydraulic one for WEEKS, all without success so far!
Probably eventually have to resort to gassing the flywheel off, just trying to say that your not the only one to have had MAJOR problems with Verto units, basically blame Leyland/Rovers Department of Crap Design.......
Had a Mini 1000 one a while back, that would not come undone no matter what we did, even with gas/heat, eventually gave up, and swapped the entire engine/box for another one!! By far the easiest option!!
By contrast, the original type Mini flywheels normally seem to just fall off real easily........
If/when you finally do pull the little fella off, I ALWAYS clean up the crank end and taper etc really well, and re fit with a good amount of Copperslip grease, this stops the flywheel "fretting" and welding itself to the crank, makes it so much easier to remove the next time you/someone else has to do the job.....
Also suggest you try a large brass or alloy drift against the back of the flywheel, turning engine regularly to different position, and to beat the living shite out of it, flywheels/backplates are readily/cheaply available, I've got loads kicking about under the workbench.....
Good Luck :shock:

 

[FFTS]

Thanks for that (I think) not sure about being enthused about having to get another engine fitted. I was being adventurous learning to do a clutch.

Just come back in from the garage after a 1 1/2 hour session after buying a blowtorch to heat it. So 1 1/2 hours of bashing the puller, flames, bashing the flywheel and trying to torque the bolt (really badly deformed now) and nothing apart from I just hit the blowtorch with the hammer as a whack slipped off the bolt and totaled it so another £10 down the drain.. grrrhhhh.

I wonder if I could get hold of a electric impact chisel like a kango and give it some while the flywheel is turned??

It started as a "This thing wont beat me" challenge but now im just getting p****d off big time.

Anyone got a jackhammer I can borrow??