Getting flywheel nut off (Motor Update!)

[AaronM]

Right now I'm working on a '73 Johnson SeaHorse 2hp to get it back up and running. This is my first real motor project and so far, it's the flywheel nut that's been giving me the worst problems. Any tips on getting it off? I don't have a flywheel puller but I'll head off to get a harmonic balancer if that's what it takes. Thanks for any tips!

A picture of the culprit

[Heartman]

Can't you somehow secure/tie down the flywheel to prevent spinning, then use a 1/2" ratchet and socket to back it off?

[marine_man]

I would use a strap wrench (rubber or nylon webbing) and hold the flywheel.

That or a air or electric impact should do the trick.

marine_man

[NAMASafetyDirector]

You may have to do some research or ask a mechanic but I learned the hard way one time working on a chainsaw that the flywheel nut (in that case it was the nut that held the clutch on) was left hand thread! I thought it was just super tight and really reefed on it and ended up stripping it out! Finally realized after that it was a left hand thread. Felt like a dummy afterwards but I guess that's how you learn. Not sure if left hand threads were ever used in this application so hopefully someone could let us know.

[boatfixer]

Standard thread, use an impact wrench if possible or strap wrench and breaker bar to remove the nut. Harmonic balencer puller works well to pull the flywheel.

[AaronM]

Good idea on the strap wrench, I'll look into that. What kinds of stores sell them bigger than 12 inches on the nylon?

[river runt]

I used to push rope into the spark plug hole to stop things from turning.I wouldnt use a impact when using the rope. use this at your own risk RR

[TimR]

Good idea on the strap wrench, I'll look into that. What kinds of stores sell them bigger than 12 inches on the nylon?

I used an old leather belt - worked fine.

Tim

[AaronM]

Alright, finally got the flywheel and nut off! Was excited to look under, see the coils were bad, replace and have a working motor. Instead we were greeted with below:

Turns out everything has been replaced before (not sure how recent). I wasn't getting spark, so is there a way to test each component out to see if something failed on me? ***The gap was at about .01 on the points, could that have been the problem?

Not being sure on what to do next, we took the powerhead off and inspected the driveshaft.

The underside of the powerhead was caked in oil and grease

Likewise, the housing and driveshaft (not pictured) were covered

The impeller was in perfect condition.

Any ideas on what the next step should be? Thanks again for the replies and looking forward to getting this back up and running!

[boatfixer]

Point gap is .020, Reset them and clean them with a dollar bill. Double check for cracks on the coil.

[AaronM]

Gap is reset and cleaned. No cracks on the coil. Any idea what to do next?

[boatfixer]

The condenser could be bad, check for wore spots on the plug wire where it could be sparking to ground or an open in the plug wire. There really isn't much at all to that system.