Flywheel properly seated ??

[Bill Hilly]

I put my cam , and 4 degree advance key in today, and the key was a tight fit in the groove on the crank . I tapped it into place with a screwdriver handle, and installed the flywheel. I came in and ate, and checked my phone. Just by coincidence a guy on the Facebook page had just installed a key, and it sheared. Someone replied that the flywheel may not have been tight enough. I went back out, and ready tighten mine up good, but I also noticed that the starter sprag can still slide back and forth a little on the crank. Is it supposed to be able to do this?

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by Bill Hilly

I put my cam , and 4 degree advance key in today, and the key was a tight fit in the groove on the crank . I tapped it into place with a screwdriver handle, and installed the flywheel. I came in and ate, and checked my phone. Just by coincidence a guy on the Facebook page had just installed a key, and it sheared. Someone replied that the flywheel may not have been tight enough. I went back out, and ready tighten mine up good, but I also noticed that the starter sprag can still slide back and forth a little on the crank. Is it supposed to be able to do this?

If you have a picture of the T| mark looking through the timing port, or you remember what it looked like, maybe this will help convince you the rotor is all the way "on".

[Bill Hilly]

Originally Posted by jeffrey

The crankshaft is tapperd so the flywheel can only go on so far. Just make shure the flywheel bolt is tight.

Yes the bolt is tight. My cordless impact gun would not remove it yesterday, so I took a pair of tin snips with rubber grips, and squeezed the grips together so they would slip under the piston, and across the opening in the block, and used a long breaker bar on it, and my piston tilted and cracked the skirt, but the bolt did come out. I took the piston off and stuck the wrist pin in the rod, and stuck a long 1/4" extension though the wrist pin, to bridge the opening in the block. I used thick rubber tubing on top of the block to keep from damaging the gasket surface, and I tightened the flywheel really tight with the same long breaker bar. I was just a little worried that maybe the key might have got pushed back to far in the groove, and maybe one end of it was high. I don't even know if that's possible though. The bottom of the key is rounded, so I hope it kinda finds it's proper place to seat.

[Thumper]

Gee

I think I will stick with variable electronic advance ! I know the bearings get smacked with combustion but there must be a way to use the rotor itself to hold it. I have strap wrenches. One might be big enough for the rotor.

The thought of subjecting the bearings to that stress is enough to convince me.

[Bill Hilly]

Originally Posted by Thumper

Gee

I think I will stick with variable electronic advance ! I know the bearings get smacked with combustion but there must be a way to use the rotor itself to hold it. I have strap wrenches. One might be big enough for the rotor.

The thought of subjecting the bearings to that stress is enough to convince me.

I was more worried about the block than the bearings. Like you said they get a lot of abuse with combustion. Hopefully I will never have to tear into it again, even if I did have an electronic advance, I would have still had to remove the flywheel to get to the cam

[Thumper]

I have a pneumatic impact wrench that would loosen that bolt quickly. I could probably just stabilize the rotor with my left hand while doing it. That would minimize bearing/piston/case stress.

Same goes for installing, but I would probably use a strap wrench. I wonder if just some locktite (blue) and moderate torque is sufficient. It is just held in place. The woodruff key does the work.

[Bill Hilly]

Originally Posted by Thumper

I have a pneumatic impact wrench that would loosen that bolt quickly. I could probably just stabilize the rotor with my left hand while doing it. That would minimize bearing/piston/case stress.

Same goes for installing, but I would probably use a strap wrench. I wonder if just some locktite (blue) and moderate torque is sufficient. It is just held in place. The woodruff key does the work.

From what I gather, the key is only there to time it, and it's the pressure of the bolt pullings the male and female cone shapes of the crank, and flywheel together that actually keeps it from shearing, but I don't know. I hope to get my piston, and jug soon, and get it all done, and forgotten.