So I am new and bought a 2004 engine from a MT 6 spd Friday. Have no car yet. Plan is to rebuild engine. The removal of all the wiring, vac hoses, intake manifold, etc went well yesterday. EXCEPT FLYWHEEL WILL NOT BUDGE. The Atkins video says tap if with a soft blow hammer for 5 lb hammer without hitting the teeth. Hah.

Here is what I have tried so far:
1. Tapping with several hammers - as per video.
2. Used GM Penetrant oil - best stuff in the world.
3. Used a two arm puller and pulled on bolt heads after threading metric bolts into two flywheel holes. Puller arms are claw type, afraid they are going to slip off.
4. Hit flywheel (not teeth) from rear with 2 x 4 hitting 2 x 4 with 3 and then 5 lb hammer.
5. Today tried all of the above after heating flywheel around shaft with propane torch. Not moving as far as I can tell.

Any advise or experience appreciated. Thanks

 

I assume you've taken off the nut

You have to hit it pretty hard sometimes to get it off......I had one I had to use a sledge. You want to hit it like a golf swing....good follow through .......

 

yes. nut is off.

 

Thinking about the golf swing and sledge suggestion I assume you are driving flywheel off the shaft so swinging from front to rear. If so the only on area off hitting and that is on the passenger side of engine. All the other 360 degrees around are shielded by the engine casting so you cannot get a board of block on them.

You comment helps - these things must commonly be stuck like this I guess.

 

I had the same problem. Puller didn't work and neither did heating and beating. You can probably find my thread. What finally worked for me was putting the pressure plate back on so I didn't have to worry about hitting the flywheel teeth and beating the hell out of it, followed by a torch and some lighter beatings. It'll come off...

 

zendrums. I am thinking about buying a piece of angle iron and drilling 2 holes in it. Then bolting it to flywheel so I have some sacrificial metal to beat on. I don't have a car or a pressure plate. This angle will give me a clean hitting surface.

 

I tried pre drilled lite angle iron from Home Depot and stiffened one side of angle with another layer of bolted lite flat stock. This did not work, and metal bent and twisted as I mashed it with a 3 lb hand sledge hammer.

So I used the hammer and the 2x4 on the back of the flywheel. The wood splintered and the whole ring of tooth popped off the hunk of flywheel. Teeth are not damaged but I'll have to see machine shop to get it reaffixed and balanced. If not I'll need another flywheel. Any advice?

Good news is with hard 5 lb hits on flywheel it finally popped off.

 

If you lived close i'd give you one ...maybe try Team or one of the Texas guys....there should be a lot of them floating around