side cover stuck?

[r97]

Hello,

I'm in the proses of taking a lawn mower engine apart. all went smooth until i went to remove the side cover. the cover will slide away from the case, down the shaft maybe 1/2", then stop. the shaft was a bit rusty so i gave it a light sanding first. then it still wouldn't budge, so i let it soak in oil over night. still nothing, so i picked up the engine by the side cover, and hit the crank shaft with a rubber mallet, i thin it may have budged a little bit, but not much, and i was hitting the shaft for a very long time.

i'm looking for tips, right now its hanging by the side cover with oil soaking into it, i may go rent a puller tool and try that... whats wrong? am i just being too much of a noob and not releasing something i'm supposed to? or is the crank to rusty, or is the oil seal screwed?

Thanks.

 

[fowler]

the crank will need to be perfectly smooth

it hasnt twicsted to one side has it

can u remove the oil seal from the side cover then cut it off

 

[Thedude]

Same thing happened to me. I had to use an angle grinder to get the rust of.

 

[r97]

the crank will need to be perfectly smooth

it hasnt twicsted to one side has it

can u remove the oil seal from the side cover then cut it off

no noticeable wobble, and it didn't vibrate excessively when it was running.

i can try to remove the seal.

Same thing happened to me. I had to use an angle grinder to get the rust of.

maybe i will use a small grinding stone on the drill if all else fails.

 

[Russ2251]

Seal is not the problem. There must still something interfering with side covers ability to just slide off.
Continue to use emery paper and oil. Please do not grind anything. Surface should be as smooth as glass.

 

[r97]

more light sanding did the trick.

now i went to remove the flywheel, the key is damaged (would explain the kick back problems the previous owner was telling me about). now the fly wheel wont come off, i know its always a bit of a pain, but its not budging (wish i had a puller...). the key is really screwed up and i think its jamming the flywheel a bit.

 

[Russ2251]

Don't need a puller.
Give it some whacks on one side of flywheel using a 2x4 and a sledge.

 

[r97]

Don't need a puller.
Give it some whacks on one side of flywheel using a 2x4 and a sledge.

thanks, but no luck. i hit it many times in several places, pretty hard. had my dad help hold it too so i could get a better swing. the end of the 2x4 is all screwed up because of the fins. i was kinda worried the fins would break, they aren't very thick.

any other suggestions? should i try again until it works? would pics help?

 

[Russ2251]

If fins are hit face on, they will not break.
Is there any part of the flywheel that you can get behind? If so, try giving it a whack there. Do not use metal.

 

[r97]

tried that, but worth another shot.

 

[Russ2251]

Hold 2x4 about 1/2 inch away from surface of flywheel before you hit it. This will help to produce a shockwave to break flywheel loose.

 

[r97]

no luck....

EDIT: didn't see post #11, will try that.

 

[r97]

yes! victory! many thanks russ! i put together a quick spot to screw the engine down to some wood, then i could stand up and focus on swing the hammer and holding the wood just above the flywheel, and it worked.

thanks again! now i know exactly what to do next time.

 

[Russ2251]

By the way...it's always good practice to remove flywheel first, then the side cover.
Can you see why?

 

[r97]

i wasn't going to remove the flywheel but then i was told about the kick back so i decided i would investigate the key. i saw it was damaged so i had to remove it, but i had already began to remove the side cover.

at this point i'm just going to completely rebuild the engine, then reassemble, test on lawn mower, then i'm probably going to convert to horizontal. thinking about whipping together one of those "drift trikes" on a low budget just for kicks.

 

[Russ2251]

thinking about whipping together one of those "drift trikes" on a low budget just for kicks.

Excellent...and good luck.

 

[r97]

thanks again for the help!

 

[Russ2251]

In my infinite stupidity, I must ask a question...
What is a "Dubstep"?

 

[r97]

HEHEHEHE, its a style of electronic music, as my cousin described it "drum, base... and spaceship farts" LOL. i enjoy many kinds of music, rock, metal, glitch, dubstep, jazz, stuff from the 80's, random stuff, etc.

the music i USUALLY (not always) do not like, is country, pop, rap, and classical. especially a lot of the crap they play on the radio, i can't stand the stuff they play at the school dances!

heres an example of some "glitch" music,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxk1BY6wKT0

 

[r97]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubstep