Flywheel removal

"I have a 80hp with a broken b

"I have a 80hp with a broken belt. The flywheel is attached to a splined crank. I do not have a Merc. Threaded flywheel remover, and I am using a two leg pulley puller. I am concered about breaking the flywheel because after two days and nights of soaking in WD40, and lots of pressure, the flywheel still does not budge. Can I use heat, or will I damage something under the flywheel?
Thanks"

"Hi Bob, I've only done th

"Hi Bob, I've only done this once on my 15hp which is admittedly a lot smaller than your engine, but here's my 2c's worth anyway.. hopefully the outboard gurus here with more experience can add or correct as necessary.

Not sure which kind of puller you're using but if it's the claw type that grabs the outside of the flywheel you might want to exercise caution with large amounts of pressure. I also didn't have the specified Merc flywheel tool but I used a "chicken foot" type balance puller that I picked up at the local auto parts store for about $25, looks something like this:

Balance puller set"">

I felt more comfortable with this type of puller as you can "lift" the flywheel from towards the middle rather than the edges. I presume your flywheel would also have the two or three extra holes for bolting on one of these.

Mine was really tight as well (15-year-old motor and probably the first time the flywheel was removed), but I eventually managed to get it off by whacking the center bolt of the puller with a rubber mallet while applying torque. The biggest hassle was keeping the flywheel in place since my strap wrench turned out to be too small.. but that's another story.

I don't have experience with the heat treatment, but I believe it is suggested by some sources if all else fails, applied carefully with a hot air blower. However, you might want to be careful again since permanent magnets (such as those in the flywheel rim) don't take well to excessive heat.

Good luck, hope this helps!"