1964 Johnson 55hp Outboard

I am trying to pull the flywh

I am trying to pull the flywheel on this motor so I can change the points & condensers. I removed the flywheel nut and put an appropriate puller on the flywheel but it is not pulling off. I have been holding the flywheel by hand while I tighten down on the puller bolt. I have tightened the bolt as much as I can and am leery of putting too much force. Does it normally take this much force to pull the flywheel and should I be using some sort of strap to keep the flywheel from turning and allow me to put more force on the puller bolt? Thanks

"Jeff.... Some of those flywhe

"Jeff.... Some of those flywheels can be pretty tight. If you're using a puller that incorporates three bolts which screw into the threaded area close to the flywheel nut, and you have that center part of the puller screwed down tight, it's time to hit that center puller shaft "straight down" with a hammer. That should break it free.

However, if you're using a puller that incorporates two, three, or four grab type hooks which are grabing the sides of the flywheel, I would strongly suggest removing that pulley immediately.

At times, when I've been in a hurry (although it's a no no), I have at times, simply backed off the flywheel nut to a point whereas the top of the nut would be flush with the top of the crankshaft threads.... and with a slight bit of pressure exerted (prying) upon the bottom of the flywheel with a large screwdriver, tapped that nut with a hammer, and the flywheel would come loose at once. Not a good idea to do that though as one false hit and you've got damaged crankshaft threads.

Joe "

" I'm using a center mount

" I'm using a center mounted puller like described in the 1st part of your message. Your suggestion to strike the center puller shaft sounds like it would work, but the manual (Seboc ??sp) I have warns against doing that stating that it could damage the seal and/or drive shaft. I've read alot of the messages on this forum and realize that you have extensive knowledge and experience in working on Johnson OB, so if you don't think the risk of damage is high, I'll try it your way.
Thanks for the help "

"Jeff.... OMC apparently disag

"Jeff.... OMC apparently disagrees with your manual as the OMC puller has a heavy duty portion at the top especially designed to be hit. What you can do is to apply upward pressure to the underside of the flywheel at the edge, then give the puller stud a sharp rap (sometimes a few raps). It doesn't need to be hit full force, just enough to jar it somewhat. I've removed a few thousand flywheels and always in this manner (it should work <grin>). Let me know how you make out.

Joe"