Looking for an impact wrench. Of course the toughest customers on our engines are the front e-shaft bolt and the flywheel nut. How much torque will an impact wrench need to be able to put out to readily and repeatably loosen these guys?



thx



J

usually its not so bad, the impact gun has more impact so it kinda snaps the bolts free, when i doubt get the bigger one



mike

I know they need 85-98 ft #s, even an electric impact gun will snap them off easy..

https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683561.gif The rear nut is torqued to over 300 ft-lb (from memory, might be a bit off) plus loctite and the ~350 ft-lb unit I rented to get it off last time BARELY did the job. It couldn't budge the front bolt.



J

Well we shall see if this one will do the job



ebay



J

Should have bought the bigger one J. https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/blink.png

400 will rip pretty much anything off no problem.

well I'm going to get that flywheel holder thingy from Mazdatrix as well, so the shaft can't budge - should have no troubles then https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/bigok.gif



J

290-360ft-lb is the factory setting for the rear nuts. Haven't come across an impact wrench that will budge them other than heavy industry ones with huge 400cfm compressors and 1 inch air lines.



Why bother when you can do it by hand with a large lever socket and the flywheel lock? https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/smile.png

argh you would have to tell me that https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/wacko.png actually when I did my engine I did manage to get it off with an impact eventually, but not after trying the long lever thing (and bending my lever!). But the engine was not supported very well, and the flywheel was "locked" with a prybar (I leave you to imagine the grisly details) so the lever didn't have much chance anyway.



J

to break the front bolt free, all you gotta do is put a tranny bolt in backwards into the motor through a strip of metal with holes in it, and lock the other half onto the flywheel. hold it on with a vicegrip or something. then just use a pipe to break the bolt free on the front. works easy and fast every time.



flywheel bolt is the easy part =]

To get the front one off I got the ring gear flywheel stopper and went at it with a 3/4 bar and a nice long pipe over that, worked like a charm.



To get the rear off I bought that big wrench from racing Beat. I put it on so the end of the wrench was about two feet off the ground, then I just kicked it. Popped it right off.

i just rented a 3/4 inch drive electric makita impact gun for 8 CDN dollars a day. Went to sear to get a 2 and 5/8th regular socket.



Plugs the impact gun in... 5 secs later the nut came off...



replaced rear main oil seal, then repositioned flywheel making sure it sat flush (note! very important, it hung up on the eshaft key for me and i torqued it down) needless to say bye bye eshaft key)



repeat. hit the nut with the impact for 10 secs.



the gun was good for 300 to 400 ft/lbs forward and reverse.



8 dollars + 15% tax later + 20 CDN for socket. and 1/2 a days work.



Done.



the fun part is getting the pilot bearing out.

I NEVER use an impact to put on the flywheel bolt. Don't use locktite either. Torque that baby down with a big ass cheater bar and be done with it.

Now I know why I have a mechanic. That sounds like a bastard of a job to do.

Like said before, gutting the nuts off isn't that hard(hehe), but the fun begins when you have to get that pilot bearing out.