Flywheel, or clutch? Whatever you call it.Craftsman Chainsaw

"How do I change the aluminum flywheel and hold it from turning while I loosen the center nut, so I can put the new one on? It`s on a craftsman chainsaw."

The parts manual should have some information. I would think that a strap wrench would do the job.

Call the Sears Parts Department toll free and ask for them. Have the Model and Part Numbers handy when calling. Good luck.

Hey Stirling Stan, unfortunatly the manual to the saw was left in the case and oil leaked all over it and it is impossible to read, but am in the process of googleing another one. I don`t know a whole lot about the "innerds" of alot of tools, but I sure will call a tech and get some advice. My ex is comming over today to see our daughter because he is "bored "-- hence the reason he is "the ex". He gets on my nerves, but he is a wiz at fixing all things mechanical. So I may have to do nothing. On the other hand I would LOVE to show him how good I am doing without him. I`m a carpenter not a motor-head, but I am not affraid to give it a shot, thank for the comment..............Silver

Use an air wrench to remove and replace the nut. You'll be able to hold the flywheel with your fingers. Use a torque adjustable air wrench for redoing the nut back on the shaft. If you can't get access to an air wrench another way is to take off the cylinder and piston, put a mandrel through the small end eye of the rod and then put packing (preferably aluminium or wood so you dont damage the cases) under both sides of the protruding mandrel so that the packing is resting on the crankcase sides either side of the rod when the rod is anywhere above bottom dead centre and then you can undo and redo the nut. You can safely torque the nut this way.

I don`t want to use an air wrench,(thou I do have one) because it will be too hard to remove again if the problem ever reoccurs . Like the rims of a car, hand tighten so us gals can change it if it goes flat. Otherwise we have to rely someone else with a pricetag. Catch where I am going with this. Hand tighten and we can maintain the darn thing. Airwrench and pay a fortune.....Thanks ...............Silver

Use the air wrench to remove the nut, be sure of the correct direction, and replace it by hand.

CFECO

An air wrench is handy for getting the nut off. You're right -- never use one to put the nut back on. The "adjustable torque" type are notoriously inaccurate. The special tool for holding the clutch is usually a pin wrench, and you can often make one yourself. A strap wrench sometimes works too, although they often won't fit, because the thing you want to hold is recessed. I'd be a little leery of anything that transfers your loosening force through the crankshaft. You can generate far more torque (50- 100 # ft is easy) than the engine is designed to produce (1 or 2 # ft). Therefore, it is possible (if it is a pressed-together crank) to twist the crank out of line, dimple the rod bearing, etc.

Often, these things are on a taper, so after you take the nut off, the thing still won't come off. Although some people just whack on it with a hammer, the correct puller works much better, and doesn't run the risk of dimpling ball bearings, throwing the crank out of true, etc.

Re replacing the nut -- definitely use a torque wrench and a means for holding the clutch.

BTW back when I worked as a mechanic, we'd generally remove flywheels for free, if we were in the right mood, and if the owner smiled.

Be sure it isn't left hand thread. I don't have a Craftsman to go look. They will give you a way to hold this with a special tool as the repair guys do it all the time, and there will be a 'torque' so putting it back on with an air gun is not the answer. Call a chainsaw shop and ask for a tool to use and they will be chatty and tell you how to do it if there is no tool. I can assure you they won't care about loosing a little business and they will help you on the phone. If not, call all of them.

Look what I found on eBay by Googling: Craftsman Chainsaw Clutch Removal Tool

http://stores.ebay.com/Lil-Red-Barn-Power-Equipment-Supply_Craftsman-chainsaw-parts_W0QQfsubZ8561825QQfrsrcZ1

Take an old spark plug, get safety glasses on and gloves, and break off all the ceramic parts and take a punch and break out the center electrode. Break off the gap ground strap so you are left with a threaded metal tube. Take the largest wooden dowel that will fit in the cylinder head plug hole (to get maximum surface contact on the piston) and shave down one end to pound it into the spark plug hollowed out hole. Then cut off the length of wood to provide pull threaded engagement in the cylinder head, but leave enough to contact the piston at about 15-20 degrees before top dead center. This would only take a wooden protrusion of about 1-2 cm. Begin with 3 cm and keep cutting it down. Be sure you have lots of rotation before it contacts the wooden dowel to limit side strain on the rod bearing.

Petro-Power, I have no idea what you just told me, but I will read it off to a repairman and see if he can`t understand more than me. You found a great tool on ebay and I will buy one, I want to see someone use it first and then I will keep one on hand. Good going! You never know whats going to break next when useing a tool regularly. Stupid Sumacs!!!!. Thanks ........................Silver

Engines 101:

You are making the 'piston stopper' show in the eBay photo. The other tool shown is a pin spanner assuming your clutch / flywheel has two holes and the clutch / flywheel itself is threaded. But you point out you have only a nut to remove and the challenge is to hold the flywheel during the nut removal / installation.

So, you can build a "Piston Stopper" if you have a junk spark plug. Tell your pal to bring over a junk spark plug that fits a chainsaw. The spark plug screws into the cylinder head and is right above the piston. The piston goes up and down (left and right in chainsaws). Remove your spark plug and look in the hole and rotate the engine by hand and you will see the piston top going left and right with rotation (near / far to the spark plug hole). The piston top almost touches the normal spark plug. So we want to make a long spark plug that will contact the piston top and prevent it from rotating by contacting the top of the piston with a home made long spark plug tool with a wood dowel on the end to prevent piston top damage. If you jam up the piston from moving all the way to the top, you can then loosen the nut 9and tighten it later).

Hey PetroPower,

That's a whole lot of work for nothing! Just remove the muffler and insert a piece of wood through the port above the piston. To the earlier poster that mentioned something about checking for left or right hand thread: The flywheel side is right hand thread. The clutch side is left hand thread.

Also, as an earlier poster said correctly: use an air wrench to REMOVE the nut. Use a hand wrench to tighten (with the piston held as described above).

-John

Thanks for the info JohnJohn, I`ll keep it in mind. Yes, I will use an air wrench to remove the nut and hand tighten it when I replace the flywheel.....Silver

Oh, now I get what you are saying. Ok, I can manage that, thanks......Silver

Petro, and all,

I never got the chance to fix my chainsaw as my ex came over and used a screwdriver and replaced the part himself while I was laying down with a headache.Kinda made me mad as I wanted to see how it was done, just for the knowledge. Well I should count my blessings, he took our teen home with him. So I was left to do the original job at hand...cut down overgrown Sumac trees.

I want to thank you all for all the info and mostly entertainment. I will surly come back to visit if I need some assistance again.

Very greatfully yours.......................Silver

He probably stuck the screwdriver into the opposite side of the chainsaw where the rope recoil is. The screwdriver when inserted will bind against the crankshaft/cooling fins and allow you to remove the clutch bolt on the other side.

SHE was even more clever than that. She has all these ideas so she doesn't need to actually do it to learn, and just left it sit on a bench and the ex-husband muled around and just did it when she wasn't looking. So, she knows how to do it, didn't get dirty, isn't afraid to get dirty . . . . didn't mess up her screwdriver or break a piece off of the recoil clutch.

She has my idea that only takes half a day to make, and can cause severe personal injury making it . . . and she has some silly idea of rope in the plug hole that takes only 30 seconds and has zero risk (but NO sex appeal . . . . come-on . . . a rope . . compared to a real "Piston Stopper" masterpiece only costing 2 fingers and an eye to make !!! Puuuhh-leeeeeze . . . No Pain [and dismemberment with blindness] No Gain)

Hmmmmmm . . . now did the ex do it right? Did he torque the nut or just tighten 'er up 'nuff ? Hmmm . . . will it fly off? I guess she will be double checking it now . . . . with the super cool Piston Stopper in hand (grasped with 2 remaining fingers and half a thumb) turning her head to get her eye focused.

Darn it! Petro, now you got me thinking, did he do it right or is he just trying to permanently injure me to get custody. Hahahahaha, I would reply " Over my dead body," but doesn`t seem right about now. He used it first over his nephews, and came back in one piece, so I guess it`s ok. OHHHHHH.............................................., I get it, he wanted it fixed for his own use, not to help me. Gee I had a blond moment. Must have been a brain fart. Well, anyways, I should have known he could fix it, he was waiting for the right moment. Benefitting him............Silver

I never got the chance to fix my chainsaw as my ex came over and used a screwdriver and replaced the part himself while I was laying down with a headache.

Oh, did you mean the metal thing called a screwdriver??!! With the talk about an ex... and laying down... and a headache... I assumed the screwdriver was a drink. As far as wanting to see how it's done, I'd jumped to the "with the lights on" conclusion. But seeing mechanical stuff is fun too! I think I may have misunderstood. I'm easily confused.

It should have been a drink, I can only stand him around for a short period of time. He gets on my nerves and I have to send him away. Sometimes he is so smart, when it comes to small engines and car mechanics, but other times has got to be the biggest idot that God put on this earth. No intelect, and no common sense........what does that tell you. I wouldn`t talk about him in the same conversation as Laying down,,,,,headache,,,, or anything that has to do with a relationship if he were the last man on earth. .......................Silver :)

I know I am several days late on answering this question. Better than useing a wooden dowl in the center of the piston is to pull the spark plug and fill the cylinder with rope leaving the end out so you can get it out after you get the crank nut loose. The rope will give a more even pressure over a larger area of the top of the piston,less chance of pokeing a hole in the piston. This method has been working good for about a hundred years that I am aware of. Another way of locking the crank so it won't turn would be to fill the cylinder with some kind of fluid,screw the spark plug back in and use the hydrostatic lock to hold the crank from going over top dead center while you brake the crankshaft nut loose

I have had great success using a piece of rope. I remove the spark plug and stuff a rope in there. (close line). Leave some hanging out so you can pull it out.

. . . correction to my above posting . . . . . . I misspelled "make a piston stopper spark plug wooden dowel half day project cut off three fingers and injure your eye - tool".

I meant to say . . . . "rope".

Ahemmmmmm.

Good one.

Hehehehe, That was too much PetroPete! :} LMAO

The other way, which really had the best and most simple success, (I watched my brother do this with his Craftsman saw) is to leave the saw EXACTLY where it stopped running in the middle of a cut on a downed tree in the forest, drive home, and go buy a STIHL. It really worked great. No rope to buy. No eye injury making the half day PetroPower tool to avoid buying a $5 piston stopper on eBay, no air gun, no remembering left or right threads . . . . simple. Consider this option and always remember, manhood is measured by what chainsaw you own. I kept my Husqvarna on the night stand in my bedroom and would start it, and let me tell you . . . there was romance in the PetroPower house that night!

But after several months running at no load in my bedroom, it took 3 pulls to start (the saw . . . .) so I took it up a notch. See: http://www.videovat.com/videos/1023/chainsaw-v8.aspx

She won't let me leave the bedroom now. The smell of nitromethane turns her on. Me too.

Cheers

Good one Petro!

The headboard on my king size bed is a 48" bar from my old Stihl.

John, now thats just sick! You must have alot of wood to chop...........?

Yeah, sometimes I need something like this.

I want a picture . . .

Ok, Ok, Ok . Guys, you are takeing this subject to a whole new level. I never thought it would go this far but I came to the conclusion that you are all NUTS! But I must say, this is funny as s***. I love all the comments. I think I`ll stay at CR4 for awhile, hahahahahahahahahha.........................Silver

That 48" bar covers your entire headboard plus a little ??!!??. Hmmmm . . . . oh . . . now I get it. A small bed makes everything look bigger. Smart . . . . very smart.

OMG Petro, you are too much, that was so funny I had to show my friends, they are on the floor bustin` a gut. But all in all, "IT WORKS". hahahahahhahah........Silver

I agree, buying a stihl in the first place was the right thing to do. But since we can not go back in time (yet) you could use an old starter rope down into the spark plug hole. make sure that your pistion is above the transfers and ports so the rope does not get cut off. then rotate the engine against the rope to effectively act as a piston stop. This will also not damage the top of the piston as something metal can.

For more chainsaw info or crazy racing data you could try a chainsaw site such as racesaws....here is the link.

http://racesaws.com/index.php?referrerid=106

I believe we've covered most all the bases for Silver2660. In fact, I think your very suggestion was mentioned in an earlier post. I, personally, just use my air wrench to pop the nut off. Just a simple matter of inertia my friend.

As I mentioned in post #21, take a look at these saws.

-John

sorry to say that i am also in search to buy a best electric chainsaw,hope you will find your best answer