BROKEN FIN ON FLYWHEEL

[rockinhorse 45]

I found a large mud dobber nest behind flywheel. Had pullers on and give a little tap with punch and the rest is history . Flywheel poped off hit the rags and carpet on floor thought everything was OK. WRONG broke a fin off i know this is not good but how bad is it. Will i have to replace flywheel? Here are some pics of damage and the nest i was going for , how do they get in some of the places they do? Give me some ideas on what to do. If i have to replace does anybody have one?

Thanks Karl

[groundhog47 347]

Save that piece for sure, think about having it reattached by someone that can cast weld. Hopefully reweld will not trrow out of balance, and may possibly work ok as is. And those lovely wasps get into any and everything they will fit through. Let it sit for awhile and there are in. Good luck

[baerpath 517]

If you value your life throw it away. It's that serious.

A used one is easy find

I've seen what a flywheel can do when it lets loose hope to never see it again

Kelly, Jdog or others probobly have one, I can look around and see if I have one. Don't reuse a busted flywheel

Duane

[midnight rambler 36]

i would not run it due to it being cast, it may have a stress fracture hidden until you get wide open throttle and the the damagge will really happen, what size motor is it? you can find them on ebay or pending on what it is i might have one, send me a pm good luck

[Tap53 57]

just break off other fin directly opposite, will put back in balance and not have any effect on anything..

also, its a very easy brazing job with alittle pre-heating.

[wheelhorse656 20]

Break one off on the other side.... Clean it really well and inspect it closely and you keep it and use it.... I have a few flywheels I would sell if you want one that's not broken..... But please please please make sure thier is no cracks or fractures before you reinstall the one you have.....

[Tap53 57]

I found a large mud dobber nest behind flywheel. Had pullers on and give a little tap with punch and the rest is history . Flywheel poped off hit the rags and carpet on floor thought everything was OK. WRONG broke a fin off i know this is not good but how bad is it. Will i have to replace flywheel? Here are some pics of damage and the nest i was going for , how do they get in some of the places they do? Give me some ideas on what to do. If i have to replace does anybody have one?

Thanks Karl

I found a large mud dobber nest behind flywheel. Had pullers on and give a little tap with punch and the rest is history . Flywheel poped off hit the rags and carpet on floor thought everything was OK. WRONG broke a fin off i know this is not good but how bad is it. Will i have to replace flywheel? Here are some pics of damage and the nest i was going for , how do they get in some of the places they do? Give me some ideas on what to do. If i have to replace does anybody have one?

Thanks Karl

Kinda looks more like rover was in there

[Jim_M 178]

Replace it, it's not worth the risk. If that lets loose when you're sitting in the seat you'll lose a foot at the very least.

[Kelly 1,028]

I never reuse broken ones, I have many flywheels fairly cheap, send me a PM as to what engine it is, and your zip code for shipping.

[pfrederi 17,147]

I picked up a C141 this spring that had a serious shake when running. I assumed that that the balance gears were failing. Took awhile to get to her. Discovered the flywheel was missing 3 fins two together and one nearby. Picked up a used flywheel and she runs great. i have another 12 hp that has two missing but they are opposite each other and it works just fine. (I suspect someone intentionally broke off the second one in that case to smooth it out).

[VinsRJ 721]

One fin is not going to throw the balance off that much, it looks to be a clean break and it doesn't sound as if the flywheel fell off the Empire State biulding. So long as there are no cracks or stress fractures in the key way it can be re-used.

[AMC RULES 36,945]

I would think you would need to have it magnafluxed to confirm whether it's a time bomb or not.

[baerpath 517]

Ya know were not talking about a expensive or hard to change part. I just don't understand the just use it mentality. Theres no way I'd use a broken flywheel or repair one.

[tarcoleo 119]

The piece your holding does not appear to fit the stub where it supposedly broke off.

Welding, therefore, would seem be a problem. Recommend you inspect the wheel carefully,

cut off an opposite fin and check the balance if you can imagine a way to do it. Use it if you

must until it can be replaced ASAP.

Tom in RI

[rmaynard 14,894]

When driving a car, you can feel when a tire is out of balance. Going 60 MPH, your typical tire is only turning at about 800 RPM. If an unbalanced tire can shake at 800 RPM, imaging how much vibration and shaking your unbalanced flywheel must be experiencing at up to 3600 RPM.

Use the busted flywheel for an anchor and replaced it with a good used one. Why take the risk?

[Trouty56 565]

There is another thread going on about balance gears....toss them out is the consensus....so the engine is a little out of balance....never really know it. Now a flywheel has a fin broke and the engine will jump off the frame.....

Thought I would just bring this up......

[AMC RULES 36,945]

Is an interesting point Bob.

[Tap53 57]

What the heck, lose the other fin, looked alittle over built anyway.

But thats not the worse part,

I had an uncle who fell into a lens grinding machine and made a spectacle of himself.

[rockinhorse 45]

Looks like a 50/50 split on replace or use. I think for safety sake i will replace. Want to be able to build more tractors and the grandkids will be on and around the tractor. Kelly said he has a flywheel . Thanks again for all your help and ideas. Next time i start on something i'm not sure of i'm checking with you guys first.

thanks Karl

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

Karl, the folks who have never experienced a catastrophic failure of a high speed assembly like a flywheel or a clutch may be of the opinion "no biggie, weld, glue or snap off the opposite fin".

Those who have experienced or witnessed such failures will be understandably steadfast to the philosophy of "replaced it at all costs."

There is also middle ground that has been expressed here too. Have the part taken to a machine shop, checked for cracks and have the broken fin and the opposite fin MACHINED off (not broken off) and a quick check of static or even dynamic balance and you have a useable flywheel, You will be paying out $$$ for this precision work.

I agree with the replacement philosophy and the safety factor that affords you and your family. You would probably never think of pointing the outlet of your mower toward your family while your mower is running over a gravel driveway - please don't think that a flywheel exploding would be any less a danger to your family or friends.

The key here is understanding. Understanding (and sometimes experience with) the forces involved in a chunk of cast iron leaving the engine area at speeds well over 100mph. Also, check out Google or YouTube for a brief introduction to the MagnaFlux process. Once you understand how a small crack in cast iron (most often undetectable by the naked human eye) can ruin your day, you will also understand what must be done.

Live long and prosper.