Flywheel locking method for SMF job?

[Old Blue]

Hey all,

Since my clutch and flywheel came in this week and I got the old one off, I was wondering what everyone else has done for holding the flywheel steady as you torque the bolts. When I did my car, I used a spare arm off a gear puller bolted to one of the bolt holes, I just had to grind it down to fit in one of the ring gear teeth. What tricks have you used to do this job, or maybe compression alone has worked for some?​

 

[TWeatherford]

I just relied on compression. Even with my old engine and its low compression, it didn't turn on me past one compression stroke.

 

[Agnem]

Yeah anyway. What in God's name are you trying to torque them to? You will have no problem torqing them to spec. Just put your leverage on the farther side, so that the wrench crosses the center of the crank.

 

[Old Blue]

Yeah anyway. What in God's name are you trying to torque them to? You will have no problem torqing them to spec. Just put your leverage on the farther side, so that the wrench crosses the center of the crank.

Haha, I haven't started the job yet, but my car (VW) is a diesel and it didn't have enough compression to keep the flywheel from turning, and I noticed that Ford has a special tool available for the job like most cars I've worked on, so I figured I might need to rig something up! Good to know this one will be easy, I like easy...

Edit: I just remembered, I'll have to put my old injectors back in unless I get the new ones from you before I do the job! Doh, I might just have to rig something yet, depends on which is quicker!

 

[Agnem]

Yeah that flywheel is like 14 inches in diameter. If it tries to move on you, just hold it with your hand. There is plenty of leverage there.

 

[Devon Harley]

I had a friend help hold it up tight each one by hand and used snap on torque wrench an tight to 75ftpounds I believe double check an did u upgrade from the dual mass to the solid flywheel?

 

[Old Blue]

Thanks again guys, sounds like it won't be a problem.

Yeah, I've got the SMF kit from Fort Wayne, pics and a video of the old DMF are in the build thread here.

 

[typ4]

75 is way to much for a 3/8 bolt, the instructions will have the correct torque.

 

[Old Blue]

Torque spec from the 1988 Ford Shop Manual is 47 ft. lbs. for future readers. "Note 9" says to apply Lock 'N Seal to threads before installation - the Fort Wayne kit comes with bolts with appropriate sealant already applied.

 

[Agnem]

That would be correct. I use Blue loctite on used bolts.

 

[Devon Harley]

Not challenging whats being said but wouldn't the 88 manual be for a dual mass?? I put in the 12in conversion kit 40k ago and I jus pulled out the paper work it had new bolts bt it does say flywheel to crank 75pounds is my kit wrong? And what's gonna happen to my clutch if it's wrong??

 

[Old Blue]

Not challenging whats being said but wouldn't the 88 manual be for a dual mass?? I put in the 12in conversion kit 40k ago and I jus pulled out the paper work it had new bolts bt it does say flywheel to crank 75pounds is my kit wrong? And what's gonna happen to my clutch if it's wrong??

I'd say if they didn't snap off or start to twist when you torqued them, you'll probably be ok - I mean you've made it this far right? Here is a picture of the bag o' bolts that came with my kit, the range lines up with the factory spec:

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Over torquing is usually not good, fasteners stretch up to a point and then yield, once they yield, there is no more "elastic" clamping force on the mating surfaces. That's the idea behind those torque to yield (TTY) one time use bolts that are designed to be installed in their yielded state for maximum clamping force without stretching further, common on some head bolts from certain manufacturers, those are the one time use bolts. Torquing to the yield point on a standard fastener is generally a "bad thing." You can usually feel it on a standard bolt when this happens, the applied torque to continue rotating the bolt drops dramatically, it feels like it is giving in to the pressure - if you didn't feel anything like that when you installed them, that's a good sign I suppose.