1st Gen Flywheel Nut

[tom_sprecher]

I want rebuild my engine this winter and want to start taking apart the spares I have to see what is good and what I can take to be recyled. It looks like the flywheel nut is 34mm and I understand it is torqued to something like 350 ft#'s.

I have an IR 231C impact wrench like this.
http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=10046&CAWELAID=81305003.

Before I buy a the wrong size drive socket, will it get the job done or do I need to go to a 3/4" drive socket and breaker bar and a freakin' long pipe?

[dickita15]

I bought the ¾ drive one and borrow a ¾ gun from the garage next door but I a couple of my friends have the ½ drive and it has worked out fine. I would not want to try it, on or off, with hand tools.

[lateapex911]

I just popped mine off and on with a 1/2" drive gun and a 1/2" > 3/4" adapter, and a 3/4" 2-1/4" socket.

Whenever possible, I hit the threads and the surfaces with PB Blaster, and walk away overnight.

[Gary Gentry]

Tom,

Having just recently replaced my rear seal and O-Ring in my 1st gen, a 2 1/8" socket with a 1/2" - 3/4" adapter is what will work just fine - good luck finding the metrtic equivalent. Torque range of the flywheel nut, per the factory manual is 289 - 362 ft/lbs. My 1/2 " air impact is nothing special but worked well.

Cheers.

[C. Ludwig]

54mm is the actual size. Works out to exactly 2 1/8". Not 2 1/4" as Jake said.

I use a IR 2135Ti and have never had a problem getting a flywheel nut off. I've used other lesser guns in the past and problems were sporadic. Sears sells the gun, socket, and the 3/4 drive adapter. Go ahead and get yourself a flywheel brake while you're buying tools. You'll want it to hold the engine while you're removing the hub bolt from the front of the crank.

The hub bolt is actually the harder of the two to remove. 1st and 2nd gen engines usually don't give me a problem but 3rd gen engine usually require my 6' cheater bar and pretty much my whole 220lb body laying on it. They're torqued to a higher value than the earlier engines and they all have thread locker from the factory. So it's not a bad idea going into an engine tear down to have the flywheel brake and a good engine stand to mount it all on.

[rx7chris]

Dont forget the big ass hammer to actually get the fly wheel off once the nut is removed. If your ears don't hurt after you hit it, you haven't hit it hard enough.

[joeg]

I thought that fastener was called a "gland nut". Once you get over an inch and a half or so, you don't need to worry much about a socket being metric or SAE. As long as it fits, it will work.

We used to get our biggest freind to jump on a breaker bar to loosen those suckers (and tighten when done).