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Piston Locking Tool For Turbo ?

Piston Locking Tool For Turbo ?

Old 11-16-2004, 02:58 PM
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Default Piston Locking Tool For Turbo ?

I am having trouble tightening the clutch nut on my engine and was wondering if anyone knows where i can get hold of a piston lock tool for TURBO heads.The nomal tool is not tapered and so it wont fit.
Maybe i am doing it wrong but i dont seem to be able to tighten the nut onto the flywheel / collet enough. I dont want to damage my prize Rody - so have you guys got any tips on stopping the crankshaft from turning whilst getting the nut nice and tight.
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Old 11-16-2004, 02:59 PM
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If this happens to me I usually jam the crank with a rag, prevents stress on the conrod. You need to remove the backplate to do it.
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Old 11-16-2004, 03:08 PM
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There's a few ways to get it tight. If you're just turning the nut over and that's it then try using a flywheel tool, pliers, channel locks etc... to hold onto the flywheel once it's snug then lean into the clutch nut to get it tight. Or get some old glow plug and put in engine, put a good amount of after run oil in engine thru exhaust hole in case/sleeve with the engine upside down, turn engine over clockwise enough to close off the exhaust port, then tighten clutch nut while keeping engine upside down. If the engine turns over then add more oil, if that doesn't work then it's not sealing well enough to hydrolock it. If you can in future try to use the method of holding the flywheel b/c the locking tools or whatnot can be hard on the rod busings.
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Old 11-16-2004, 03:25 PM
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use channel locks on the flywheel. These other methods will possibly damage the rod bearings. Hydro-locking the engine is not a good method.
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Old 11-16-2004, 04:59 PM
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Has anybody heard of deforming the top of the piston from hydrolocking. I had to use the hydrolock method because nothing else worked. I used a 12" socket wrench to exert enough force to unscrew the nut. After disassembling the engine, the top of the piston was pushed in. The engine was never run so it wasn't from running it incorrectly.
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Old 11-17-2004, 12:04 AM
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How does holding the flywheel stop the crank from turning ?
As i tighten the nut , the collet just turns inside the flywheel , nomatter how i grip it. Its the crankshaft i need to stop, surely ?
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Old 11-17-2004, 09:40 AM
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Tooned - you use one of the other methods to get it snug - snug ONLY, so you don't damage anything - then once it gets to that point, the expansion of the collet inside the flywheel will hold it enough to get a good hard reef on it at the flywheel. Use a rag so you don't scratch it up.

Personally I won't use a piston locking tool, I've seen too many macho-men punch holes in the piston, even heard of people braking the con rod this way. I use AMG's method but use a plastic rod inside the crank, but position it so it doesn't rest against the bottom of the con rod when I give it the first snug-up.
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Old 11-17-2004, 11:55 AM
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OK - now i am really stressed !!!
Let me explain ;
I have just tightened the nut whilst using a piece of cloth wrapped round a plastic zip tie to stop the engine turning over.
Great i thought - NOT!
NO ! NO! NO!
It now has a metal ` Tinnggg ` noise when i turn it by hand.
Thats OK i thought , just take off the head and see whats moved and put it right. Thats when i broke 2 (yes 2) Hudy slotted drivers trying to undo the head screws !
I even heated the unit to see if it helped. Nope !.
How on earth am i going to sort this one out ?
This is my brand new Rody. My Baby .
I am fast loosing my mind and even faster my money !
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Old 11-17-2004, 01:39 PM
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Tooned G4,

About the `Tinnggg` noise - is the flywheel touching the crankcase? Maybe this would explain why you had trouble tightening it up - just a thought.

Breaking even one screwdriver would be pretty unusual, I'd think. I'd expect the screw to have a stripped slot before that happened. Try another screwdriver that is a good fit for the slot - they are not overly tight from the factory. Heating is unlikely to help as the alloy will expand more than the screw.
Before you lose your mind, maybe take it to a friend or LHS that is familiar with engines. A second opinion may well save your engine and your sanity.
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Old 11-19-2004, 07:43 AM
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Well, I ground down my drivers and persisted , and finally , ta-ta - I got the head off !
After a complete stip-down I concluded that nothing was obviously broken or bent so I built it back up and fired her up.
PHEW ! Still goes like stink.
So, with the aid of a few ideas from you guys, I have come to the conclusion that there is no 100% safe way of secureing the clutchnut and i have now got my design head on and am trying to draw up a different way of attaching the flywheel to the crankshaft without the use of a threaded nut. Now this could take some time so dont anyone hold your breath.
Cheers for your thoughts everyone.Got there in the end.
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Old 11-19-2004, 08:36 AM
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I have taken about a 12" long screwdriver, ground it down to fit the screws perfectly and it works great. Use one with a large tip and grind it down slowly. You may need to grind the sides of the screwdriver to get it to fit into the holes.

Some guy sold me a new engine cause he could not get the head off. My handy dandy screwdriver didn't even blink twice while loosening the screws.
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Old 11-19-2004, 08:54 AM
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I have now replaced the slotted screws with hex ones.Much more reliable.
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Old 11-25-2004, 06:40 AM
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There is a safe way to hold the crankshaft and flywheel in place while you tighten the clutch nut. It's the only tool I use and I've yet to find an applcation where it didn't work:

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