I'm trying to open up my LT250R engine but I'm having alot of trouble getting the nut off the crankshaft that holds the three gears on the tranny side. I can't use an impact gun 'cause the penny that holds the crank still, always falls out. Anybody found a way to solve this?

 

I am assuming you don't have a manual for the quad. If you do, USE IT!!! If you don't, it would be wise to get one and it'll help you with your problem.

 

I usually hold the edge of the penny with a pair of pliers to keep it from coming out. Of course that only leaves you with one hand to do everything else, but it can be done. It's nice to have a helper though. And most importantly, I'm assuming you know, but these are left-handed threads. Good luck.

 

I made a tool to hold the flywheel on the other side of the crank. Essentially, it is a bar with two 3/8 bolts through it. The bolts are spaced apart to fit in the holes in the flywheel. A word of caution; make sure the bolts do not protrude so far through the flywheel as to make contact with the stator! Also, I highly recommend having a second person for this operation (to hold the engine and "flywheel holding tool" steady). The crank nut is held on with high torque and red locktite. And, if you haven't already, definately purchase a service manual before proceeding any further!

As far as using an air wrench to take off the crank nut, that isn't a good idea. Although many mechanics do it, this practice can "untrue" the crank. In other words, the sudden impact can twist the two halves of the crank on the crank pin. If the twist is slight, the result is a larger than normal vibration and added stress to various engine parts. If the twist is more significant, binding will occur. Although the likelyhood of twisting the crank is small, why risk it when other methods are available?

 

i changed the way i hold my crank. i use a crescent wrench(10" or bigger) and snug it on the slender part of the con rod just below the top. then i have a 'U' cut wooden block that the wrench seats against to brace it(the wrench) against the cases & protects them. it makes a solid stop so the crackshaft can only turn ~2/3 of a revolution. no more penny going through the gears & it works on both installation and removal of the nuts.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the impact gun. I was using it 'cause it made the clutch basket nut real easy and the shop manual (yes I do have one but thanks for your insightful feed back, superstar) only showed the penny trick. I just got a two foot breaker bar which hopefully will get it loose. If it doesn't, at least I can flip the engine over and entertain myself trying to extract the stripped stator bolts.

 

try this for the stator- i stripped all the stator bolts(screws) on two engines in one day... and busted one #2 phillips impact screwdriver bit doing it. i got them all out with a drill and easy-out, then replaced them all with allen head bolts.

 

Instead of a penny, I use a piece of old fuel line, vacumm line, etc. I have a 12 volt impact wrench that winds up then releases. This works great for clutch, crank nuts.

When you actually go to split the cases (if you haven't done this before) all you need is a flat screwdriver and a small hammer. Put the screwdriver between the crank and case and lightly tap. As the gap opens, move the screwdriver towards the back of the case and spread it. After you remove one side, put the screwdrive between the crank and the other case and tap to remove crank.

 

The breaker bar worked! It was really tight, but after bolting the 2x4's (that the engine was sitting on) to the workbench and using tie downs to straps the whole thing down, I was able to get it loose. Extracting the stator screws and later three of the case bolts turned out to be alot more difficult. After I got everything loose it still wouldn't seperate. I ended up taking the case to a local shop who split it for 20 bucks.

 

Did you try the way I stated? I have never had problems and have split probably two dozen cases this way.