Briggs ZZ flywheel puller 29020

[loosanarrow]

I am going to pull the flywheel on my Briggs ZZ engine to dig into the ignition in hopes of getting spark. The manual calls for a 29020 puller. Those appear to not be the most common item for sale, in fact I am not able to find one.
Can I use a generic flywheel puller, or is there a “hack” or slick way to pull that beast?
I have not tried anything yet, or even removed the shroud, but I thought I would ask here to get ahead a bit before I start. I do have a few different flywheel pullers of various sizes, they are the “saddle and center screw” type, but the diagram of the 29020 does not appear to have a center screw.

 

[PoorUB]

I can not even find a picture of the 29020 puller!

Chances are you can use a smaller "steering wheel" type puller.

 

[loosanarrow]

I bet someone on this forum has one.

 

[LopezBart]

It appears this puller was furnished with the motor. See https://www.ebay.com/itm/391778371362
Here's a pic of the flywheel; a suitable puller can easily be fabricated.

 

[Pontiac787]

You may be able to get it off by threading a protective nut on the crank and hitting it with a hammer while prying up on the flywheel.

 

[Firebrick43]

A simple H bar 2 bolt puller will work just fine.

15:15

Z and ZZ were the same engine except the size of the carb throat.

 

[signcrafter]

I am going to pull the flywheel on my Briggs ZZ engine to dig into the ignition in hopes of getting spark. The manual calls for a 29020 puller. Those appear to not be the most common item for sale, in fact I am not able to find one.
Can I use a generic flywheel puller, or is there a “hack” or slick way to pull that beast?
I have not tried anything yet, or even removed the shroud, but I thought I would ask here to get ahead a bit before I start. I do have a few different flywheel pullers of various sizes, they are the “saddle and center screw” type, but the diagram of the 29020 does not appear to have a center screw.

I can't find anything on the 29020 puller with a quick google search. But this guy just uses a prybar and hammer to remove the flywheel.

 

[loosanarrow]

Great. I have an H puller. Thanks!

 

[The Cobbler]

also if you loosen the nut ( obviously) and whack opposing sides of the flywheel simultaneously with hammers it will pop too.

 

[PoorUB]

I ran a small engine repair for a few years. Common practice was to wack a flywheel with a hammer to break it loose from the taper. Some brands of engines wouldn't cooperate, where some a light tap was all that was required. The old Kohler cast iron engines often used in lawn and garden tractors barely came off with a puller, a smack with a hammer did nothing. Also, the value or ease of replacement of the flywheel often dictated if I took time with a puller or just gave it a smack. A cheap aluminum Briggs and Stratton or a Tecumseh? Give it a smack, I had replacements in the junk pile! The small two cycle chainsaws and grass trimmers needed a puller.

There is not one manufacturer that approves a whack from a hammer to remove a flywheel, they all say not to do it and use a puller. Of course, real life is often something else.

I would advise being careful with an older antique engine where ruining a flywheel might create a problem finding a replacement!

 

[four.cycle]

^ Pretty much what @PoorUB said

^ I have never used a puller to remove a flywheel from a mower engine. Only a gigantic screwdriver and a hammer.
Do NOT hammer on the snout of the crankshaft. Thread a nut onto the end of the crank snout and let the nut take the impact - otherwise you're going to mangle the threads on the end of the crank snout.
If the engine's been sitting for a long while, dope it up with some penetrating oil and posisiton the engine so the penetrating oil will work down in between the crank and flywheel. Don't try to rush it.
Insert pry bar (or screwdriver) under flywheel, being sure to locate the outer end of prybar or screwdriver against a solid portion of the engine case. (Be especially careful with aluminum-case Briggs and Tecumseh engines - you can crack the top of the cylinder case pretty easily by applying too much downward pressure.)
Holding the prybar (or screwdriver) in one hand, prying up against the flywheel and down on the engine case, strike the end of the crank snout sharply.
Some times the flywheel will fall off with one blow.
Some times you have to whack the hell out of it to get it to break free.

 

[PoorUB]

Holding the prybar (or screwdriver) in one hand, prying up against the flywheel and down on the engine case, strike the end of the crank snout sharply.

I don't do it that way!
I lift the flywheel with one hand and hit the outer edge of the flywheel itself. Hitting the end of the crankshaft can be a bad deal, even with the nut.
Tecumseh sold a couple large threaded "nuts" that were a a couple inches long that would tread over the end of the flywheel and you could smack them with a hammer. I have seem guys hit the nut a bit crooked and break off the end of the crankshaft!

 

[four.cycle]

^ Oh wow... I was told to never strike the flywheel! That is funny.
Yes, you can really mangle the end of a crank snout with just one blow - I did it on a little Tecumseh.
Getting that die lined up straight to re-cut those two top threads was challenging, but I managed.
I thread the flywheel nut onto the crank until the top surface of the nut is just shy of flush with the end of the crank and whack it with a 16-ounce ball pein a few times, so the impact hits the nut. Usually does the trick. I always hit them with a penetrating oil and let them sit a day or two before trying to even remove the flywheel nut.

 

[four.cycle]

Tecumseh sold a couple large threaded "nuts" that were a a couple inches long that would tread over the end of the flywheel and you could smack them with a hammer.

^ I have a widget like that, but unfortunately it only fits really old B&S engines. (The one that used that goofy "clutch" thing on the top of the crankshaft.)