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Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:13 am

Hey guys, I just took out my engine to replace my flywheel. I got the pressure plate and clutch out, but for some reason I'm having a hard time getting off the gland nut. Any advice ? I've tried a few times already even with a breaking bar and still nothing. I was told that I can by a tool that keeps the flywheel in place while trying to break it at any vw shop for a few bucks, but it still needs to be broken. Help please.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:29 am

I can undo mine with a 1/4 socket set and a torque buddy :wink:

Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:13 am

This is the torque buddy:

And here is how you would use it for the gland nut:

The second pic also shows a flywheel lock:

Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:05 am

This was in the years before I had the gland nut socket and bar. I'm using an 8' length of 2" square pipe with 3' cut off and holes drilled. It works great on a the flywheel with the short piece of pipe screwed into two clutch bolt holes and the long piece levering the breaker bar and gland nut. Prices may have gone up but I recall the 8' pipe cost about $3. The only problem with it was one time I put too much force on the long pipe and broke a gland nut.

crvc

Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:22 am

PO's like this ruin the nuts and gland nuts for us with the proper tools :wink:

Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:15 am

Thanks guys. The pictures are very helpful. I think I'm going to invest in a flywheel lock or see of any of my buddies have one laying around. And just try to break it with a breaker bar.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:58 am

Just remember that the torque buddy also works on axle nuts. On either gland nuts or axle nuts, the nut comes off easier than you can imagine.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:05 am

Alright cool, can I get it at any vw shop?

Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:18 am

CIP has it:

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ACC%2DC10%2D7036

Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:18 am

Also, I was trying to remove the nut from the gland nut while someone was holding the front nut (don't know what it's hard) with a wrench . I was on the gland nut going "lefty loosey" while I was doing this the wrench in the front was pushing up of course. So my buddy was holding it down while I tried to break the gland nut. But we ended up break the front nut loose. Does this mean I need to actually go "righty tighty" for the gland nut? Or with the flywheel lock it should break with going lefty loosy. Because we wouldn't involve the front nut.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:22 am

With the torque tool you don't have to worry about holding the engine steady. The flywheel lock will provide all the holding power you need, because all the force is in the multiplying power of the tool.

Without the torque tool you could hold the engine in a stand, or bolt a long piece of angle iron across the flywheel so the end of the bar rests against the ground to push against while you're trying to break the nut.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:22 am

Adee24 wrote: Also, I was trying to remove the nut from the gland nut while someone was holding the front nut (don't know what it's hard) with a wrench . I was on the gland nut going "lefty loosey" while I was doing this the wrench in the front was pushing up of course. So my buddy was holding it down while I tried to break the gland nut. But we ended up break the front nut loose. Does this mean I need to actually go "righty tighty" for the gland nut? Or with the flywheel lock it should break with going lefty loosy. Because we wouldn't involve the front nut.

Lefty loosey. Use the flywheel lock. $2.99 well spent and will last a lifetime.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:24 am

Thank you guys so much, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:34 am

Something no one has pointed out is the torque spec for that nut is something like 250 to 275 foot pounds.

You need REAL tools to do this.

And DON'T use a pipe wrench!

Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:21 pm

drscope wrote: Something no one has pointed out is the torque spec for that nut is something like 250 to 275 foot pounds.

You need REAL tools to do this.

And DON'T use a pipe wrench!

70 lbs on a 4 foot cheater pipe,or 80 pounds on a three footer.or Like most do,hard grunt on a five foot cheater..avoid the impact on the gland nut,use it on the axle,I bang the axle nut home with a 3/4 impact,easy peasy...light coat of neversieze on the threads and the splines and good to go.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 1:50 pm

Adee24 wrote: Also, I was trying to remove the nut from the gland nut while someone was holding the front nut (don't know what it's hard) with a wrench . I was on the gland nut going "lefty loosey" while I was doing this the wrench in the front was pushing up of course. So my buddy was holding it down while I tried to break the gland nut. But we ended up break the front nut loose. Does this mean I need to actually go "righty tighty" for the gland nut? Or with the flywheel lock it should break with going lefty loosy. Because we wouldn't involve the front nut.

Bad idea!

Hope you didn't bend the crankshaft doing this.
Use the flywheel lock. It's a $6 tool for crying out loud.

A lot of people recommending the Torque Buddy aka Torque Dude.
Torque DUD is more like it.
It's a crappy Chinese knock off of the American made original "TorqueMeister" , which truly is worth it's weight in gold.
The TB is better than nothing, but try to find the original Meister and you'll be much happier. But beware, some sellers call their tool a torquemeister when it's not, it's the same POS tool that all the shops sell.

I found the real deal with a wanted add a while back and love it.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 1:54 pm

I have the flywheel lock now, and about a 3 ft cheater bar, and STILL nothing.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:42 pm

Seems like this thing doesn't want to come out: is it bad to use an air gun ?

Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:44 pm

Adee24 wrote: I have the flywheel lock now, and about a 3 ft cheater bar, and STILL nothing.

Get a 6-foot pipe, big enough to fit over the cheater. You need leverage.

crvc

Tue Apr 24, 2012 4:01 pm

A strong enough air gun will probably get it off.

I use the handle from my big floor jack as a cheater pipe, it's never not worked for me. I wonder if someone put some thread locker on the threads when it was last installed.

Sometimes they can be pretty tight though, in this thread, the guy bought a torquemeister type tool and claimed it didn't crack loose until he put 100 lb-feet of torque on it... so effectively, 900 lbs of torque. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=500758&