# Craftsman 6.75 HP Lawn Mower sheared Key



## Ricardo2009 (Sep 7, 2004)

Thanks to previous help, I removed the flywheel fan and looked down on flywheel. Seems that the key is sheared because it looks 30 degrees off of slot in shaft. Also the flywheel appears to have hairline cracks. The three holes in flywheel are not tapped and I don't own a puller. Questions are: can I get the flywheel off by prying if I plan to replace it anyway? And second once off, is there a way to tell if crankshaft is bent?


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

well, IF you are going to replace the flywheel, just pry on it where the magnets and counter balance weights are, if it is cracked then don't worry about breaking it, but it may not be cracked so be careful, as for a puller, the bowl nut can come off easy, as for the puller, you can just pry or go to a small engine shop or i think napa may have one. and a way to tell if its bent, if it wobbles, dead giveaway. and new flywheel keys are very cheap. and i mean dirt cheap.


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## fords-n-mowers (May 6, 2005)

just a few taps to the underside of the flywheel with a hammer.(and i mean TAPS) and the flywheel will come off. as bugman says you might not need to replace the flywheel but look at the center hole while its off. if you see any cracks on the inside its toast. i recently had a 6.75 hp come in with a broken crank but the key was unsheared. go figure! fnm.


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## scrench (Dec 8, 2004)

Ricardo2009 said:


> Thanks to previous help, I removed the flywheel fan and looked down on flywheel. Seems that the key is sheared because it looks 30 degrees off of slot in shaft. Also the flywheel appears to have hairline cracks. The three holes in flywheel are not tapped and I don't own a puller. Questions are: can I get the flywheel off by prying if I plan to replace it anyway? And second once off, is there a way to tell if crankshaft is bent?


 
hit it on the flywheel straight across from the flywheel key you might want to pry alittle on it while you do this , also if you pry on it and hit the crankshaft @ the same time i would put the nut on the crank and screw it down where the nut is level with the crankshaft and use a lead or brass hammer if you have one , or you can use a block of wood and a good hammer like a 2 pounder . look close at the flywheel sometimes the casting marks look like hairline cracks , have someone pull the rope and watch the crank shaft and see if it wobbles ,take out the plug !!! when you do this or to do it by yourself take out the plug tie the flywheel break handle down and turn it over by hand and watch it , but take out the plug ! it might hit and that could result in a costly trip to the local er ( emergency room ) dont want that to happen !!!! the crank wont be bent on the flywheel side i have never seen one anyway ,


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## Ricardo2009 (Sep 7, 2004)

*Mission Completed*

Thanks for all the advice. Did tap and pull the flywheel off. Replaced the key and assembled evereything. Anxious to see it run, and it did run O.K. Stopped it, ate dinner and went out to start again. Unfortunately I had not tightened the nut properly and it backed out and ruined the rewind starter. So after another $40 purchase and using an 18" bar to tighten the nut I assembled it again. Also the blade nut. Runs great and gave it to my daughter and son in law to use. Daughter asked what if she breaks it? I said it's my hobby, I'll try and fix it! Thanks again.


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