any chainsaw/small engine experts?
 

I inherited a 25-30 year old craftsman chainsaw and ive got it torn down to clean it up.. well I cant get the clutch off the crank (its left handed threads).. any ideas?

anyone know of a good source for vintage chainsaw parts? ignitions, clutch, stuff like that? I think I found a place w/ a carb kit already... thanks!!

ebay!

my guess is to put a wrench on the flywheel side and then make a fork type tool with a 90 deg. bend just past the forks to slip in those holes shown and give it a little persuasion from a good sized BFH and see if it'll come loose. hopefully those theads aren't too rusty.

Try contacting sears at the local store first, if no luck there try the corp. level.
Good Luck.

try PB Blaster, it'll bust loose anything..You can pick it up at your local parts store.

Maybe a strap wrench will work.

all very excellent ideas- but Ive already tried all of those! PB blasted the heck out of it..

I tried putting a fork like tool in those holes.. I used a small pair of long nosed vise grips and then put a wrench perpendicular to that.. it held real well... with my dad turning the wrench and me holding the flywheel on the other side as best as I could (its very soft aluminum), we couldnt muscle it loose (and we're not girly men :) ) I think I need to modify a big 1/2" drive socket to fit in there so I can run my impact on it... as for the strap wrench--- the outer part of the clutch spins freely (its the part that the chain rides on) so it would be useless.. I did use a vice grips chain wrench to hold the flywheel side though...

sears wants nothing to do with this saw anymore and cant recommend any parts providers.. their website however does have nice exploded views of any and all parts....

Im hoping I dont wreck this clutch because I dont know if Ill be able to replace it but i sort of NEED it off.... Ill keep ya'll posted thanks for the ideas!

pc

Poulan has made the Sears chainsaws for quite a few years. I would check that out to see if it is a Poulan saw.

When I worked in a saw shop we had a special tool that was used just for removing clutches. It was a piston stop, you removed the spark plug and screwed it in. It was basically a long threaded bolt (about 2 inches) and it would stop the piston from coming up which keeps the crank from turning. The tool we had was a Stihl or Huskvarna special tool but one could easily be made. It is the only way to properly remove clutches that I know of and works well on any brand.

jeff