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HELP! Cannot Get the prop off


Sportster207

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As the title says, I bought a New Acme 515 prop for my 1994 Flightcraft Sportster, The old Mr. Minus 13x13.5 has a few nicks where we dragged over some rocks in a shallow spot, so I wanted to get it cleaned up and balanced.  I bought the Acme Weekend saver kit which has the C-clamp Prop Puller, and I have tried Everything to get the prop free. As far as I can tell this Prop has probably been on there since it was new or close to it. I loosened the Nut 2 turns, and the applied force with the puller, then cranked on the puller as much as I could with a wrench..Nothing. I've tried hitting the back of the puller to get some harmonics going, Tried heating up the prop with a torch, paying attention to the prop strut temp, and tried oiling around the key way. I'm at a loss Trying to get this new prop on as its better than the current one. 

Thanks Guys, 

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15 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Don't tighten the clamp too much, you will bend it and make it pull cockeyed.   Hit the puller on the side of the C like you mean it.

.... could you recommend a tool to hit it with.... 

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It is surprising how hard you may need to hit the puller with a hammer.  It won't cause the shaft to fall out.   Rotate the prop, change the puller, pound it again.  Eventually try a bigger hammer.  

Now might as well be the time to start the great grease debate, which I decisively win every time. :biggrin: Put a light coating of grease on the shaft and it won't stick so badly.  

From ACME:

  post-13782-0-88135300-1443738998_thumb.jpg

Edited by TallRedRider
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37 minutes ago, TallRedRider said:

It is surprising how hard you may need to hit the puller with a hammer.  It won't cause the shaft to fall out.   Rotate the prop, change the puller, pound it again.  Eventually try a bigger hammer.  

Now might as well be the time to start the great grease debate, which I decisively win every time. :biggrin: Put a light coating of grease on the shaft and it won't stick so badly.  

From ACME:

  post-13782-0-88135300-1443738998_thumb.jpg

LOL - Still no freaking grease for me.  Defeats the purpose of a taper regardless of what acme put on those directions.  I've never had it take more than a minute or two to remove a prop, including the one that a crewmember had managed to mangle up a prop puller on.  But I hit the side of the puller like I mean it.  I never hit the end of it

If you want something that is really hard to remove - try taking the hub off a 2 piece Willys axle.  I have a 10 lb puller for that - thing wound up in the drywall once when the hub finally released ;)

Edited by oldjeep
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I have the harmonic prop puller.  I tried for about half an hour smashing that thing with no luck on my '93 with the original prop.  Sprayed some WD-40 on it and waited half hour.  Came back and it came off pretty easily.  

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I’ve never had to use heat. 
mad others have said ... hitting/tapping.

 

uli have a hard rubber mallet. And I put the c-clamp under tension... make sure you still have the nut on!!! Then tap all around the prop )at shaft)... it’s truly just taps with the rubber mallet and the thing should jus pop off.

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Thanks for the replies Guys, I worked on it for about another hour repositioning  the clamp and giving it some more hits...still nothing. I'm hitting this puller pretty hard with a 16 oz hammer. I am  headed to in the in-laws this weekend so i'll keep spraying oil on it once in a while.  The Flightcraft gets this round, I'll try another day when it isn't 91 degrees in the driveway.

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Leave the puller on, under tension.  keep spraying.  Tomorrow morning get a pyrex measuring cup and fill it with boiling water.  Pour it over the prop.  Then tap the prop again (with a rubber mallet like @holden says).  

(don't bang on the puller too much... they are known to break)

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I was told never to hit the prop with a hammer (only a mallet)

if you only have a hammer, using a piece of wood against the prop then tapping the wood with the hammer would be ok.

again, from my experience it’s not force but the vibration of several little taps that breaks the seal.

I’m not so sure of the torch idea ... that could go very wrong if you heat it up too much or accidentally scorch the gel coat ... but @shawndoggy’s idea of using the boiling water should also really help.

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3 hours ago, TallRedRider said:

It is surprising how hard you may need to hit the puller with a hammer.  It won't cause the shaft to fall out.   Rotate the prop, change the puller, pound it again.  Eventually try a bigger hammer.  

Now might as well be the time to start the great grease debate, which I decisively win every time. :biggrin: Put a light coating of grease on the shaft and it won't stick so badly.  

From ACME:

  post-13782-0-88135300-1443738998_thumb.jpg

Every time. Grease. Or do you want to go through this again?  If anyone says it’s wrong then fly them to you. Give them a mallet and some blocks of wood. Maybe a special Pecan blend. Quarter Sawn grain is best. Especially seasoned in holy water downwind of the Pope. You can get that on Etsy I’m told. Then sit back and enjoy a Mojito while they swear.  

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58 minutes ago, holden said:

I’m not so sure of the torch idea ... that could go very wrong if you heat it up too much or accidentally scorch the gel coat ... but @shawndoggy’s idea of using the boiling water should also really help.

Little torch action never hurt anything. 
Using a small torch, after you have loosened the nut a couple turns, heat up just the hub a little bit in a couple spots between blades. The Nibral expands quicker with the heat than the stainless shaft will. Tap the hub with a hammer from bow to stern to drive it off. 

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How come nobody has thrown out the "Ask your boyfriend to hit it for you" yet?

I used a deadblow hammer on mine back years ago when I removed the original prop, with the puller on with tension (I have the same kit).  It came off pretty easily.

I really like the boiling water idea, I bet that would do the trick.

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49 minutes ago, Slurpee said:

Every time. Grease. Or do you want to go through this again?  If anyone says it’s wrong then fly them to you. Give them a mallet and some blocks of wood. Maybe a special Pecan blend. Quarter Sawn grain is best. Especially seasoned in holy water downwind of the Pope. You can get that on Etsy I’m told. Then sit back and enjoy a Mojito while they swear.  

I don’t disagree with the grease for the future.

 I still usually need a few taps to loosen mine, even with me using grease.

But the grease won’t help the current situation. Maybe penetrating oil like he’s doing now ... but even then ... he just has to get through it then improve for next time.

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If you don't have an oxy torch..... Get a three arm puller with adequate reach from the auto parts store and use an impact gun on it. The combination of vibration and pulling will knock it off.

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tighten clamp, hit on end, come back tomorrow with clamp still on tighten snd hit, not long just couple minutes each night, rinse and repeat, first prop took four evenings, now they just pop iff with 1st hit 

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The prop pulled works based on vibration and blow from hammer to loosen prop down shaft.  I’d does not work by tightening the bolt against the shaft.

i have always used that bolt to simply keep the puller centered on the shaft.

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Always grease.  Any time I don't, the prop loves to fight me coming off.  I do probably over-torque putting it on...

Tighten the C-clamp pretty tight.  Hit the hub of the prop with a torch on all sides.  Once you get it heated up some, keep heating it while hitting it with a hammer.  It WILL come off, and with a big bang.

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