The Hodaka Club Forum

I've bought a electronic ignition for my wombat and part of the installation requires removing the crank keyway and I was wonder if there is an way to hold the crank steady while tightening the nut that holds the magneto on to the crank

Friction from tightening the nut and the expanding width of the crank where the flywheel bolts on should be sufficient. Did the instructions say why to remove the keyway? ; D Victor

The new mag does not have a keyway in it,it's cone shape is all that holds it to the crank

The new mag does not have a keyway in it,it's cone shape is all that holds it to the crank

An easy way is to use a battery powered impact driver. Hold the mag with one hand while you impact the nut on with the driver in the other.

bout a chain wrench?---------------Clarence

I wouldn't put a chain wrench around a magneto magnet. Maybe a strap wrench, but not a chain wrench. To keep the crank from turning, you can always pull the spark plug and stuff a piece of rope into the spark plug hole. Put in enough that when you rotate the engine through, the rope stops the piston for going all the way to top dead center. The crank will now stay in position, and you will not harm any internal components. Just make sure you remove the rope before continuing with other work.

Thank you everyone I put locktiite on the magneto and put in place and allowed it to dry overnight then today I put in gear and tied rear wheel and then tightened it worked great rode it around the yard couple laps

Bad mistake. A taper-fit shaft is fitted dry (no oil or anything) and is torqued to spec. BMW motorcycles, for example, fit the alternator rotor, as well as the transmission output flange, to a dry taper-fit shaft.

I agree. You have introduced a relatively low shear strength layer between the precision finished surfaces of the crank taper and the matching flywheel taper. I suspect you did that to produce a situation wherein you were pretty sure that tightening the nut would not cause the flywheel to slip/rotate on the crank - so I understand that. But the tapers were designed to match and "lock up" in a dry-fit situation for extended "no-slip" operation.

I will readily admit that I have never used Loctite on the flywheel taper, so I have no direct experience with the situation - but I wouldn't trust it. Especially considering that the Loctite was allowed to cure prior to tightening the nut. I would remove the flywheel, and thoroughly clean off all the cured Loctite and re-do the installation . . . with no locking compound. I suspect that when you do that, if you will simply "hammer" the flywheel onto the taper with the side of your FIST (<--- fist is emphasized to make sure that a hammer is not used, though a tap with a brass or plastic hammer would be OK. Then the flywheel will not slip as you tighten the nut.
Ed