Loose flywheel

[Triman]

Ok guys, pretty sure I did a bonehead thing after a successful AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l automatic rebuild. I've been careful to take it easy to be sure the timing and fuel mix is right...But I crank the motor this am to get ready to work on the front brake pads and hear a pretty crappy sound from the motor that sounds like rocks coming from the valve cover. I look/listen/Google closer and start to wonder how tight I bolted the flywheel to the engine. I remember being quite destracted in the garage with a four year old when getting the bolts set and never got the correct torque on the bolts. I think the specs call for 80lb, but I don't think Im close to that at all and wonder if they might be working loose.

So the question is...Im thinking I can refrain from pulling the entire motor apart if I pull the front fan off and slide the motor forward to make room for a torque wrench to tighten those bolts. Anyone try this before?

If not, it might be time to break out the camera, im reading lots of sites where people have had this happen, but not sure where to start other than pulling the complete motor...

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Triman]

BTW, Feel free to make all the typical idiot comments on how I can make it through this entire build....get it running...then realize that I should have more more torque on the bolts that keep the whole dmn thing together.

 

[Scooter402]

I wouldn't sweat it. You're not the first one, probably won't be the last.

I did it years ago on a 383 I had in my CJ. Couldn't for the life of me figure out the funky noise while it was running, but I could really only hear it as I shut the key off (had only open headers by then).

One of the guys in the shop says "is your flex plate loose?" and I made many sarcastic comments on my way under my jeep to check it out...but couldn't say a word as I rattled it back and forth by hand because I had my foot so far in my mouth the water on my knee was quenching my thirst...

Anyway, I think it might be easier if you put a jackstand under your engine and a jack with some straps under the Transmission to slide it back. Unless you don't have a Transmission jack...I suppose moving it forward with an engine hoist would do the same thing.