Changing Oil Seals on an MD #9 Mower

Funny you should mention flywheels and seals, as I have been messing with them today. No, never touched the clutch lever seal as of yet. yes, the fly wheel goes couterclockwise to come out. I have usually found a combination of a shackle and a wrench with put the force on the meat of the flywheel and reduce the risk of breaking them. Most come off easier than you expect, but then I did break the last one I wanted off. I wasn’t working at home and didn’t have my usual set up. Fortunately the broken flywheel was attached to a wasted shaft so I didn’t need to mess with it anymore. To add insult to injury I couldn’t get the pitman baring off the flywheel post. either. Do you think this mower was run a little too far? I just used JB weld to put the new bushing in. The bushing opening was egged out in the front but found a good home as it went further in. The JB weld is good and hard, now we will see how long it lasts. I bought a new shaft from Macknairs, and just barely got it pressed on a flywheel I had. I put the jack on the floor and with the fly wheel and shaft on top of that with a block of hard wood to the roof beam. Messy, but it worked.

When I took the remnant of the old seal out of the mower I must have marred the edge. Try to take them out with out touching that outer edge, as this makes it much harder to start the new seal. That in combination with not being home made me waste a couple seals today trying to get one in. You need the right little block of wood or short piece of pipe to set the seal square. Now if I just talk about the rain and the muddy barn yard this will be a member diary!

I use a piece of hardwood rather than a chisel to drive against the gear to help break it loose. Several sharp raps usually seem to do the trick. That’s sounds like good improvising to get the flywheel on, Donn. Jay

The self tapping screw sounds like a great idea. My mower saga continued last night. My amish neighbor has his father in law visiting right now, and he has a small repair shop in Western Pa. Fun to talk to him, and he suggested using a little silicone caulk with the new seal. If you have scratched it a little the cualk will take it up. He also said he is using a thick seal he is getting from Peachy? Must try this place as many get parts there. That thick seal is a little easier to put in than the thin metal ones. Last night my little cut off pipe worked great to install the thin seals I had, and I did put in two. Easy peasy, ten minutes. Then the new shaft on the new flywheel was a little too short. I never thought of this as I pressed it. I put the shaft all the way into the fly wheel, like the others I was looking at. If it is an 1/8″ too short it locks up before the gear is on tight and won’t turn! I tried it without the washer and it seemed close but no go. Brought it home to make it 3/16 longer – it least it will be easy to put it in the press to make longer.