Flywheel off

[Rabbit TD]

I've noticed on different threads on different sections of this forum in the troubleshooting and diagnostic areas where someone has a problem with timing and lots of times they get the answer that the flywheel could have been installed incorrectly.  How would this be possible as the 6 bolt holes on it are offset and will only go on one way to eliminate this from happening in the first place or am I missing something here :?:

[vwmike]

The dowels only allow it to go on one way. There are many marks though, perhaps they're using the wrong one?

[TedV]

never underestimate a persons ability to screw something up.  I have seen missing dowels, flywheel cut with the dowels left in, crushed dowels where the impact gun forced the flywheel into the pressure plate as the bolts were tightened.  Ground down parts of presure plates to clear the dowels.

The blatent marks on many flywheels is not at top dead center but cut in there to set the gas ignition timing.  Machine shop, or repair shop has one cut and waiting on the shelf, putting one with different cut marks on, not your old one.  Top dead center is cast into the flywheel with a sometimes hard to see raised 0.  Going by the gas car ignition marks and you could be one tooth off.

[Rabbit TD]

never underestimate a persons ability to screw something up.  I have seen missing dowels, flywheel cut with the dowels left in, crushed dowels where the impact gun forced the flywheel into the pressure plate as the bolts were tightened.  Ground down parts of presure plates to clear the dowels.

The blatent marks on many flywheels is not at top dead center but cut in there to set the gas ignition timing.  Machine shop, or repair shop has one cut and waiting on the shelf, putting one with different cut marks on, not your old one.  Top dead center is cast into the flywheel with a sometimes hard to see raised 0.  Going by the gas car ignition marks and you could be of one tooth off.

Thanks for the answer, I never gave it a thought about machine shop possibilities as I have never had anything done to a flyheel.  And I guess there is always the possibility of someone making a square peg fit in a round hole too.

[arb]

I knew a fellow airplane builder who was clever enough to make an AC VW engine spin in the opposite direction. He wanted 2 engines to run flywheel to flywheel with a set of belts between them to power his home designed twin Rotor Helicopter.

See page 3 for a photo http://www.eaa1114.org/pages/newsletters/newsletters/ap_dec_04.pdf