Replace flywheel or resurface?..........

[fred cook]

I have the engine out of the car for some work on the tranny. Should I have the old flywheel resurfaced or replace with a new one? There are no score marks or surface cracks in the old flywheel, just some heat coloring of the friction surface.

Thanks,

[KCinBR]

This a decision that I had to make about a month ago. My car has a G50 trans and the flywheel has 2 surfaces that must be machined, I opted for a new one. Yes it was expensive but I wanted to be sure that for the next 100k miles I would not have to redo the clutch or related components. If my flywheel would have been like most others I have worked on, flat surfaced, I might have had it resurfaced and saved the extra money. Really you have to decide to save money, or make sure it's right............

[keitho64]

Fred

If there is enough material I would go with a resurface. I had the flywheel (215mm) resurfaced last year when I switched from a 2.2 to a 2.7. I do not race the car much and have had no problems.

My only caution would be if there are any cracks or heat checking but it sounds like that is not the problem.

FWIW my resurface job was $50.00

[Superman]

Resurfacing has to be done with the proper grinding wheel. A diamond wheel. It has to cut the inside 90-degree corner sharply.

I've had this decision a couple of times. Both times I got a new one. I don't think it was necessary. I think I've got all the flywheels I'm going to need. The old ones probably just need a good roughing with a scotchbrite pad at the end of a hand drill.

[Superman]

Resurfacing has to be done with the proper grinding wheel. A diamond wheel. It has to cut the inside 90-degree corner sharply.

I've had this decision a couple of times. Both times I got a new one. I don't think it was necessary. I think I've got all the flywheels I'm going to need. The old ones probably just need a good roughing with a scotchbrite pad at the end of a hand drill.

[TERRIBLEHONDO]

I just had mine done $110 at a Porsche shop. I might have overpaid a little bit but I was worried that a regular machine shop would not be able to handle the step in the flywheel. Mine was pretty clean I could have tried to get away without turning it but after going through all that work I would hate to have to pull the engine again to fix it. I did that once years ago with a Trans Am I will not make that mistake again.

[efhughes3]

I think it depends on what you want to do with the car. If you're tracking it, I'd opt for a new flywheel. Those heat marks show that there is heat there, less metal means no place to go. Same goes for brake rotors.

[john walker's workshop]

a lot of them are warped. when you grind them it shows up right away with the stone only touching one side for a while, until it cleans all the way around. then you will have a vibration that wasn't there before because of more metal taken off one side than the other. whoever machines it needs to be told to stop if it starts out this way.

[fred cook]

Ok guys, you convinced me. New flywheel it is! Also decided to pull everyting off the top side and give it a through cleaning. All sheet metal is going to be powder coat painted. At least it will look new on the outside and I will be able to work on it without getting too greasy! Thanks for the info and tips.

[Nickatnyt]

My P-car mechanic resurfaced mine last week while doing a clutch job...saved me $700. My car has only been used for regular driving and not much at that. I would rather put that $700 towards something that makes the driving experience that much more enjoyable such as suspension or seats.

[Ken311]

maybe opt for a lightened flywheel? anyone had experiences with one?