Originally Posted by
hsukaria
That is giving me the willies. What if I break something? No spares!!! Would the engine run ok long term with that axial play? Or would there be excessive wear/damage?
Its not that difficult. If you break something, you're doing something very wrong. The prop driver should come loose easily with a bit of heat and a chunk of hardwood. If the collet doesn't move by hand, stick a thin screwdriver in the slot and pry it open slightly.
Running the engine with that axial play is
not good. It will cause the crank to rub the backplate causing wear on the crankpin, rod, and backplate. If the rod/crank moves too much, the rod could be damaged too. This is in addition to damaged bearings due to improper bearing pre-load.