Help please : Villiers MK20 Reduction Gearbox cover removal

I'm trying to remove the cover on the reduction gearbox and output shaft on a Villiers Mk20 4 stroke, I've undone all the cover nuts but despite heavy persuasion its only moved a few mm but will not come off, I've obviously missed something and before I completely Muller it I thought I'd ask.

Regs
Dale

Far as I know it's a ring of bolts and a bearing. remove the bolts and then prise it off the bearing.

Villiers wrote:Far as I know it's a ring of bolts and a bearing. remove the bolts and then prise it off the bearing.

villiers that is correct ,just i found that somtimes the studs bite into the cover a stop the removal ,i found removing the studs from 9 to 3 oclock can solve this issue ,and some i had to remove all but one before it was slidding smooth and even as you go
and keep rotating the shhaft incase it is also binding the job,think that was the smaller mk10-12 reductions though
kev

I had trouble with mine, until I realised that there were two more nuts that I hadn't undone. I got it off, but those other two took the the studs and the threads out of the crankcase.

Luckilly, I was replacing the crankcase anyway! :P

I've got the cover off without too much damage (perhaps a new oil seal req'd) - I sort of assumed (never assume - mother of all f ups) the cover would lift off once the ring of small nuts on the studs were removed but the rear bearing closest to the crankcase is a press fit inner and outer into the gear housing (which itself is bolted with 4 bolts - 2 inside the gearcase and 2 outside) to the crankcase, so the only way to get the cover off is to hold the entire block and reduction gear combo, place the output shaft in a vice (with soft jaws) and using a hide face hammer drift the block away leaving the shaft / bearing, outer gear and cover in the vice, its a learning curve and this is another step.

According to the Villiers Workshop manual:

"in addition to the holes for the fixing studs, are two tapped holes. Using two 5/16" Whitworth screws. the end cover can be withdrawn, but before doing this wrap with Sellotape the end of the shaft to protect the lip of the oil seal from damage by the keyway."

Woodsman wrote:According to the Villiers Workshop manual:

"in addition to the holes for the fixing studs, are two tapped holes. Using two 5/16" Whitworth screws. the end cover can be withdrawn, but before doing this wrap with Sellotape the end of the shaft to protect the lip of the oil seal from damage by the keyway."

Indeed there are. And by chance this is the same size as the threads on the studs that hold the fan cowling to the sump, and the petrol tank mounts to the engine block. And if like me you wonder why there are drops of water on the bench every time you stand the engine on the reduction belt pulley, stand back when you release the cover! Of course, there should actually be oil in there so best watch out in any case.