Craftsman with 5.5 hp Honda and BBC - Piston lock question

I have a Craftsman self propelled walk behind lawn mower with a Honda 5.5 hp engine with blade brake clutch (BBC). I need to replace the drive belt. In order to replace the drive belt the BBC needs to be removed. There is a center bolt through the BBC that holds the BBC to the rotating shaft. Question...How do you prevent the shaft from rotating when removing the retaining bolt. Is there a "piston lock" device on the engine to temporary seize movement? Is there another way to stop the rotation? thanks

the easiest way to prevent the shaft from turning is to remove the spark plug and insert a length of rope and the piston will rest against it so you can remove the clutch. same to reinstall.

Wow....I would never never have thought of inserting a length of rope through the spark plug port. Is there any issue with the rope getting stuck after torquing the retainer bolt on/off the clutch? Since it sounds like you have a lot of experience in this area.... is there any easy way to disengage the various springs associated with the clutch and removing the BBC from the shaft ? Any magical suggestions or the slightly impaired mechanic.

The rope trick works good... but an impact, electric or air, is a lot handier... If you have one around...
(leave a 'tail' of the rope sticking out)... and a slight reverse turn of the crank will back the piston off, that will allow the rope to be removed... :smile:KennyV