garyd13, :welcome: to iboats. Glad you could join us...
The usual way to remove an O/B engine's flywheel is to use a flywheel puller (harmonic balancer puller) that has three legs. Each leg is bolted into the three threaded holes on the top of the flywheel. And the center bolt is then tightened down until the flywheel breaks loose.
There are many threads on these forums that cover this subject in great detail. But some times flywheels are very stubborn to come off. So it takes some effort to remove them. First thing you need to do is use grade 8 bolts and thread them in about 1/2" into the flywheel. If you go in too far it will thread through and possibly damage parts underneath the flywheel. So only thread the three bolts in only so far.
And once you applied all the torque you can to the center bolt, take a hammer and whack the center bolt to help break the tapered flywheel off. Some times it takes a lot to remove them. And when they do break loose, it sounds like the flywheel has broken. But it is just the sound of it breaking loose.
This is the type wheel puller you need to be using with grade eight bolts. If you try to use other bolts, I can guarantee you they will either break, or strip. Been there and done that! So save yourself some time and headaches and buy grade eight bolts to start with. :thumb: