help! harmonic balancer is crapping out

[bugnout247]

my car has been making a tapping noise and i noticed that the harmonic balancer shimmied itself close enough to the engine to tap the timingchain cover when spinning...i was able to wedge it a good inch back to its normal position so that its not hitting anything but i dont feel good about the engine being out of balance..it still wobbles a bit when spinning...does this mean i am causing significant wear on my crank bearings or something of the like and am introducing a possibility for engine disaster?...is it imperative that i put in a new balancer asap or can i keep wedging it back into place...money is an issue for me so i cant just fork out hundreds and hundreds $$...is it fixable by an intermediate home mechanic with only your average tool set..and if so..how much and how long would the job take?...from other post i've read...is it true that i can just use a puller to get it off...then wack it back on with a 2X4 piece of wood and a hammer?...if not does anyone know a good site with install instructions.....alot of you guys on this site seem like Pro's so any help is GREATLY appreciated...

 

[RIO5.0]

Geez...That ain't cool... I WOULD not be driving that car...If you can actually move that balancer by hand...its like a timebomb waiting to go off...and could cause some damage....Go to your local parts store and get a stock replacement.
Thats just a rubber ring its sliding back and forth on....its gonna launch itself off there from what you say...
You can buy the correct puller for like 10.00 at any Autozone or the like....

 

[KeithStang]

I just replaced mine not to long ago. All you need is a basic socket set, a puller you can rent from autozone, and a little common sense. It's a piece of cake. A stock balancer costs around $50-$60. There will be a core charge. It's easy and straight forward. You don't even have to remove the radiator. DO NOT drive your car anymore until you fix it. Have a friend drive you to the store. If you snap your crank you'll be getting a second job. Good luck

 

[RIO5.0]

Heres a bad unit for ya....that rubber sticking out is a bad sign...yours is sliding back and forth on the rubber ring, I believe thats the first i hear of that.......

Can you say PROJECTILE....Damn..I wouldn't even wanna be around when it launches off that inner ring...

 

[bugnout247]

ok so i'm probably gonna try to install it myself..how do i line up the timing marks correctly?

 

[bugnout247]

also...how do i get the balancer back on once i've pulled it off with the puller? should i use like a rubber mallet or something else...?

 

[KeithStang]

The balancer has a "key" cut into it so it will only go on one way. There will be a "key" on the end of your crank shaft that will slide into place with your balancer. You'll see what I'm talking about when you get it off. Very simple. The puller you rent from Autozone is a puller and install tool. The tool took me a second to figure it out but, it's not rocket science. This fix is very straight forward and easy. Keith

 

[RIO5.0]

also...how do i get the balancer back on once i've pulled it off with the puller? should i use like a rubber mallet or something else...?

You don't have to worry about timing marks...the balancer goes on a keyway...it will position itself correclty...you may wanna throw a timing light on it after the install...but it should be good to go...

remove the bolt inside the balancer...put you puller on and remove the old one...clean the shaft up some...you should have some RTV holding the Woodruff key on the crank snout....it should stay put when you remove the balancer....the factory uses the RTV to keep oil from coming by the keyway, so you want to dab some RTV back on that key before you install your new balancer...
install your new unit and make sure it hits the keyway correctly.....hopefully you should be able to get it on far enuf to use the bolt to wind in into position...

If the mother seems like your not lining up with the keyway and you can't feel it position itself on the keyway, i would throw it in a 200 degree oven for like 15 minutes....this will expand it some....grab the mother with mitts and head for the crank...it should slide itself right on and go in all the way...sometimes they go on slick...other times hard...theres a slight interference fit between them...i would prefer the heat method as you dont even wanna bung up those threads trying to reef it on with the crank bolt...

that bolt gets torqued at like 125 ft lbs...make sure thats done....

Good luck....

 

[RIO5.0]

Edit..I notice Keith mentioned using the puller for on and off....i forgot to mention that....i use another type of balancer and use the heat versus the puller for re-installing.
Whatever works for ya....