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Car vibrating heavily! - Harmonic balancer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SN95StangMan
  • Start date Start date Jun 21, 2009

SN95StangMan

New Member
Jul 5, 2003
1,292
0
0
Lynwood, CA
Jun 21, 2009
#1
  • Jun 21, 2009
  • #1
I started my car yesterday morning and was shocked when the car was vibrating like crazy. It was bad enough to make my seat shake. I had gone to the track the night before, drove to a friends house after, and then drove home and the car was not turned on until more than a day later.

I thought at first that it might be a miss, since I had changed the plugs the day before for a nitrous setup, but everything looked good, and this thing felt like more than a simple miss. I checked around the harmonic balancer for any rubber that might be popping out, but it seemed normal. I then cut off the spark and fuel and had my brother in law turn the car over slowly so i can take a look at the balancer, and it had what appears to have a slight wobble, at slow speed. I I'm assuming that is where my problem is coming from, but I want to rule out any other possibilities. I'm just shocked that i did not have any problems while driving home, and then the next time I started the car, it was moving like a raped ape.
 

earleys94gt

Active Member
Aug 31, 2003
1,223
16
49
Ashley, Ohio
Jun 21, 2009
#2
  • Jun 21, 2009
  • #2
Inspect the plugs, wires(make sure one didn't come loose), coil, cap, rotor etc.

If the balancer has a wobble to it, that's probably your issue.
 

SN95StangMan

New Member
Jul 5, 2003
1,292
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0
Lynwood, CA
Jun 21, 2009
#3
  • Jun 21, 2009
  • #3
earleys94gt said:
Inspect the plugs, wires(make sure one didn't come loose), coil, cap, rotor etc.

If the balancer has a wobble to it, that's probably your issue.
Click to expand...
checked all those things, they looked good. No damage to any plug- just a tiny bit of carbon deposits on a few, probably from running the car rich and having colder plugs.
 
3

302GTS

If you need herpes, I'm your man!
Apr 20, 2009
481
2
18
Largo, FL
Jun 21, 2009
#4
  • Jun 21, 2009
  • #4
If you see it wobbling, replace it for sure. It'll only get worse and can cause much more damage that's worth more than the $75 it takes to replace the balancer. It was the first thing I did to my car, and it was a cinch to do! The rubber on mine wasn't coming out too much, but it had a good wobble to it, and it definitely made my car shake like crazy.
 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
31,179
33
129
Jun 22, 2009
#5
  • Jun 22, 2009
  • #5
If you haven't, do a cylinder balance test. This will let the EEC check for a miss (sometimes it's tough for us to pick up a miss if the engine idles a little lumpy).
 

RADAR THIS

New Member
Jun 25, 2009
1
0
0
king william,va
Jun 25, 2009
#6
  • Jun 25, 2009
  • #6
my 94 had the same shake and it was the balancer,cost me a transmission
 

SN95StangMan

New Member
Jul 5, 2003
1,292
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0
Lynwood, CA
Jun 25, 2009
#7
  • Jun 25, 2009
  • #7
FYI, changed the balancer and it solved my problems. The rubber in the back of the old one was coming out. Replaced it with a pioneer SFI balancer.
 

BLOWN347STROKER

Member
Jan 13, 2009
237
0
16
topeka kansas
Jun 26, 2009
#8
  • Jun 26, 2009
  • #8
My balancer come apart on my car as well. Tore a hole in the timing chain cover. I realize yours may not be that bad but Because mine did come apart I had to end up pulling the motor and getting new main bearings installed. I messed them up when it happened. I also had to get the crank turned and polished. Ended up doing alot of performance upgrades though so It worked out good.I would definately replace the balancer at the very least.
 

Dino Dino Bambino

15 Year Member
Jun 13, 2007
1,672
89
79
Cyprus
Jun 26, 2009
#9
  • Jun 26, 2009
  • #9
I just replaced mine yesterday. The car was shaking slightly at idle and I could feel a slight vibration in the driveline upon take-off. My HB looked normal from the front but when I felt it, part of the outer ring had moved 2mm forwards. A new HB cured it.
 
T

turbogt

Member
May 1, 2003
723
16
19
Montana
Jun 26, 2009
#10
  • Jun 26, 2009
  • #10
Mine broke in Half last summer lol..... Thought I threw a rod at first lol
 

Dino Dino Bambino

15 Year Member
Jun 13, 2007
1,672
89
79
Cyprus
Jun 26, 2009
#11
  • Jun 26, 2009
  • #11
turbogt said:
Mine broke in Half last summer lol..... Thought I threw a rod at first lol
Click to expand...

Your HB must have been bad for quite a long time before you noticed it.
 
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