harmonic balancer R/R

[HISSIN50]

hello. got a quick one for you. my balancer is either good at optical illusions or it wobbles a little bit. the rubber appears to be in great condition, whatever that is worth.
i have searched here and read the useless manual, all to no avail. do you need to yank the radiator to do the balancer, or once the mech fan and shroud are out of the way, is there room for a puller with the radiator left in the car?

any other tips (i have read the older threads regarding the tough bolt and washer, etc). i havent looked at it closely. i think people refer to other bolts that are missed sometimes. school me on those too (and anything else).
thanks a bunch.

 

[Blandnuts]

I've never taken the balancer out with the motor in the car...but there might be enough room. Remove the crank pulley and place the balancer puller on there and see if you have enough room. It will take you 5 mins compared to 10 mins if there's enough room.

When taking off the balancer, there's 4 bolts for the pulley and one center bolt for the harmonic balancer pulley. No other special bolts .




fred

 

[90mustangGT]

It's not that hard unless you lack tools.

You need a harmonic balancer puller that pulls from the bolts that the crank pulley bolts to. You also need an installer to push it back in. Some kits do both. You'll also need something to keep the crank still while you crank on the tools.

You can keep the radiator in, but the fan and shrowd as well as belt and crank pulley is going to have to come off. Then you pull the old one off with the puller and reinstall the new one.

Go ahead with a new SFI aftermarket one, yes they are expensive, but you can feel the difference especailly at high rpms.

 

[Michael Yount]

AutoZone will loan you the puller for a refundable deposit -- if you were close by you could borrow mine! As others have said - fan, shroud and then you should have enough room. Remove the pulley that's bolted to the balancer first (four bolts); then use an impact wrench or a big breaker bar to remove the crank bolt. You'll find this works better if you put the car in 3rd, 4th or 5th gear (not first or second because of the torque multiplication) with the ebrake on and the wheels chocked from the front. Attach the puller - I use two of the pulley bolts 180 degrees apart - then screw the long bolt through til it's sitting in the center of the crank bolt hole. As you continue to tighten the long screw, the two pulley screws will 'pull' the balancer off. Be sure to place the crank bolt washer in between the big puller screw and the crank. You don't want to damage the crank threads. To put it back on - I just used a bit of fine emery cloth to clean up the crank snout, and inside the new balancer; apply a bit of NeverSieze so things don't corrode, then I slide the new one as far as it will go by hand. The bolt will take it the rest of the way home. Be sure to torque it back - I think the spec is 80-120 ft-lbs. Back in 3rd or 4th gear for the torque job.

You're lucky - my radiator has to come out to give me enough clearance to pull mine.

 

[cevtv]

You can keep the radiator in, but the fan and shrowd as well as belt and crank pulley is going to have to come off.

It's a bitch, but I have done it without taking the fan and shroud off.

 

[HISSIN50]

hey folks, thanks so much for all the info. i will get off my butt this next week and order one and do it (if i had to pull the rad, i was gonna hold off; i'm totally sick of working on cars).

thanks again for all of the great advice and info.

P.S. Michael, thanks for the sentiments on loaning me you puller [if i lived close to you]. if i lived near you, i think you would know it. i would be comin' over every weekend to see what you were doing that week.

 

[92MNstanger]

I bought a cheap puller for $12 @ champion auto, you don't need an installer, just push the new ballancer on as far as it will go and thread in the screw, it will pull it on.

The biggest bitch is getting the big bolt loose. Keeping the balancer from moving is hard. I had to put a big ass monkey wrench under the driver's side of the frame (I used a piece of wood to save the metal) and grabbed the front of the balancer with it. I used my breaker bar on the bolt. After a little swearing it loosened right up..