Harmonic balancer??

302GTS · Apr 20, 2009

Hey, my 95 GTS has around 87k on it, and at idle there's a very slight shake in the car. I know the O2's in it are bad (getting replaced within the next few days), and the timing's off (getting fixed tomorrow), but I'm worried it could also be a problem with the HB, leading to bigger problems down the road with my crank. Anything I could look for in particular to show me what the problem is? Thanks.

revhead347 · Apr 20, 2009

Fix the timing and the oxygen sensors first, and see how it is. If you know something is broken, fix that first.

Kurt

302GTS · Apr 20, 2009

revhead347 said:
Fix the timing and the oxygen sensors first, and see how it is. If you know something is broken, fix that first.

Kurt

Sounds good, thanks.

toyman · Apr 20, 2009

302GTS said:
Sounds good, thanks.

Except if the balancer has spun the timing marks are irrelevent. Check to see if the balancer is wobbling or if you can see any piece(s) of rubber protruding from the hub.

302GTS · Apr 20, 2009

toyman said:
Except if the balancer has spun the timing marks are irrelevent. Check to see if the balancer is wobbling or if you can see any piece(s) of rubber protruding from the hub.

I heard that the balancer can affect timing, that's what brought it to my attention after considering the slight shakiness at idle. I tried checking down by where it is, and don't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, although this is my first, not only Mustang, but V8 in general that I've owned. What exactly should I be seeing/not be seeing?

toyman · Apr 21, 2009

302GTS said:
I heard that the balancer can affect timing, that's what brought it to my attention after considering the slight shakiness at idle. I tried checking down by where it is, and don't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, although this is my first, not only Mustang, but V8 in general that I've owned. What exactly should I be seeing/not be seeing?

The stock balancer has a steel hub which is bonded to an outer steel band by vulcanized rubber. When it starts to go the bond between the parts breaks and allows the hub and outer ring to move from their original position. If this is what has happened you might see a slight wobble in the crank pulley as it rotates and visually see the rubber protruding to either side between the hub and outer band. If it is just starting to go you may not see anything visually unless the balancer has been pulled.

Adam95GT · Apr 21, 2009

You are looking for not this:

If your balancer looks like this... its bad...

desertcox05 · Apr 21, 2009

those pics are extreem cases too. when mine went i first noticed the timing was waaaay off. it said 30* and was supposed to be 12*. then i noticed a slight wobble on the crank pulley which is bolted to the HB. Once i got it off i noticed how it was warped. Soooo with that being said if you timing is way off and your crank pulley has a wobble then a new HB is in the near future for you

302GTS · Apr 21, 2009

Checked it out today after school to look for a wobble, and I can definitely see a wobble in the overall crank pulley. It doesn't look like there's any rubber coming off the actual hub, so I'll take that as a good sign. I'll order a new one tonight probably. Would anyone mind pointing me in the direction of a good replacement? Preferably around the same price as an OE replacement. Also, how long should the new one last?

desertcox05 · Apr 21, 2009

i went back to the oem replacement. it lasted 14 years. my car doesn't see any track duty. got mine from o'reillys. they had it in stock

Adam95GT · Apr 21, 2009

pioneer balancers seem to hold up great.

302GTS · Apr 21, 2009

Would you guys recommend going into Advance or Autozone to get it, so I can get the puller tool also? Or would Summit or Jegs be a better choice?

Venom351R · Apr 21, 2009

Its all the same stuff. A puller you get at autozone is the same one they have for summit. Only difference is the actual brand of balancers

Juggalo95 · Apr 21, 2009

Ok after reading my pinging thread and this and Im thinking about some preventive maitnence this summer and getting a new balancer..On our sn95 will I have to remove anything besides the serp belt and fan to get to the harmonic balancer? My car is bone stock,smog pump,ac, etc..

Ive read about the Pioneer balancers but they seem a lil spendy for me right now.(Single full time dad)..anyhow this is just my daily driver..so my question is should I get another Ford OEM one or a parts house ie shucks,napa,autozone or get a pioneer one? I have no plans to modify this car in the future..just keep the paint and interior good and keep it reliable.

302GTS · Apr 21, 2009

Juggalo95 said:
Ok after reading my pinging thread and this and Im thinking about some preventive maitnence this summer and getting a new balancer..On our sn95 will I have to remove anything besides the serp belt and fan to get to the harmonic balancer? My car is bone stock,smog pump,ac, etc..

Ive read about the Pioneer balancers but they seem a lil spendy for me right now.(Single full time dad)..anyhow this is just my daily driver..so my question is should I get another Ford OEM one or a parts house ie shucks,napa,autozone or get a pioneer one? I have no plans to modify this car in the future..just keep the paint and interior good and keep it reliable.

Just did this tonight man, easy job (replacing the balancer)! It took, all in all, about an hour and a half to do it with a friend. I'm all stock also, and we removed the fan to give us a bit more wiggle room. I bought a Pioneer from Advance for aruond $70 after taxes, and it's running a lot better now, just gotta get my timing adjusted tomorrow. But yeah, we just loosened the serp belt - no need to take it off completely. Good luck with the install!

Juggalo95 · Apr 21, 2009

cool deal...sucks I dont think advance auto in my area..cool did you just use a breaker bar to loosen the crank pulley bolt?
Since my car is a AODE do I just leave it in Park to keep the engine from spining? What do I torque the crank bolt to? What kind of rtv to put on the key way? High Temp "Black" RTV?

hollywoodstang · Apr 22, 2009

Anyone here using ford racing SFI balancer? It's this one

<table class="catalogtable" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="tddata-l" valign="top">M-6316-A50**</td><td class="tddata-l" valign="top">302 (1981-93)</td><td class="tddata-l" valign="top">50 oz.-in. <sup>1</sup></td><td class="tddata-l" valign="top">Meets SFI 18-1 <sup>5</sup></td><td class="tddata-c" valign="top">12.1 <sup>6</sup></td></tr></tbody></table>
<sup>1</sup> Damper has removable weight that allows use as a neutral balance unit for internally balanced crankshafts. 1994-01 Mustang and Explorer requires modification.

<table class="catalogtable" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="tddata-l" valign="top">M-8510-B351</td><td class="tddata-l" valign="top">302
351W</td><td class="tddata-c" valign="top">1980 & later</td><td class="tddata-c" valign="top">4</td><td class="tddata-c" valign="top">0.950"
0.950"</td></tr></tbody></table>

I just bought one with spacer. It says it needs modification/trimmed. Anyone has experience with this balancer? Where and what needs to be trimmed and modified?

Thanks

Corvy · Jun 21, 2009

Adam95GT said:
You are looking for not this:

If your balancer looks like this... its bad...

This is a harmonic balancer that has had cured rubber inserted between the hub and ring (not hot bonded). As rubber is elastic it wants to spring back after you insert it. Usually the manufacturer takes this into account during the manufacturing process so it seldom springs back to this extent.

99FiveOh · Jun 22, 2009

Seldom on other cars maybe, but commonplace for our cars. And the problem is the rubber comes out the rear, so it's hard to see while installed on the motor.

And I saw alot of discussion above about your crank pulley wobbling, that's not the case. The crank pulley is bolted to the center secion of the balancer with does not move, so if your pulley is wobbling you have another problem.

I believe if anyone buys one of these cars with a good amount of miles on it, a dizzy and balancer should be the first parts changed right after purchasing the car!

Harmonic balancer??

302GTS

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