Installing the Harmonic Balancer!! How do i do it?

Kdubslugga · May 20, 2004

How do you reinstall the Harmonic Balancer? I took it off to replace the Timing Chain Cover. I thought you would just slide it back on, do i need the puller kit to put it on, i really am clueless about this stuff, but gimme a break, im just starting out. Try and explain it a simple as possible, thanks.

HO93LX302 · May 20, 2004

Well basically line the keyway up with the notch in the balancer.. tap it gently with a hammer to get it started on the crank.. then thread the bolt in by hand, then begin tightening it with the socket and rachet until it can't go any more and you'll be set..

bmo37 · May 20, 2004

take some grease and lube that bad boy up, the crankshaft that is. Make sure the keyed part is align with the damper and gently tap on the damper (I used my hand) should slide on enough for you to get the crank shaft bolt and spacer on. Tighten the crankshaft bolt and it should press the damper on past the timing cover seal (oh by the way hope you replaced the seal on the timing cover with a new one if your timing cover wasn't new). Tighten until the engine turns than loosen the bolt to install the pulley and than you can reinstall the bolt and torque it to specs.

bmo37 · May 20, 2004

HO93LX302 said:
Well basically line the keyway up with the notch in the balancer.. tap it gently with a hammer to get it started on the crank.. then thread the bolt in by hand, then begin tightening it with the socket and rachet until it can't go any more and you'll be set..

damn ho beat me to it

Kdubslugga · May 20, 2004

Ok thanks a lot guys!

ECU5.0 · May 20, 2004

it helps a lot if you have an impact wrench. make sure you dont turn the motor over while you are trying to tighten the bolt

philly029 · May 20, 2004

One other way to help get it on is to heat the balancer in a pot of boiling water. Make sure to put a good dab of RTV in the keyway on the balancer to prevent oil from seeping through.

Hope this helps

Michael Yount · May 20, 2004

A regular ratchet wrench will work just fine. Once it bottoms out, put the car in one of the higher gears (4th or 5th) and then torque it to 80-100 ft-lbs.

Iowa91LX · May 21, 2004

I had to boil mine to get it to go onto the crank. It would not have gone on if I didnt.

Rick 91GT · May 21, 2004

ECU5.0 said:
it helps a lot if you have an impact wrench. make sure you dont turn the motor over while you are trying to tighten the bolt

Never use a impact gun to put on the new balancer, you really take a huge risk of pulling the threads out....

Icepick · May 21, 2004

I can vouch for that, i stripped out the crank with a ratchet once on another car, i should have banged the balancer on instead i tried to pull it on with the bolt.

Michael Yount · May 21, 2004

I've done nothing but pull mine on with the bolt - not sure what the problem is for others. Perhaps you can elaborate - not doubting you had the problem; just trying to understand what happened. My balancer(s) have always been exceptionally easy to get on and take off. The stock one and the replacement on the 5.0L easily slid on by hand until the keyway engaged, and then the bolt pulled it right on with no problem. I think what may happen for some folks is that the balancer won't slide on far enough to engage the keyway, and with it mis-aligned they try to force it on with the bolt or the other means. And yes, that will definitely tear things up. But it's just a guess on my part.

HISSIN50 · May 21, 2004

i think some folks just are lucky. when i did my SFI damper, it would not even begin to slide on. i could barely stick it on the end of the snout (by hand). and it was on, even like that. i have read that Romac's are also very tight like that.

after talkin with Michael and Rick when i did it (thanks to both of you), i was loaned a puller and installer by CSK (i decided that it was necessary). it is free, so i figure why take a chance on messing up the crank threads. with the install tool, it threads into the crank and so one is not trying to seat/slide the balancer on with a thread or two of threading. i would have had to beat the balancer (or heat it up, which i would not do) to get it on far enough to even begin to thread the bolt in. not cool.

of course, for you guys whom had dampers slide right on, this is not necessary. but if there is any resistance, i highly recommend using a (free) install tool. why take a chance? BTW, the damper instructions that came with mine said it should not slide right on - if it did, return it. i dont know if such a tight fit is normal, but im glad it fit so snug (and glad i used never seize on it).

good luck.

bmo37 · May 22, 2004

i guess it all comes down to the manufacturing process, some get really tight where others slide right on, My dampers have always been in the middle i could get them on by banging on them but they weren't so loose that it just popped right on with no pressure. I had a similar situation with the crank sprocket, previous svo timing sprockets slid right on whereas this time i had to carefully hammer it on with a 3" pipe and hammer. Just goes to show what type of qc some places have, in your case it can be the crank or damper manufacturer.

Michael Yount · May 22, 2004

bmo - I think you hit it right on the nail, or on the balancer with a block of wood, as the case may be. The tolerances just aren't that close crank to crank and balancer to balancer. Get a crank that's a few thousandths bigger, and a balancer that's a few thousandths smaller = tight fit. I've suppose I've lucked out; mine have slid on enough to engage the keyway, and then, while snug, pulling them on with the bolt was no problem.

I can tell you this - if you happen to remove the bolt, but forget to remove the washer before you attach your puller, you can bend the heck out of a puller before you realize that the balancer ain't movin'. Don't ask me how I know.

Syndrome Zed · Jul 2, 2015

I can tell you this - if you happen to remove the bolt, but forget to remove the washer before you attach your puller, you can bend the heck out of a puller before you realize that the balancer ain't movin'. Don't ask me how I know.

Heh, I know how - I had to replace the bolts on the puller I borrowed from Autozone

Installing the Harmonic Balancer!! How do i do it?

Kdubslugga

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