stock balancer go bad?

woodyy24 · May 24, 2006

i can hear a ticking/ knocking noise its in the front and appears to be coming from the balancer, it looks like its wobbling while its running but the pulley stays nice and straight. could the weight on the balancer be making the noise? i looked all around it and it looks like the ring between the weight and where the pulley mounts is messed up in a few spots.

edit: all the bolts are tight on the pulley

jrichker · May 24, 2006

The 5.0 balancers frequently fail and cause problems. A parts store replacment unit is $50-$75, a high performance balancer will be an easy $250-$300. The high performance units are for engines that spend large amounts of time above 4500 RPM or are wound up beyond that on a regular basis.

fordman54935 · May 24, 2006

The balancer can be wobbling yet the crank pulley will still run true because the pulley is bolted to the center hub of the harmonic balancer, and the balancer weight itself is held to the center hub with a rubber ring, so they are prone to letting go with time/mileage. The balancer could make all sorts of noise if it is rubbing against the timing chain cover, oil pan or timing pointer.

woodyy24 · May 24, 2006

thanks, looks like i need a new balancer.

woodyy24 · May 24, 2006

any recomendations on good replacement?

Skoobie · May 24, 2006

I went with a parts store replacement and did it on the street. Took a few hours but its not too hard, just get a puller. 2 years later of spirited driving and no problems yet.

HISSIN50 · May 24, 2006

When doing a decent amount of research some time way back (I hadnt seen Jrichker's endorsement of Dorman and other such brands yet), I narrowed it down to the PP street unit (80 bucks) or the non SFI Pioneer (3021 IIRC), also in the same price range.

The Pioneer SFI units can be had for about double the prices above and should work well. Romacs, at over 200 beans, do well with regular 1320 guys.

One note - if lookin on ebay, etc for a balancer, pay attention to if you need a shim and cost of said shim - some shims are 15-20 bucks and can make a great deal on a balancer feel not so great.

Good luck.

fordman54935 · May 25, 2006

I replaced mine with a Ford replacement (non-SFI) from Summit. You could rent a puller from a chain auto parts store but they are only like 10 or 15 dollars if you choose to buy one.

Modular2v · May 25, 2006

if you have a puller it should only take you 10 -15 minutes to install

HISSIN50 · May 25, 2006

When doing the R/R, I recommend the install and removal tool (in one kit). I'm hinky with using the crank bolt to draw the new balancer on. The kit was about 80 bucks to have 'loaned' to me.

Good luck.

2000xp8 · May 25, 2006

I wouldn't use anything from a chain store, and definetely not a Professional products (unless you want your timing to be messed up).

Just get the Ford Racing stock replacement, it's only $85, it would silly not to.

90lxfoxbody · May 25, 2006

i got a puller from harbor freight dirt cehap and it has already proven worth its weight in gold. i replaced mine with an auto zone balancer and after two years of daily driving it still works just fine. if i ever go to a more radical setup i will change it out for favor of a more performance oriented one.

TheUser · Jun 25, 2006

I'm not sure how well the above pic will show the damage, but my rubber ring is all cracked and sticks out more from the balancer in some places than other. I don't know if the weight has "spun," though. The balancer did wobble before pulling the motor, so maybe it's time to replace?

After checking on ebay, I found a Steel balancer SFI approved for like $60. There was another one (see link below) for like $100 shipped and it has fluid in it. Anyone recommend that? It's not a race motor and probably won't spend much time above 4500rpm, but if I can get a good balancer for $100, I won't mind spending the extra $20-40.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/85-93-50-OZ-Fluid-Damper-Ford-5-0-Mustang-COBRA-TMD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33616QQihZ019QQitemZ8060745536

woodyy24 · Jun 25, 2006

i went and got a new one from advance auto. heres a pic of the old one, the front actually had a piece of the rubber missing!! i checked the timing before and after i changed it out... it was off 3*!!

edit: i have the same phone as you. lol

TheUser · Jun 25, 2006

I've decided on the the one from ebay, but the only issue I've ran into is the diameter. The ebay says:

This balancer fits all 82-95 302 and FORD 5.0HO Mustangs 50oz Imb. (Bidder is responsible for researching fitment)

NEW SFI 18.1 Approved (Fits 302 HO Ford 82-95) Fluid Damper. 6.625" Dia. This damper is manufactured from forged 1025 steel housing and filled with high viscosity silicone fluid.

Well, I found the diameter of my balancer by taking the circumference/pi (20.25/pi)and got 6.4457 so the diameter of my balancer is 6.4457, so that one is too big. What's up with that? The reason I found the diamter that way instead of measuring across is because it's more accurate opposed to "eye-balling" it w/ a ruler.

HISSIN50 · Jun 25, 2006

James, personally I wouldnt touch a fluid filled damper for your machine.

Also check brands with that ebay stuff - I'd rather have a non-SFI Pioneer (3021, IIRC) for 100 bucks than some generic SFI unit.

Good luck bud.

TheUser · Jun 25, 2006

Thanks for bringing me back to reality HISSIN. I got caught up in the SFI approved thing. I think I'll just stick to an autozone one. I'll save the expensive stuff for later.

HISSIN50 · Jun 25, 2006

I thought the exact same thing you did. After doing a lot of research, I came to the conclusion that SFI doesnt necessarily mean a whole lot. I had thought it had to be some great quality and what-not to qualify as SFI approved. Not so.

I'd choose brand over SFI status.

EDIT: I do recall folks getting SFI Pioneers for 150ish - not a bad deal IMHO at all.

TheUser · Jun 25, 2006

lol, after some more searching, I think I'll go w/ the Ford Racing balancer for like $70 from summit.

Another crazy question: should I go w/ an ARP balancer bolt? What exactly is the reasoning for an ARP bolt? I know they're stronger, so I guess it's just so it doesn't break? I wanna try to do things right this time, but I'm trying to stick to a budget

From what I understand from some google searching, SFI-Approved just means they're approved by a safety group to fit properly and have 4 bolts for the pulley. One racing group says if you don't have an SFI approved balancer, you must have a shield around your balancer, I guess so if it were to come loose. Neat

HISSIN50 · Jun 25, 2006

Exactly. Way back when, for some reason I thought that the SFI factor might mean the balancer was not as likely to slip. I think the outer ring is just captured though (no one quote me on that, as it's my conjecture).

Never tried an ARP crank bolt, so I'm not sure. But I'll give it a bump.

Good luck bud.

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