Harmonic Balancer UPDATED: the sh** has hit the fan!, do these really go bad??? the answer is YES! Options

[caszboy]

OK, so there was a slight ticking sound after i installed a new AC belt in attempt to get that fixed. The sound has slowly gotten louder over the last month or so. After inspecting a bit, i noticed that the crank shaft pulley "Harmonic Balancer" is wobbling and causing the sound. I took my car to a local car shop for them to trouble shoot my AC (which turned out i need a compressor, drier, and evaporator expansion valve..DOH!!) and to take a quick look at the pulley. The mechanic told me to replace my harmonic balancer.

so the question(s) is...Do these really go bad? do they bend or something? a harmonic balancer is a crankshaft pulley right?

thanks in advance.

casey

This post has been edited by caszboy: Jul 14, 2008 - 6:31 PM

[paul52]

so ..let me know if i understand this....
underdrive crank pulleys "make" that problem of those noises..and the shaking..and later maybe( i dont know) some bendings to the crankshaft?
but do aftermarket crank pulleys with stock sizes do the same?
thnx in advance

[ZGear]

so ..let me know if i understand this....
underdrive crank pulleys "make" that problem of those noises..and the shaking..and later maybe( i dont know) some bendings to the crankshaft?
but do aftermarket crank pulleys with stock sizes do the same?
thnx in advance

The noise can be anything related to spinning externally or internally of the engine so it's just not the balancer itself. From chirpping, whining, ticking, etc....One of the main symptoms of a bad balancer would be a visual wobbling. If things did go horribly wrong, yes it could damage the crankshaft opting even more money than just the balancer when you ignored the symptoms of replacing it. I had the same problem too when replacing my timing belt. Check the balancer to see if it needs replacement, there's a chance that the crankshaft bolt holding the balancer may have lost some threads. After having to torque the bolt so many times on my car, even with a good balancer the bolt would show a lot of wobbling. Toyota sells the bolt for 6 bucks so may as well replace it too.

As long as the aftermarket ones can take the pounding of the rotational mass stress. A lot of vibrations is counterweighted to the harmonic balancer, hence why it's called a balancer. Do not go cheap or use another type of balancer without proper research or the option of getting another one with ease. If you have an ABBCO Car Parts company near you, they offer lifetime warranty on harmonic balancers.

This post has been edited by ZGear: Apr 7, 2009 - 12:42 AM