harmonic balancer??????

[Anonymous]

On my 1982 stang I was told my key something on the harmonic balancer(??) was stripped. So now the bottom pulley is wobbling so bad that you here a nasty metal rubbing against the block and it is slowing the other pulleys down to where the power steering and the fan barely turn and it heats up ??!!?? Any ideas what the problem is and how to fix it ??

 

[Anonymous]

it sounds like the key is stripped . that is the peace that looks like a half moon or a rectangle piece that goes in the slot cut into the crankshaft. your harmonic then slides over it and it keeps it keyed to the proper place on the crank. you might be able to pull the balancer off and put in a new seal and key and be good to go but i am betting you have done some damage to the timing cover at the least .

 

[Anonymous]

So are we talking something that can be done in your own garage or does it require special tools ??? And when you say damage how serious are we talking ???

 

[Anonymous]

well you might need a puller to get the balancer off or you may just be able to pull it off by hand. you most likely will need to replace the timing cover. the balancer may have just come apart also. i am not sure if it is the 2 peice kind or not. if it is the rubber in between the two parts sometimes falls apart so the inside that is on the crank turns and the outside with the belts dont turn . you shoould be able to remove and replace it in your own driveway. does it still run smooth or is it missing and running bad ?

 

[Anonymous]

Well it is stalling and i thought it may be due to the accessories slowing down because of the wobbly pulley, even the fan is barely turning. How much $$$$$ are we talking if I try this ??? And is this a kit or sold seperately ?? If I do this should I try from top or bottom of engine/????

 

[Anonymous]

if i were going to do the job i would take off the belts on the balancer first to see if it is in two pieces. i would see if i can turn it with hands or if it falls apart in them. then i would drain and remove the radiator . the fan.all of the other pesky things in the way of the front of the engine then i would pull the balancer or waht is left of it and see what else if any thing is damaged. i have no idea what it will cost to fix . you might check online and see if you can get an idea of what a balancer will cost and a front seal too .

 

[MustangSix]

If the key is sheared, you may have sustained some damage to the balancer and possibly the crankshaft snout.

 

[Anonymous]

SO are we talking bad news are it can easily be fixed ?

 

[MustangSix]

If it's just the key way, yes, a relativley easy fix. Pull the balancer, timing cover, timing gears, replace the key, new timing gears, front seal, gaskets, reinstall balancer, and you are on your way.

If the balancer wobbled a lot and severely gouged the crank and wore the balancer out, then no, not an easy fix. In that case, you would need a balancer, new crank, bearings, seals, gaskets......major repair.

If this has been like that for some time, I think there will be some damage to at least the damper.