Removing harmonic balancer—how?

[leapdragon]

Hi all,


In an earlier thread, I was asking about getting the harmonic balancer off to replace it:
viewtopic.php?p=677366&hilit=harmonic#p677366

This last weekend I gave it a go, but was blocked in a place I didn't expect. My larger impact zipped all four bolts and the center nut off in no time flat, with no drama... and then I got completely stuck.

How do you get it off? It can't be a press fit, can it? (Or can it?)

If it is, how do I get a puller on it? The balancer is mostly blocked by bodywork, I don't feel like a puller will fit. Not to mention that there's a rubber ring and a puller that bites around the outside edge would just destroy it, leaving the center metal portion behind if it's press fit, no?

I tried walking, and I tried gently prying with a pry bar, but I didn't want to pry hard and risk damaging what's there. Reason: if I dislodge the outer ring and pop it off, leaving the center portion in place, I have no idea what to do that that point.

I guess I expected to be able to walk it off, at least if I sprayed some penetrant on it. But it doesn't budge at all, even with a pry bar, or with tapping around the face with a brass mallet the way you do with rotors. I fudged around with it for a couple hours and then threw my hands up, spun the bolts and the nut back into place, and am still driving with it.

Any advice appreciated!

[Vova585]

If you are determined to remove it.
1. Keep spraying good penetrant oil at the area around the ballancer/crank. Give it a week of two. Hopefully it will break the rust a little through engine heat cycles and vibration.
2. Get yourself a replacement ballancer from fcp. It is only $100. Piece if of mind to have one before staring this process.
3. Remove all bolts.
4. Ideally with small air hammer vibrate around the the crank bolt area.
5. Gentle prybar aproach with some backing on the engine side.
6. If not successful- prybar tension on yhe back with vibration around front area.
7. If failure is not an option- "whack a mole" it and remove it. (You have a spare one now as above. )
8. If all above sounds like too much and you need to have a car on a road..- bring it to a reputable shop and pay them to do the work while you are saving your time and nerves(even with this aproach it is not 100% that they would not have to use a new ballancer at the end if it is sitting there so tight)

[vtl]

Drill two holes 180 degrees apart, use bolts/etc to attach a chain or good tie-down strap, loop it through the wheel. Swing the wheel, the balancer will fly out. Replace the balancer, the rubber is dry and cracked after all those years and heat-cool cycles anyways.

[jonesg]

take one of the 4 bolts from the balancer and buy a couple of longer bolts, use a steering wheel puller.
install puller on the crank gear , pull both off together.
Once off its easier to deal with on the bench.

[leapdragon]

Thanks for your input guys, this is a place where I'm just lacking experience and also a mental picture.

There is no physical attachment between the crank gear and the harmonic balancer other than the 4 bolts and the positioning pin, true? So is this just a case of grime gluing the two together? There is no rust to speak of in this engine bay or on the bolts or balancer, so I doubt there's rust binding them together. Frankly this engine bay is also pretty clean, it's not caked in grease or grime.

Are the gear and the balancer attached in some more substantive way? I have a replacement balancer already from FCP and that's why I'm a bit mystified as looking at the new part, it looks as if it should just come right off, yet even with pry bar action there was just no movement at all.

Just confirming: with the 4 bolts and nut off, this is ultimately just a floating component, yes? Meaning: it *should* come off with some amount of force/vibration, there is nothing else that I need to detach/move/remove first? I would love to manage to get this done without having to remove and then reinstall the crank gear.

[vtl]

1x 32 mm and 4x 10 mm, all that holds it in place.

[ToyoToyo]

Harmonic balancers on these can get really stuck with rust, a long bolt threaded into one of the bolt holes with a washer behind it as a makeshift puller can work if you can't get a proper one in there.

[jonesg]

if you have a new one ......... hit it.

[cn90]

Just heat the interface at the center of the HB pulley using propane torch for a good 30 sec. Wait, then reheat. After a few cycles of heat/cool, it should come out with a tap by hammer

The crank oil seal is further in, so unlikely to be affected by the heat from propane torch.

This may be a good time to replace the oil seal if you wish.
Corteco or Volvo is the brand. There are some tricks involved.