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Weeks ago I set about to replace a dead water pump (Duralast). The only way to get it to fit was to remove the timing belt covers. I believe I put the timing belt on correctly as the car did run. I put the harmonic balancer (HB) back on and torqued it to ~ 100 ft lbs just to start it up and see if it would start and run. It was really rough but running and the HB was wobbling. Re-indexed the crank shaft after inspecting the end of the crankshaft and it all looks good. I torqued the HB bolt and it still wobbled. Bought a new HB and it still wobbles.
Took it to a mechanic to fix the wobble. Only $200 later he said that he fixed the problem.
See the attached image of the front crankshaft assembly. Just after the crank shaft gear (that drives the timing belt) goes on there is a thin concave washer that goes on followed by the HB and finally the bolt and thick washer. This concave washer has a small nipple in its outer edge and a mark for indexing the crank shaft. The nipple matches a mating key on the HB. When pushing the HB on the shaft the HB is gently and slightly rotated to align the nipple and to seat it so that the HB and the crankshaft gear are in proper placement. The crankshaft bolt and it’s washer are then torqued in place.
The mechanic said that I did not have the washer in the proper place and I had crushed the nipple and I had it 45 degrees rotated out of its proper position. Hmmm… so how was I able to drive the car to the mechanics with all that ???? I ask for clarification and I’m met with glazed over eyes. I don’t think they have a clue but I could be wrong.
Has anyone out there heard of damage done to a crankshaft by improper installation of an harmonic balancer?
Thank you in advance for any words of wisdom.
