VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc harmonic balancer and tool

On page 5 of the 1937 service tools manual, it shows the harmonic balancer remover and replacer tool J-967.

To remove, it says first remove 2 bolts in the blancer.

To replace, the final step is to reinstall the 2 bolts in the balancer.

Correct me if I am wrong, but there should be no bolts in the balancer when installed. If there were, it would lock up the balancer and turn it into a solid pulley.

Can I assume that the instructions per Kent-Moore are incorrect?

I don't have the info that you do but....There should be no bolts in the holes EXCEPT when the balancer is driven back in place. Bolting it up solid prevents damaging the rubber mounting between the hub and outer rim. Other than that the bolt holes are for the puller bolts.
I use a good sized hammer to drive the balancer on with a short piece of pipe placed around the crank fitting in the center. don't pound on the outer rim.
They go on fairly easy.

Gene, thanks for the quick reply...to all of my questions.

A 37 shop manual shows the tool I refer to as well.

I agree no bolts after it is installed.

I would like to clarify a misconception also. There is no rubber in a 1937 harmonic balancer. I recently tore one apart for curiosity and also to use the core as a timing cover seal centering tool. I had to hone it out considerably to make it slide on and off by hand. Kent-More shows a special tool for this purpose and this was my way of improvising.

I find that these balancers don't go on easy at all, even with press fit lube. You have to be careful not to pound on balancer too hard, as you can bend the tangs the hand crank hooks into...but you still need to beat the heck out of it. I used a block of hardwood to cushion the impact of the hammer. Even knowing there is no rubber in it, you also can't heat it to expand it's size, as the heat will probably destroy the timing cover seal.

I considered using a pipe, as you described, but the pipe would be pounding on the outer pulley and spring assembly, not the center core that fits over the crankshaft.

Thats correct....the "rubber" type balancer was new for 1939. The older spring style should be bolted tight also though....unless your real careful as to not strike the outer hub.

I have nearly destroyed a 1931 balancer by pounding it on with a wood block and without bolts to hold it together. With the metal spring "washers" get distorted by the shock and strain. It is then necessary to take the balancer apart by carefully straightening the staking, reshaping the bent "springs" and then carefully staking back. It may be necessary to put a small spot weld to hold the retainers to the studs. So be sure to secure the two parts of the balancer together before even thinking about driving it back in place!

Chipper,
I am sure that the balancers on many of our cars have been removed and replaced more than once, often by some back-yard mechanics. How would one determine if it has been damaged if its on a running engine installed in the car?...noise?

Gene,
Two indicators! One the plate on the back side toward the timing gear cover wiggles as the engine runs. If just a little loose there is not much noise so is hard to hear it over the running engine noise. Moderate loose it makes a kinda vibrating humming sound. If really bad it hits the cover and makes a terrible noise.

I have an answer, I have a 1953 Canadian Motor that has the two bolts, they hold on the actual crank what ever you call it, that the hand crank fits into that you can turn the engine with.That is why you take out the bolts, so you can use the holes to install the puller.The bolts are not long enough to touch the timing cover.

There should be no bolts in those holes after the balancer is installed. The holes are for the puller when removing and when installing bolts are placed in the holes and tightened to prevent the balancer from seperating when it is driven on. After the balancer is installed the bolts are removed and the holes left open. With the bolts installed the balancer is solid and will not dampen the harmonics. If the balancer comes apart when the bolts are reoved it is "shot".

Since you mentioned the “rubber” support between the hub and weight on the later balancers Gene I thought I might throw this out to see if I could get some opinions. Something that has always bothered me about 50, 60 or 70 year old balancers is that rubber. Those balancers like the rubber motor mounts nine times out of ten spend their lives soaked with motor oil and we all know what that does to rubber. Even if it was lucky enough to be on a motor that wasn’t puking oil out the front seal it should have dried out from old age like the rest of us.
So just exactly how good is it at it’s original job of “damping” out the harmonic vibrations of our cranks after all these years??
I have never talked with anyone that has bothered to send theirs in when they “rebuilt” their engines. I would bet that it’s an often-neglected part of the engine rebuild. Those in the know and well versed in engine rebuilding, i.e., the professionals, place a lot of importance on proper servicing or replacement of the balancer rather than just hammering on an old damper like many of those backyard mechanics you mentioned do.
There are many rebuilding services out there and a simple Google search turned up a bunch, here are just a few: http://www.dalemfg.com/harmonicbalancer_018.htm , http://www.damperdoctor.com/Merchan...&Store_Code=DD&Category_Code=CUS , http://www.winslowmfg.net/

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL