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Uh-Oh, I Think The Harmonic Balancer Is Bad...


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So the truck I just bought was making a squealing noise, I was thinking it may have been the water pump... actually after a good hour long drive the noise pretty much went away...

 

So I took off the serp belt today and turned the different pulleys/idler/etc.... long story short is I think I need a new harmonic balancer.

 

Just looking for a second opinion. The back of it has rub marks. I hope it's not too bad, I hope it didn't cut into the cover too badly. I just got it so I have no idea how long it's been like this.

 

Any specific recommendations on replacement part? I searched, a few guys had problems with Dorman, but overall almost any brand seems to be good. I've also read that this is a good time to do the crank seal on the timing cover... I only want to do this job once, any other advice?

 

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I stay away from Dorman products, especially for engine parts. They're okay for hardware and other smalls, but I don't want a balancer flying apart. A Mopar unit is the best, but a good quality replacement I like is the Pioneer brand. #DA-242 is the balancer for the Jeep 4.0L engines.

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There's a very good chance it's a bad harmonic balancer. Had the same persistent squeak on my Sons truck and finally someone on here recommended that a new HB would fix it and it worked. After I bought a harmonic balancer puller, realized that I could have used the old steering wheel puller I had. The bad HB had an irregular rubber ring and was slightly offset. Wore out.

 

I bought a Dorman from RockAuto but can't argue with going with a Mopar OEM replacement.

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For as much as I drive my truck any cheapo will work I think, even Dorman. I'll call some parts stores tomorrow to find out what brands they carry (not a whole lot of Dorman stuff here in Canada, well no big stuff, just the little stuff).

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Definitely change the seal while you have the balancer off. You might consider pulling the cover and checking the condition of the timing chain and sprockets. Don't know how many miles you have on yours, but at 190,000 plus the timing chain on my 88 had a LOT of slack. Seems to run smoother after the change.

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In the hole of the harmonic balancer, probably. It unbalances it, which may lead to premature failure. In the hole of the crank, yes, cause you won't be able to get the HB retainer bolt in.

 

I recently replaced my harmonic balancer because the rubber between the two sections was failing and the pulley was walking backwards. The balancer itself wasn't rubbing anywhere, but the belt was cutting a groove into the timing cover. Also, the pulley had some serious wobble to it.

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A question if one of my HB puller bolts is broken off still in the hole will it hurt anything?

 

The three puller holes were completely plugged with dirt and grime, had to be first found because it was not obvious they were even there, then chased with a Tap to clean them out.

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  • 1 month later...

 

A question if one of my HB puller bolts is broken off still in the hole will it hurt anything?

The three puller holes were completely plugged with dirt and grime, had to be first found because it was not obvious they were even there, then chased with a Tap to clean them out.

 

i put flanged   bolts in with anti-seize .....just to keep them clean for pulling

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Go ahead and pull the timing cover and check your timing chain slack. All it will cost is a timing cover gasket set and will either give you peace of mind about the condition or, if you have a lot of slack and replace the chain and sprockets, give you improved performance. It's not that much more work once you have the HB off.

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I recently changed my hb due to squealing. Very common for the rubber to go bad and the pulley drifts off center, then the v's in the belt make noise as they rub on the sides seating into the grooves. I sure wish I had checked my timing chain then as cruzer54 is now recommending I check the chain for a diesel sound I'm getting. I did change the thermostat and might go ahead a replace the water pump while I have it open.
 
Btw pulley misaligned is the number one cause of squealing and its pretty easy to diagnose http://www.cartechbooks.com/techtips/serpbelt/

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Have you done this yet. The mopar replacement "demonic balancer" requires you to pull the timing cover and remove a spacer for it to install properly. I'm not sure if the Dorman is the same.

I didn't when I installed my Dorman hb. But I don't think the one I pulled off was original... I seem to remember that it had a 2001 date on it.

 

When mine went bad, the serp belt didn't squeak on the pulley... the pulley walked back far enough though that the belt was cutting its way into the timing cover, which was squeaking a bit. Could be what a spacer might be for, but it hasn't been an issue yet, three months later.

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Have you done this yet. The moparreplacement "demonic balancer" requires you to pull the timing cover and remove a spacer for it to install properly. I'm not sure if the Dorman is the same.

The Dorman fits fine, no messing around with the cover. The thing you need to mess with is called an oil slinger, when using an OEM balancer (it's not a spacer).

 

The Dorman one is way cheaper too, I'd recommend it.

 

It's a good idea to change that front crank seal while you're there. Some guys recommend to take the timing cover off to check the chain for slack but I was lazy and didn't do that.

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