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Harmonic Balancer


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Hey guys, it has been a while since I have had to ask for some help, but I have just found out that my harmonic balancer is giving up on me. Any recommendations on what brand you all would suggest? This is a first for us here at HPG. Thanks!

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I've got a Dorman brand one. Can't complain either. The one I replaced looked identical (wanna say same part numbers stamped on 'me but it was too long ago to trust my recollection) and was dated 2001 on the back. From other documentation that tells me it was on the truck for 12 years and over 100,000 miles.

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I figured I would go with a Dorman rather than the Napa brand if the shipping wasn't going to be awful. Has anyone tried the "Pioneer"? I have never heard of them, but they're priced like they are gold. I am hoping to pull it and reinstall it from the top with little-no issues. Rather not take the skid plate off for this job if I don't have to haha. 

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10-4. If the number checks out I will do so. Now, if this one happened to go bad and I couldn't get another like it and had to go with an aftermarket, would the shim need to be reinstalled or no? That is if I had to remove it of course.

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For the 97 and up balancers like this you can either remove the oil slinger, or bring the balancer to a machine shop and get .020" milled off the inner snout. But it's good to replace the timing cover seal, so I'd remove the slinger and replace the cover seal.

 

Yet I've read of many instances where these balancers were used on older engines with zero problems. I haven't installed mine yet, so I don't know. The aftermarket junk (Dorman, etc. ) requires the slinger (spacer).

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Just got my new harmonic balancer from the fella on eBay. I ordered one from Napa just in case the Mopar one required the slinger to be removed. The shaft on the Napa brand and Mopar brand are identical. If I have time I will try installing the balancer this evening. I will let you all know what I come up with. If it works I will be sure to save the part number to maybe save some confusion in the future. OH, the Mopar harmonic balancer pulley also has the AB suffix. 

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33002920 is the old part number. Around 1997 they added the suffixes -AB then -AC to the part number. The one I got is an -AB. Those with the letter suffixes were "supposed" to be .020" longer to make up for the thickness of the oil slinger. The install instructions also state this. But I have read that installing with the oil slinger works just fine w/o removing the slinger, and also just as many stating that the oil slinger needs to be removed. Personally I can't see how .020 would make much of a difference

 

So yes, go ahead and install it and see if the belt grooves line up as before and let us know.  :thumbsup:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just got my new harmonic balancer from the fella on eBay. I ordered one from Napa just in case the Mopar one required the slinger to be removed. The shaft on the Napa brand and Mopar brand are identical. If I have time I will try installing the balancer this evening. I will let you all know what I come up with. If it works I will be sure to save the part number to maybe save some confusion in the future. OH, the Mopar harmonic balancer pulley also has the AB suffix. 

 

Did you get this installed?

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Been busy with other stuff lately and haven't had much shop time. Friday night we got the new HB installed, but I went with the Napa brand one. I must have gotten my numbers mixed up because my brother took the micrometer to the Mopar and Napa one and sure enough the Mopar has a .20" longer shaft. Anyway, I chickened out. I can't imagine it not working, but if it was just off a little and I did not notice it I wasn't sure what would happened or if something would break. I guess I'll have a spare until the next time one needs replaced and then Ill remove the slinger. 

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