ok so I am having to replace the harmonic balancer........however I did something stupid......while trying to get it off I slipped and broke that sensor that is there. Is the Sensor not going to allow the car to start if its not there? and is it an expensive item as thereis a braket and such with it...the whole thing broke.... :(

thanks

Uh, yeah, that would be the crank sensor. No signal, no spark. You need a new one.

thats what I figured...thanks guys...its only 50 bucks CDN so its not too bad....I spent 225 with tax on the balancer so its not gonna break the bank

Something I have wondered for a long time since my torque wrench only goes to 150 lb-ft namely just how critical is the 219 lb-ft spec ? 30 seconds with a 1/2" air impact @ 90 psi ? Anyone really know ?

And while on that subject, the replacement balancers seem to come with a longer bolt than original. Any reason ? I heard there was a TSB at one point on the subject.

ok Im having a bitch of a time getting the balancer bolt off....how are you supposed to hold it still to get it off??? Anyone have any ideas??? Ive screwed it up royally and bent some of the metal tabs so it has to come off...not to mention I broke the sensor and the braket....ARRRRRRRGGGGG

ARRRRG....can someone tell me how to lock the damned harmonic balancer to allow the bolt to come off.....it just isnt coming off and me and my dad cant get it to lock.....so we can remove it......we tried for over 2 hours....!!!!

Well there are many ways to get the bolt out. Have you tried putting the wrench on it with an extension and cranking the motor over? That almost always will break it loose. As far as the torque setting, i just crank down on it until the bolt stops turning almost completely. That'* never been a problem.

will that work...turning it over while cranking on the bolt...it doesnt want to budge not one bit...doesnt even make a creek or sound or nothing........we get it to lock and my dad had his whole weight on it and nothing!....how can u hold the wrench while cranking it over without hurting yourself?

I just pulled one (original) when the rubber ceased. Used my 30 year old electric impact wrench but took a minute or so of kabanging before it loosened. Have seen the factory use "excessive force" before.

Alternative is to pull the plastic cover over the ring gear and lock it in place, are a number of small tools available for that. Then use a breaker bar (I have a 25 inch bar and a three foot piece of helper pipe if that is not enough.

Old timey trick is to apply max force on the breaker and then hit the head of the bar with a hammer. Homebrew impact. Often this will jar the bolt loose.

To me the hard part is getting the replacement bolt "tight enough" since my biggest torque wrench only goes to 150 lbs. and 219 or 220 lb-ft (both are in the FSM) is "more".