Harmonic Balancer Removal? How!?
 

Hey all, new to the forum but have searched it over and it's looking great nonetheless. I dive and love my 88' Pontiac Bonneville.

I am in the process of replacnig my harmonic balancer, the rubber is cracked on it and it was making the most awful noise ever. I got the cap off it with that bolt attached. However my harmonic balancer doesn't have the 3 bolts that most of the pullers require to pull the crankshaft pulley off. Any ideas on how to get that harmonic balancer / crankshaft pulley off?

I've tried just regular pulling on it, nothing. I've tried using a gripper type puller that's not designed for this use and nothing. I can't use the pullers they sell or rent because of the lack of screws.

So I'm lost, any help on how to get that harmonic balancer crankshaft pulley off?
Thanks in advance,
John

There's no slots for any puller? Slide under the car and get a good size hammer and whack the back edge of the balancer. Or if you have an impact hammer use that while you have a buddy turn the motor over. Should work.

Well I've spent all afternoon hammering on the back and trying to pull the sucker off without luck. What's the trick with these things?

What do you mean by using an impact hammer while someone turns over the motor? I thought that was just to get the bolt out. The bolt came out easy, it's the pulley itself that doesn't want to release itself.

I'm pretty much at a loss as what to do now. I've tried pullers, hammering, pulling and all kinds of crud.

bal
 

When I did mine last month I hit the outer solid metal with a deadblow hammer.
Came right off. Then again the dealer removed it a couple years ago.
Try some penetrant in the shaft, let soak overnight.

No an impact hammer is different than an impact wrench. The impact hammer just uses air pressure to push a rod with a flat head back and forth. VERY powerful. You have a buddy turn the motor over so you get a chance to hit every angle of it, not just one side constantly. You may have to heat it up too.

can u get a pic of it?

impact
 

Alec,
I'm not sure he understands where your placing the impact hammer.
Could you explain in detail as I have never heard of this also.

Let me see if i can draw a picture, and get one of the impact hammer also...

Wait a moment...

Loading... 35% 53% 67% 84% 99%.... that period where it seems to sit at 99%... OK here u all go:

Impact hammer...
https://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y1.../airhammer.jpg

Just imagine like rod with a round flat head on it... i couldn't find a picture with it installed. They are interchangable. Every picture i see just has chisels pictured but i know they have hammer heads too.

And go underneath the car and use it here:

https://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y105/alec_b/block.jpg

That method might work great if you are replacing the balancer, but if you are just removing and replacing, it might damage the balancer.
What I do, if I can't use a puller, (its unavalible)(btw, you can use a puller, just bolt 3 bolts in the slots, and use an impact wrench to pull it out.) is I use the impact hammer, on the bolt, except the bolt has been unscrewed to let the balancer slide out. I have an assistant use prybars to pry the balancer out while i use the hammer on the bolt. I keep unscrewing the bolt some more, and more until the balancer comes out.

Are you sure a puller won't work? Take the new balancer to someone who has a supply of new bolts. Find the right size bolts, and get some washers. Put the bolts with the washers into the puller, and into the balancer. You will need the balancer's bolt removed btw. Use a regular rachet, if possible, or an impact wrench on the puller, and it slides out with ease.

Did you not even read his original post? He said both that he was removing AND REPLACING the balancer and that it did NOT have the holes for the puller. Make sure and read a little closer.