How to: 4.0 Harmonic Balancer - know when it's going bad & how to fix

[bmagsanay]

Water Pump Pulley "Play"?

My serpentine belt "let go" while driving my 2001 Sport Trac 4.0L. I replaced the belt and tensioner pulley assembly, but chirp and another sound (clacking?) remain. I noticed the belt will not stay in the grooves of the crank pulley. The harmonic balancer/pulley assembly looks ok and I don't detect any play or looseness in the pulley.

However, the water pump/fan pulley DOES have play when I move a fan blade back and forth, between engine and radiator. Should this pulley have play like that?
Thanks for any feedback.

 

[trump]

I have a whining noise or a humming noise on my 05 4.0 only on acceleration that I can't hear at idle. Coulld the balancer be causing the whine or the hum?

 

[RickOTR]

This is all very interesting. I've had a faint rattling sound under my truck for a while now that I cannot solve. It sounds like a baby rattle by the balancer, but I cannot be 100% sure that's what it is. Could it be the 4x4 balance shaft chain riding against that tensioner...

 

[Teejay4490]

Sooooo... I just had my harmonic balancer, the bolt and basically the whole assembly replaced...

ITS STILL CHIRPING!!

Is the new one bad or what? My previous one chirped for 2 years lol.

 

[jstorm001]

I have replaced the alternator, idler pulley and tensioner pulley in an effort to stop the ridiculous chirp i am hearing on my '04 X. I have checked the crank pulley for any wobble or looseness by hand and nothing moves. When I pulled the belt off, it had a slight stickiness to the crank pulley (I had sprayed belt dressing on it a few weeks prior). The chirp is only there in colder weather and when using the fan for heat or A/C when stopped. The crank pulley does show some signs of wear. Could it be that I just need to replace the pulley?

I used belt dressing on my belt beginning of the year it was the worst thing I ever used It made my belt chirp & squeal and caused Slippage on the pulleys I had to replace the belt and clean all that crap off the pulleys still chirped but within a month or two stopped .It claimed it helped the belt last longer & helped pulleys with less wear and tear only reason I used it ! Worst mistake ever!!!

 

[butch86]

I think the issue with the balancer is from excessive heat. We all have had an issue with the junk radiators in these vehicles and i think the extreme heat due to overheating kills the rubber on the balancer .

I just noticed on my 06 last night when doing an oil change the rubber is cracking and pushing out from between the hub and outer ring.

Is ther a way around taking the front cover off the engine to replace this balancer?

 

[chopperb]

Did mine today. Had a low speed rattle because of the ring in the old balancer coming loose and rolling around.

 

[05explorerXLT]

Is there any other symptoms besides noise? The reason I ask is because I have a loping or wobbly type idle with no noise. It idles rough for 2 seconds and the next 2 seconds it idles perfectly. It does this over and over whether your in drive or park.

When I check the balancer visually it looks perfect. I don't see any noticeable dancing or run-out. However when I look at the belt tensioner it has a slight bobble back and forth.

 

[flyinggreasemnky]

I have a whining noise or a humming noise on my 05 4.0 only on acceleration that I can't hear at idle. Coulld the balancer be causing the whine or the hum?

Did you find the cause of this because I'm having the same problem.

 

[TheGTkid]

gonna get a quote to see how expensive the repair is... if not is it hard to replace on your own, how long did it take?

 

[MattysTA00]

I think i may have this issue but i can't tell for sure, I have a 2003 mountaineer 4.0l and just recently i started hearing a noise like a chirping sound while the truck is running. it definitely is coming from the balancer area as far as i can tell. Here's what i have done so far- I replaced the tensioner, I also ran the motor for a minute without the serpentine belt hooked up and the noise is still there. It also follows the rpms. I think its either the balancer or a bad crank/rod bearing. The tensioner jumps around slightly and at a constant. but watching the balancer while it's running it doesnt look like it's moving in or out at all... i really hope it's not a bearing issue. The truck has a 104,000 miles. What's everyone's thought's? Thanks in advance...

 

[chopperb]

If it was rod or crank bearing it would knock. See if you can pull the outer part of the balancer towards the front of the truck. Any movement means it is bad.

 

[MattysTA00]

Thanks for the reply, It doesnt quite sound like a knock. It sounds more like a chirping/rubbing sound. I even took off the crank sensor to see if there was any rub marks on it but there wasn't. I did try and pull on the outer part of the balancer but it barely moved, so little infact it almost seemed like it didn't move at all if that makes sense. I even used my stethoscope on it and it seems the noise is strongest by the crank. Its tough to track that down since it travels so much.... it's raining now but the next step im going to take is to paint a line on the front of the balancer where both parts meet and run it a bit to see if the line becomes mis-aligned. hopefully it will be so i can rule out a bad crank bearing.

 

[MattysTA00]

What is that plastic collar at the base of the balancer? is it to cover the front seal? i flicked on it with my finger and the noise sounds alot like the noise im hearing while it's running... hmmmm. the line i painted on the balancer didn't move ether.

 

[Thuggsy]

looks like mine needs replacing
(belt tensioner flutters)

i might just go underdrive

 

[scdix50]

Working on my old 00XLT, brother now has it. Drive belt jumping one grove to the back of harmonic balancer. Was replaced 14K ago. Replaced factory HB at 178,00 mi. for doing the same thing. Nothing on the front of engine is old. What can I try? The updated one is not listed for an 2000.

 

[gdy]

Hi Cobra Jet, very good and thorough post. I need to replace the harmonic balancer on a 2005 Ford Explorer 2.0. I am trying to decide whether to do it myself or take to Ford. One thing I am confused about and hope you can help me. Some of the posts say you have to secure the harmonic balancer to keep the engine from turning and getting out of time. Other posts say you don't have to worry because there is a keyway and the harmonic balance can only go in one way. I am worried about the engine turning backwards when I loosen the harmonic balancer bolt. Thanks

 

[Dredwolf]

Has anyone got any further details on doing this with the motor still in the truck?

We are about to head out on a long trip, and I noticed "the chirp" a few weeks ago. I have replaced the idler pulleys, but still have the chirp. I will check the balancer tonight for signs of failure, but obviously this is not something I want going out in the middle of Utah.

I prefer to do all the work myself, but we are running short of time before we leave, and I have one weekend left that was supposed to be spent packing the vehicle and simple pre-trip maintenance. For those that have done this with the motor in the truck, any tips, suggestions, lessons learned would be hugely helpful.

 

[boominXplorer]

Has anyone got any further details on doing this with the motor still in the truck?

We are about to head out on a long trip, and I noticed "the chirp" a few weeks ago. I have replaced the idler pulleys, but still have the chirp. I will check the balancer tonight for signs of failure, but obviously this is not something I want going out in the middle of Utah.

I prefer to do all the work myself, but we are running short of time before we leave, and I have one weekend left that was supposed to be spent packing the vehicle and simple pre-trip maintenance. For those that have done this with the motor in the truck, any tips, suggestions, lessons learned would be hugely helpful.

I can be done by just taking the fan shroud and fan off if you like working in tight quarters. If you take the radiator out you have plenty of room.

 

[Dredwolf]

I can be done by just taking the fan shroud and fan off if you like working in tight quarters. If you take the radiator out you have plenty of room.

Thanks for the info, I will be checking it tonight. Is the OEM part the only choice, or will a chain-store replacement suffice?