!!!!!Harmonic balancer stuck!!!!

[GUPPY]

Hey i am attempting to change the timing chain in my explorer but
i cannot get the harmonic balancer to break free.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks:exp:

 

[aldive]

Do you mean the bolt is not loosing?

 

[Josh]

I hate to ask the stupid question but, are you using a puller to remove it or just trying to pull it off?

 

[GUPPY]

Bolts off and a harmonic balancer puller i am using and its got so much preasure on it i am afraid of breakin it!

 

[wolfnutts]

if its not correct puller you will whorp it before you brk it when its bent your all done an u got to buy a new balancer

 

[Spdrcer34]

Heat up the balancer. If the balancer is cold (i.e. unheated garage) it makes it nearly impossible to press it off. As the steel has contracted on the crank snout. Warming it up a bit will allow the balancer to expand a little, and it will slide off a bit easier.

Case in point:

I had to install a new HiPerf (BhJ, SFI cert.) on my Olds350, it would NOT go on, no matter how much I tried. And I have the proper Balancer install tool/press! Well, I was working out side, in a covered carport. It was about 50 deg. outside. I took the balancer inside, put it in the oven @ 250 deg. Baked it for about 15 min. and went to go re-install it....it went on almost all the way by hand!...only the last 1/4" or so had be pressed on, and even THAT went on SUPER easy.....

Heat is your friend!

Ryan

 

[GUPPY]

hey thanks for that tip,i will heat it up.i am outside,coverd carport.
heat is my friend!
thanks again.

 

[Gleiter59]

Heat May Be My Friend

My harmonic balancer is stuck also. I have tried tapping on the puller which normally works and I've coated the center with PB Blaster, both of which are not working. Tomorrow I'll break out my heat gun and blow some hot air on it. Hopefully it will pop off. I have rebuilt many engines before and have never had this much trouble removing the harmonic balancer. I guess that Ford built it to stay on, not to come off.

Pete

 

[SeattleExplorer]

My harmonic balancer is stuck also. I have tried tapping on the puller which normally works and I've coated the center with PB Blaster, both of which are not working. Tomorrow I'll break out my heat gun and blow some hot air on it. Hopefully it will pop off. I have rebuilt many engines before and have never had this much trouble removing the harmonic balancer. I guess that Ford built it to stay on, not to come off.

Pete

Did you manage to get it off? I'm dealing with the same issue now. Hit it with a bunch of PB and let it soak over night, applied some heat, even broke a strap wrench holding the pulley while turning the puller-bolt. I did not imagine the pulley being this hard to remove!

 

[Spdrcer34]

This is how I removed mine...

Loosen the harmonic balancer bolt, the bolt should have about 10 threads left engaged with the crank....

And I know the following is going to sound weird, but just do it....

Remove a few of the bolts that are used to bolt the A/C compressor to A/C compressor bracket, and use THOSE bolts to go through the cast steel puller, and thread them into the balancer. The A/C Bolts are the perfect length, and the right thread size/pitch.

For pressing the balancer off the crank, use the 'flat' or 'top hat' shaped end on the center "pressing" bolt.

Place the flat end against the head of the harmonic balancer bolt.

Start turning the BIG bolt....


Eventually you will have to remove the balancer bolt as it will bottom out on the bolt before falling off the snout of the crank, but that iwll get you started, and you SHOULD be able to figure it out from there. If you can't figure it out, you PROBABLY shouldn't be swapping out your own timing chain.


Ryan

 

[angel1202]

help nothen is workin

I have tryed all the things that freinds and famly have suggested on gettin this harmonic balance pully loose but nothing is working so give some off.

 

[smegun]

same thing happened to me got to use the bolt not the pointy dome cap came with puller that just leans on the inner ring on the balancer looks like nose of crank but isnt crank is behind it youll notice that the harm bolt passes through the thickness of the harmonic without touching a thread untill you start screwn into the crank ...bolt isnt long enough to back out the harmonic though youll need to feed a smaller longer bolt in but be aware that the install process the thinner bolt wont have anything to grab onto and auto rentals arent showing me a bolt scenario that will accomodate putting the harmonic back on and the original bolt will be too short