HELP! Harmonic Balancer Questions

[sirguise]

My wife and I recently purchased a 2005 Explorer with approx 42K miles on it. We purchased it a couple hours away from home and drove it back. When she pulled into the driveway there was an apparent belt squeak. After trouble shooting I found the alternator squeaked when turned. Of course I thought I struck gold. So yesterday, I replaced the alternator, tensioner assembly, idler pulley and belt. Looking at a job well done, I fired up the engine to find a horrible squeak, probably worse than before.

So after digging some more I believe I have found the issue and the reason for this post. It appears that the ribbed portion of the harmonic balancer is separating and has shifted forward causing the belt to be misaligned.

SO, Is there supposed to be any visible rubber (dampening material) between the ribbed pulley and the gear like portion? I haven't been able to find any close up images.

Is there any slack in the piece for adjustments? Or am I really going to have to replace it?

I don't mind getting my hands dirty, but this seems like it would be a serious PITA to replace due to the location of the fan. Is this worth doing or should I just take it to a shop? Anybody know how much this costs at a shop or dealership to replace?

Thanks for any help!

 

[crash594]

Its a replacement. I have only seen that on the 90's F250. You will need a puller and some access room. Others may be able to comment on OEM or aftermarket.

 

[rumpledoll]

I'll take a look after work today and try and snap a pic of mine, a 2002 V6 4.0L Eddie Bauer.

I had a belt squeak that was driving me nuts on mine, I finally solved it by switching to a Goodyear Gatorback serpentine belt. The Gatorback has a unique design with diagonal cuts going through the ribs. It completely eliminated a squeak that has been going on for years.

Rumple

SO, Is there supposed to be any visible rubber (dampening material) between the ribbed pulley and the gear like portion? I haven't been able to find any close up images.

 

[sirguise]

Update

Well I decided on taking it to the dealer. It definitely wasn't a simple belt issue as I found the harmonic balancer a good 1/4" out of line.

They pulled the balancer, found the the bolt had loosened and indeed the pulley had started to seperate. This in turn allowed the cam sprocket to slip and rotate out of position and in addition it seems to have stripped the threads in the sprocket/cam shaft. Basically, the engine needs to be overhauled to make the repairs or put in a used replacement engine (which is actually a little cheaper and has a better warranty).

So, for going against my better judgement and buying another Ford (remember 2005 with only 42k miles no less), I now am going to go into the hole for $2500 to repair it. This is my 7th Ford vehicle and I swear on my life, I will never buy another.

I made that same promise to myself after number 6 and am really wishing I had kept it.

 

[crash594]

wow I have had Ford for years along with most of my family and never heard of that.

 

[aldive]

Seems excessive to replace a damper.

 

[sirguise]

Except that the cam sprocket seperated from the cam shaft and the key way that "locks" it in place is now out of line (and likely gouged the end of the cam). In addition the mangled threads. They said they could try and re-tap the sprocket/cam, but there is no guarantee it would hold. In addition, since the sprocket is misaligned they can't set the correct timing nor can they realign without disassembly.

And trust me, I went yesterday afternoon and saw the parts as it was on the lift, it's all true.

 

[sirguise]

wow I have had Ford for years along with most of my family and never heard of that.

They mentioned it's only the second one they've ever seen this happen to. Guess I'm just lucky that way.

 

[crash594]

I would have them tap it and then trade it. But I would really be on them for warrenty. Call the main Ford number and make some noise. What are they going to do say no. It sounds like a MFG defect to me.

 

[sirguise]

I would have them tap it and then trade it. But I would really be on them for warrenty. Call the main Ford number and make some noise. What are they going to do say no. It sounds like a MFG defect to me.

Well NO is exactly what they said. I guess that's Ford quality for you. I even asked the guy to dispute my claim that they should be ashamed putting this type of quality on the road and he was speechless.

So I guess any of you approaching 40-50k miles, be aware that you too may be replacing the enging at your own expense.

Built Ford tough my a$$. Should have bought my wife the Toyota Rav 4.

Even the Ford service guy who came over from GM said GM would cover something like this in a heartbeat. Yet here I sit with a broken down piece of **** that even the manufacturer won't stand behind.

Fix it and get rid of it is the best idea I've heard yet. It'll be the last Ford I ever own, period. Every single Ford I've owned (this is the 7th) I've gotten rid of because of bizarre noises, crappy dealerships etc. What the hell was I thinking when I bought this piece of crap? I should've known better.

 

[JT in MD]

I did some searching and I decided to ressurrect this old thread. My 2005 XLT 4.0L has 38,000+ miles on it. I did the exact same thing as the OP: replaced alternator, belt, tensioner, idler pulley and each time the sound got worse. Finally, I gave up and took it to the shop and they replaced the crankshaft damper pulley - to the tune of $670 (much less than the poor guy who paid $2500, but still expensive). Anyway, for a vehicle with 38000 miles this seems ridiculous - the pulley did exactly the same thing as the OP's: it separated from the rubber. The mechanic said he's never seen anything like it and of course Ford is not admitting that there's any kind of defect.

Now the reason for my post - is there anything that causes unusual wear on this component? Or is this just a flat out defect?

Seems unusual, but at least the sound is gone.

 

[2000StreetRod]

harmonic balancer failure

The link below is to a thread I wrote a while ago about what just happened to you. Your failure is one of the costliest I've heard of.

Harmonic balancer failure

 

[Chucks Stude]

Wife's 2004 with 54,000 miles just spun the harmonic balancer. Mechanic said he had never seen anything like it. My full sized 2004 truck has 180,000 on it without this kind of non-sense going on. Is there a recall or anything like that?