Major Problem During Water Pump Install

[mpj76]

I just changed my balancer. The thing almost came apart in two. The rubber starting creeping out of place and was torn in some spots. The new one cost $80 at autozone. My steering wheel would shake bet. 800-1100 rpms and vibrate from 3000 up. The shaking kind of felt like braking with bad rotors. I only tolerated the shaking sympton for about one week. It was really easy to replace. You don't have to remove the radiator, fan, or shroud. After replacing it, the engine felt so smooth. It made me realize that the higher RPM vibration that I had for about a year and a half was due to the balancer when it first started getting worn. Your timing readings won't be accurate because the two pieces aren't lined up anymore like they used to be. When the shaking symptom started, I couldn't even pick the marks up with my gun.

Fun fact: Before liquid dampers, offshore boats with inboards would sometimes sink themselves when the balancer came apart at high speed and shoot through the bottom hull.