Harmonic balancer question

[TJR]

Are you positive the pullies lined up perfect before?

I'm pretty sure they did.

Did you replace the water pump?

Yes, it was an Advance Auto Parts stock replacement. It had been sitting in my garage for a year now, so I decided to throw it on.

What did you torque the balancer center bolt to (how many pounds)?

I believe it was 80 ft/lbs. I went by the spec listed in my Haynes manual.

Did you try hitting the balancer to get it the rest of the way in (this is often the cause because the weighted part of the balancer has been knocked off center slightly at one point)(for future reference, NEVER hit the balancer while trying to install it)?

No, I have a balancer puller/installer tool that I used to remove/install it. I got it from Summit racing.

Did you use a new key on the crank, or the same one as before?

I used a completely new timing set. I don't remember the brand off the top of my head, but it is a 9 keyway double roller.

Did you coat the inside of the balancer (where it rides on the crank) with anti-seize before installation?

No, I put a tiny amount of oil on it.

If you did the above, and are sure the balancer is sticking out more than before, the only possibility is that the crank gear in your timing set is thicker than the one it replaced. You should be able to see a wear mark on the balancer where it enters the seal if it's sticking out more than before.

I can see a wear mark on the balancer. It's about a 1/16-1/8 of an inch wide. I can tell that it is not on as far as it was when I took it off.

Does it hurt anything if the new crank gear is slightly wider than the stock one?

I'll check all that stuff you mentioned in the second part. I hope the crank snout isn't bent. How hard is it to bend one? Here's the method I used to break the balancer bolt free. I put two bolts directly acrossed from each other in the balancer crank pulley holes. I then wedged a long bar between them and the ground to keep the crank from turning while I broke the bolt free. Is it possible that this method caused damage to the crank and/or the balancer? What's the best way to keep the crank from spinning when trying to break the crank bolt free?

Thanks for your help! I hope I can solve this without having to rebuild my engine.


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1989 lx notch
89,000 miles
5-speed, bolt-ons,3.73, TFS TWs, TFS Track Heat, TFS Stage 1 cam