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Attempting to get my fan pulley and fan back on my recently rebuilt engine. To my horror I find that the water pump/alternator pulley when snugged up securely to the water pump flange IS CONTACTING THE HARMONIC BALANCER. What a revoltin' development. The balancer sticks out beyond the bottom of the water pump just a little less than 1/4". What could have happened here? Original pump pulley which was on the car before the overhaul. Is it possible that the balancer is not all the way on the crank? I'm attaching a photo, but I can't rotate the photo.
Any ideas would help. Surely I'm not facing pulling the engine again!
You can see the paint scraped off the balancer when I turned the engine over (but I did not crank it).
It's possible the balancer isn't fully seated on the crank. You'd see that right away if the grooves on the crank pulley don't line up with the grooves on the water pump pulley. If the balancer, water pump and the pulleys are the same as were on the motor before, there really isn't any other reason for the interference. If you don't have a balancer "presser onner" tool, get one. You can do a lot of damager to a balancer and/or the threaded hole in the crank using anything else. Seems unlikely you'd have to pull the motor even if the balancer has to be replaced.
How does the alternator pulley line up with the water pump and balancer pulley?
If you changed water pumps, maybe the new pump hub is pressed on too far?
If you don't discover anything here, remove the crank pulley, the crank bolt/washer and grab a two pounder and see if you can bump the balancer back further.
I have no idea why tearing down the engine would fix anything here.
I put a harmonic balancer installer on and torqued it as much as I could. The balancer is apparently on as far as it will go. I put some thin washers under the water pump pulley to space it out slightly. The alignment of the pulleys is now good and I've got clearance from the balancer. So, I'm going to try to find a spacer to go under the pulley (which I have heard exists) and replace the washers which I am sure would do the pulley in over time..
Not that simple to pull out once assembled.
You risk damaging the seal. Unlikely, but the risk is there.
You "could" use a slide hammer with the pump on the car, but you really need to take the backing plate off the pump and use a hydraulic press to move the shaft forward ".030" or whatever is required to bring it to match the lower pulleys. I can't recall if there is snap ring holding the front bearing in position, or if it will just (possibly) move with the shaft.
I am an expert at rebuilding Ferrari water pumps as rebuild kit is $100 vs $800 for pump. I have not personally done a Chev pump, other that read the rebuild instructions.
Use the spacer. Use a bit of weather strip adhesive to keep it in place on the pump flange.
Doug
It's pretty common on a BBC to not Get the damper pulled all of the way back on. They are really tight. The snout of the crank should be about 1/8-3/16 of an inch from being flush inside the damper. When you say you used an installation tool it better be a really good one with a bearing. A BB will use up a cheap puller or installation tool real quick. And oh the horror but before there was an installation tool mine was a trailer hitch ball where the boltcame up through the bottom. I only used the ball portion and a bfh and drove many on. When I say many the engine shop I supervised in the 80s did about 2000 a year and we didn't even have an installation tool back then.
How do you pull the water pump hub out? I don't see any adjustment on my stock pump
Basically you need a small puller with a center drive that will hook under the pulley mounting flange with the tension shaft bearing on the end of the WP shaft then just tighten the puller and carefully pull the flange forward. Possibly a tie rod puller or pitman arm puller might fit. You want to go in small increments and check as you go since if you pull it out too much, you will have to pull the WP, remove the back cover and then put it in a hydraulic press, with the rear of the shaft bucked up to move it back.
Basically you need a small puller with a center drive that will hook under the pulley mounting flange with the tension shaft bearing on the end of the WP shaft then just tighten the puller and carefully pull the flange forward. Possibly a tie rod puller or pitman arm puller might fit. You want to go in small increments and check as you go since if you pull it out too much, you will have to pull the WP, remove the back cover and then put it in a hydraulic press, with the rear of the shaft bucked up to move it back.
Why would he need to or why would you suggest pulling the water pump pulley register forward if they are previously used components? If it all lined up before the only variable is you don't have the damper on all of the way.
Why would he need to or why would you suggest pulling the water pump pulley register forward if they are previously used components? If it all lined up before the only variable is you don't have the damper on all of the way.
We don't know if the water pump is the same one that was on there before the engine rebuild. Maybe it's a different pump. If so, there's his problem---The pump hub is pressed on too far.
Why would he need to or why would you suggest pulling the water pump pulley register forward if they are previously used components? If it all lined up before the only variable is you don't have the damper on all of the way.
I was simply providing a direct question to Tom's specific question. I can't trouble shoot how the damper is installed for here. But I do know how to adjust water pump pulley hubs forward and press them backwards.
I like the old adage 'if you hear hoofbeats think horses not zebras'. It worked before he worked on it now there's an issue. I wouldn't suggest getting a blueprint and then removing the crank and measuring from the thrust bearing, datum, to where the front of the damper should be I would just check and make sure the damper is seated. I'm not saying anyone suggested the water pump is wrong, the responce on how to pull the flange forward is correct. But far more likely the damper is not in the right place.
I like the old adage 'if you hear hoofbeats think horses not zebras'. It worked before he worked on it now there's an issue. I wouldn't suggest getting a blueprint and then removing the crank and measuring from the thrust bearing, datum, to where the front of the damper should be I would just check and make sure the damper is seated. I'm not saying anyone suggested the water pump is wrong, the responce on how to pull the flange forward is correct. But far more likely the damper is not in the right place.
I thought all your concerns were pretty well covered in post #3? Questions by the way that were never addressed by the OP so until he does, I don't see any need for further suggestions. Do you?
12-07-2018, 02:43 PM
Water Pump Pulley contacting Balancer 427/425
