vibration with original parts

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Mar 13, 2011 | 09:43 PM

hot rod vette 73

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vibration with original parts

I recently swapped out the pulleys, harmonic balancer, and fan on my 454 for the originals. I noticed taking the car out that the engine was sluggish compared to before, the power steering was worse and there was a vibration throughout the entire car. I was thinking maybe it was a problem with the harmonic balancer. Anyone have some advice?

Mar 13, 2011 | 09:49 PM

bobs77vet

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From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod

yes....look closely at the fan clutch where it attaches to the shaft.....if that has any evidence of unevenness on that seal your harmonic balance maybe wobbling....not for nothing but how did you have that fan clutch stored? i wonder if the fluid is not distributed evenly

Mar 13, 2011 | 09:54 PM

hot rod vette 73

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the fan clutch was lying flat on the basement floor for a while, would that cause uneven distribution?

Mar 13, 2011 | 10:34 PM

bobs77vet

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From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod

Quote:

Originally Posted by hot rod vette 73

the fan clutch was lying flat on the basement floor for a while, would that cause uneven distribution?

yes, that is your problem...i dont know if they even out or not.....i guess just spin it every so often and see if you can redistribute it.......they must even out over time how else would they be shipped and sold?

Mar 13, 2011 | 10:41 PM

bobs77vet

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From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod

for what its worth

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=91210

maybe the new ones are tight and do not leak.....the old used ones are not as tight and the fluid leaks

Mar 14, 2011 | 02:09 PM

MelWff

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typically the box that the fan clutch comes in says store the clutch with the seal pointing upward so the fluid doesnt leak out. If there was no sign of fluid loss than the clutch is ok.

Mar 14, 2011 | 09:26 PM

hot rod vette 73

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well, I took off the fan and fan clutch- the vibration did not go away. then I took off the "new" 30 year old harmonic balancer - looks like the vibration is gone. I'm hesitant to put the old harmonic balancer on since I know that the outer ring of metal has slipped relative to the inner - I know this since the timing mark indicates approximately 25 degrees before TDC - which I know is not physically possible.

Any suggestions on who to purchase a "new" new harmonic balancer from?

Mar 14, 2011 | 09:44 PM

bobs77vet

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From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod

Quote:

Originally Posted by hot rod vette 73

glad to hear you isolated it...i think you can get one from any where....the key is the location of the index mark.....if its not the right one for your application the index mark will not line up to the timing tabs properly.....