I finally found some time to take apart the car to do the water pump and thermo and decided to take a look at the Opti but the friggen Harmonic is NOT moving at all. Took off the 3 bolts, sprayed the shaft with WD-40, been tapping/banging on it from the rear for 2 hours and nothing!!!!!!

I am careful not to hit the outside part, and also not to hit the center hub it's mounted on but it refuses to budge! I've rotated the engine a few times to make sure I get even distribution but .... nothing. Even tried AutoZone's rental tools but none will fit in the 1 inch or so space from the pully to the cross member. Any other tips?

So much for trying to do some preventive maint ......... :(

 

You're not hitting it hard enough. Get a piece of wood and regular hammer. Crawl under the car and align the wood on one side of the balancer. Now whack the other end a few times with the hammer. Don't be skiddish!! Then move it to the other side and whack a few more times. Mine took about 6 times (3 on each side) to come loose. Then just pull it off :)

 

Also try Liquid Wrench instead of WD40. And soak the hub center, both from the front and rear.

 

Try a bigger hammer!!! :smash: A 2x4 alternating on both sides should do the trick. :yesnod:

 

When you get it off, clean it and put anti seize on the hub and balancer where they mate. You might want to put a paint mark on the balancer for #1 TDC. It lines up with the arrow in the center of the balancer front face.

 

Thanks for the tips but I can't see how anyone fit's a wood product in there without it falling apart before getting the pully off. I am using a 1/2 and 3/4 drive ratchet extensions and they just barely fits in the gaps (oil pan, oil lines, power steering rack, frame, etc..). How you get a 2x4 or similar piece in there is beyond me :confused: Heck, I almost cut up a broom handle but I doubt that it will fit in the area. So much for the book saying "No removal tool is neccessary". :(

The car came from the NC coast and it can be seen from the pully, it's kinda rusty (surface) and I'm sure that's my problem. I soaked it last nite in more oil so maybe it will be easier tonight when I tackle it again. Geez I hope so.......

 

Ask a mechanic...you should never beat on the balancer. It weakens the bond between the inner/outer rings (you don't want to be there when that comes apart) and it damages the front bearing. There has got to be a way to put a balancer-puller in there and remove it.

And as additional info, you should never beat it back on either. There is a tool designed to push it back into place. It screws into the center hole in the snout of the crank. The right tools can make your experience so much nicer....

 

Dragon2U,

The 2x4 piece of wood does not go in between the balancer and the front cross member!! Crawl underneath the car so your feet are sticking out the front and your head is below the tranny (make sure the car is properly supported first!!). Then get your piece of wood and put one end on the right rear of the balancer; you can see part of the balancer sticking out in front of the oil pan. Now whack other end of the wood with a hammer a few times. Now move the wood to the left rear of the balancer and whack a few more times. Repeat until it breaks loose. You will need to contort your body and the wood in various positions in order to align the wood and hammer, but I promise you, it can be done, even by the mechanically-inept such as myself.

 

I used to be a diesel mechanic so I know that a harmonic balancer is a bit touchy and that's why I'm having so may problems. I am tapping the center portion of the 2 piece pulley and not the outer area (bonded section). The HB on the 94's are designed so that there are no threaded bolt holes to bolt a removal tool to and there is no way to use an installation tool on it either due to the constuction. Well, that's not entirely true, one could use the 3 bolts that removed it to reinstall it if it needed help.

Here's the scoop: There is a center bolted "mount" that bolts to the crank, this is flanged with a 3 bolt Y adapter for the (2 piece) harmonic. You have very very little room in front for any tool, maybe 1.5 inches from pulley face to cross member. Absolutly no area from which to pry or leverage it off. From the rear you have to maneuver around all the before mentioned parts to get an angle on what little of the center is available. Not much at all due to the flange that it bolts to taking up most of the real estate on the back and the outer band of the harmonic taking up most of what's left.

I agree that I need to be careful but it's "supposed to" slip on and off. It's not in this case due to possible rust or something and that's what's making this 2-3 hour job take much more than it's supposed to and taking a toll on my patience. There was evidence that the water pump was a bit leaky so I'm glad I did the work, just not real happy right now ;)

 

94vette,
Ahhhhhhhh, I'm not trying anything from the front, just explaining to others what it looks like :) I am under the car and in the very awkward positions you mention. I can't see much room in there at all to get anything to tap off the HB from the rear but it's the only place to go and that is why I'm using slim metal tools. I have the car jacked up and have one of the wheels off to get better access but I'm here to tell ya it's just on there like "stink on poopy".

The rust from the salty air must have done a number on it and hopefully the oil I put on it last nite will do it's job. X'ing my fingers.

 

If you cannot get the pully section of the balancer removed from the hub then the next best thing to do is remove the hub and pully together as an assembly. Once you have the hub removed you can seperate the balancer pully from the hub on a bench. Everyone is correct and telling you that the only thing you are fighting right now is the rust.
If you elect to do the hub/pulley act you will need a harmonic balancer puller and the long threaded bolt will fit right throught the power steering line loop for access.

 

There is not enough room to pull them together.( I tried it on my 95). I just pulled my balencer off my GS and tapped from the rear and it poped right off after a few good solid hits. When I removed the one last year on my 95 I used a gear puller. This is the type with arms on it that are very short and removable. I put the bolt back in the crank to use the head with the puller pushing against it and turned the hooks outwards on the balencer. It poped right off this way also.

 

LT1_LT4 Balancer/Hub Removal
Unlike its SBC predecessor, the LT1/LT4 Balancer is a two piece assembly consisting of an (inner) hub, and (outer) balancer/pulley. Removal of the assembly can be frustrating if approached in the conventional way. By following the procedures below, you can safely and quickly remove the assembly with little or no problem.
1. Drain the radiator by opening the drain valve on the lower right hand (passenger side)
2. Remove the serpentine belt
3. Remove the upper radiator hose
4. Remove the water pump. When removing the water pump, it is important to remember that the LT1/LT4 water pump is attached to the engine with 3 bolts on each side, vs. its predecessor, which only had 2 bolts on each side. The center bolt on the driver side is a challenge, but can be removed without removal of the power steering pump. When removing the water pump, take care to remove the pump drive coupler along with the pump and place it on the pump drive shaft for use when re-installing the pump.
5. Mark the coil wire and all plug wires at the OptiSpark cap for easy reference when re-installing the OptiSpark unit after balancer seal repairs have been completed.
6. NOTE: There is no need to separate the balancer pulley from the hub if you intend to pull the hub off anyway. The only time you need to separate the pulley from the hub is if you are simply changing the OptiSpark. There is a match mark that is cast into the balancer assembly that allows you to mate the two pieces together in the exact orientation that they come apart. If you intend to separate the balancer pulley from the hub, locate the marks and make note for re-assembly.
7. The balancer pulley is attached to the hub with three bolts. The bolts are 7/16” SAE standard, 14 threads per inch, ¾” length (not metric). Fully remove all three bolts, and if you intend to remove the unit as a complete assembly, jump to steps 9 thru 18. If you intend to separate the assembly, continue by rethreading one bolt by a couple of turns. It is now time to separate the pulley from the hub. Most pulleys have been found to be rusted in place and require considerable effort to separate from the hub. Spraying the inside of the pulley with penetrating oil helps. Do not strike the pulley with a hammer in your frustrated attempts to remove. The best method is to position yourself under the engine with a wooden dowel rod and one healthy hammer. Position the dowel on the inside portion of the balancer when striking it with the hammer. Do not hit on the outer diameter of the pulley as damage can and will occur.
8. After successfully separating the pulley from the hub, it is now time to unbolt and remove the OptiSpark module. As with the water pump, a coupler drives the OptiSpark module and care should be taken to remove the drive shaft and place with the OptiSpark module for use when re-installing the unit.
9. Finally, it is now time to remove the hub. The center bolt that holds the hub on the crankshaft snout is 7/16” fine thread (not metric). I have found that I can generally break the center bolt loose by placing a 6 sided socket on the bolt, with a ½” breaker bar attached. By striking the breaker bar with that healthy hammer you just used in step #7, you can break the torque on the bolt.
10. Fully remove the bolt, remove the washer from the bolt, then re-install the bolt by 3 full turns.
11. Re-read step #10. If you skip this step, you are a screwed pooch.
12. The “General” was thinking when he installed the power steering rack hydraulic lines as he has installed a loop in the lines that allow the use of a balancer puller without interference of the puller jack screw. Check it out, you will be glad that he did this.
13. Use a standard balancer puller that requires the use of 3 puller bolts that fit into 3 slots on the crab portion. Make sure that you use a tip on the jack screw end that is a flat rotating plate, not a sharp point, because you will eventually place the jack screw end directly on the head of the center bolt of the hub and you don’t want to damage it.
14. Next, select three new (or used) 7/16” bolts that are of sufficient length to slip thru the puller and fully thread into the hub where you previously removed the 3 bolts in step #7. If you do not have 3 – 7/16” bolts that are the proper length, you can use bolts that are slightly smaller than the tapped holes so you can slip them completely thru the hub. Make sure that the bolts are of sufficient length so that you can insert them completely thru the puller assembly and the hub, with a flat washer on each end, and a nut on the backside.
15. Rotate the entire hub assembly until the (^) mark is at the 12:00 position before removing the hub. When re-installing the hub, make sure that you install it back in the same orientation. This is a balance mark, and although it really won’t make too much difference if you fail to do this, it is there for a purpose, so try to do the right thing here.
16. Position the puller onto the front of the hub, with the jack end of the jackscrew slid thru the power steering line loop, and attach as mentioned above.
17. You are now ready to slowly remove the hub from the crankshaft snout. As you turn the jackscrew in a clockwise rotation, the hub will slide off the crankshaft. Keep doing this until you feel the hub come loose, or until you back it out against the shoulder of the center bolt.
18. You have successfully removed the balancer hub. Now, time to R&R that front seal assembly.
PurpleC4

 

FINALLY! I can't believe that it took soooooooo much to get it off a whole 3/8 of an inch. Unreal. I guess two days of soaking with oil finally did the trick. I spent another hour under there tonight but it finally came off. You can bet your last dollar it will get a good cleaning and a coat of anti seize before going back on ;)

 

CONGRATS!!!! :D :cool: :) :cheers:

 

I wonder if liquid wrench and a sears strap wrench might do the trick.

 

I had the same exact problem you do. What finally worked for me was a steel rod 7/8 inch diameter and 21 inches long (jack tool). I had to borrow a massive hammer that weighed about 4 times more than the standard carpenters hammer I had been using. With the right tools it came off in 5 minutes. Good luck. FrankLT4CE

 

Sorry guys it was a 2x2 that i used with a 5lb sledge. :cheers: As far as balancer pullers go Good luck trying to fit it between the frame and the engine. I dont think you can do this even with the engine mount bolts removed and the engine jacked up.


[Modified by ASRoff, 7:22 PM 12/21/2001]

 

ASRoff,
Read my previous entry. The General made provisions for use of the balancer puller. You can use the puller, and remove the balancer hub without removing the radiator or any other accessory. There is a loop in the power steering hydraulic lines to facilitate the jack screw. This applies to those with the LT1 engine, I am not sure what those with an L98 might face.
Purp