Three bolts right? Those are all off and its pretty well lubed up (about a can and 1/2). My friend and I have been prying it and rotating. Also have the front end jacked up and I've been hitting the back end with wood and rubber mallet. Started at 7 on the balancer its almost 10 now :mad . Any tips? I dont remove the center bolt do I? Thanks for the quick responces... Getting real frustrated.

 

Yeah, 3 bolts is all. Try hitting it harder from underneath the car. Sometimes they get real stuck, but it should come off. Might want to coat it with Liquid Wrench or similar and let it sit overnight, then try again tomorrow.

 

You have to remove the center bolt.

 

Isn't the center bolt for the hub itself? Im just taking the blancer off to get to the opti.

 

The center bolt screws directly into the crankshaft. You need a 3 armed puller screwed into the 3 holes, the center shaft of the puller goes into the crank bolt hole.There should be a nipple with the puller to prevent damage to the threads of the crank.

 

Are you confused with the difference between the balancer & the pully?
I dont know if ya gotta pull either off to get to the opti as I have an older unit.

 

I was thinking of getting a puller...but theres no way it would fit in there.. If im not using a puller does the bolt still need to come out?

 

You do not need to remove the center bolt to get the balancer off, nor do you need a puller. Remove the 3 bolts and whack it from underneath with a 2x4 piece of wood and a regular hammer. Hit it 3 times on one side, 3 times on the other, repeat until it is lose enough to remove by hand. Trust me, it works, as I replaced my Opti just a few months ago this way!!!

 

How did you get the 2x4 in there? I have a auto, would that make it tighter? Im using a pretty small peice of wood and the rubber mallet. Im gonna try again in a few minutes. Thanks for the replys. Sorry for the peskiness.

 

You have to crawl under the car completely, head is under the tranny and feet are out the front. Get the 2x4 -- one end goes against the bottom of the balancer on the right, right in front of the oil pan (you can just get enough of the corner of the balancer for the wood to fit), the other end in your hand underneath the tranny. With your other hand, use your metal hammer and whack it!! Now move the wood to the bottom left part of the balancer on the other side of the oil pan. Whack it a few more times. Repeat until it breaks lose. You have to really bend your body underneath the car to get the right angles, but believe me, it is very possible. Make sure the car is supported with jack stands!!

 

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.

Notice:
Contrary to what all the books say, the OptiSpark drive coupler can/will go on in more than one position. What it SHOULD say is that there is only one position in which the OptiSpark will go on that it doesn’t require tightening down in order for it to seat tightly against the timing chain cover. There is only one keyway on the back of the OptiSpark; Just make sure that it is properly lined up with the key and you are set.

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.

:seeya Purp

 

Only remove the 3 bolts, not the center bolt for the hub to crankshaft. I think your main problem is the rubber mallet. It is absorbing all the impact energy. After much struggling as you are going thru I borrowed a 21 inch long steel rod that was 7/8 inch diameter. It was the ideal length and diameter in my opinion. Allowing enough area for me to grip my hand on. Work from underneath, on the drivers side almost at the bottom, and only place the steel rod on the inner ring of the damper so you don't damage the rubber in the damper by hitting on the outer ring of the damper. My mistake was trying to use a carpenters hammer since that is all I had. I borrowed a hammer with 4 times the mass and in 5 minutes had the damper off. Rotate the crankshaft 120 degrees after every couple of heavy hammer blows. FrankLT4CE