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I am doing a tune up on my vented Opti. I'm on the verge of removing it, but I cannot dislodge the friggin' damper. I removed the 3 bolts and pounded on it with a rubber mallet and a hammer using a piece of 2X4 wood. It is not budging.
Rubber mallets may not give enough shock to move it. Try coming for behind with a piece of 2x4 and hit it with a heavier hammer with the 2x4 against the balancer. Hit it a few times then rotate the crank some and hit it some more. Repeat that process. It will also help to soak it with some penetrant like PB Blaster for a while
An LT1/4 balancer comes off without a puller. I use a brass drift (piece of 1/2" round brass stock 18" long) from below, from under the car. Put the drift against the inner part of the damper, not the outer ring. I also leave 1 bolt in a few turns so the damper doesn't fall when it comes off and possibly damage the steering rack lines and fittings. The hub requires a puller, but more importantly an installer tool that will work on an LTx hub. The LTx damper and hub is a different configuration than the traditional 1-piece SBC damper.
Definitely talking about the damper.... Not the hub.
Getting under the car today and trying your method.
Last edited by rremesal; Apr 28, 2024 at 08:11 AM.
I was finally able to dislodge the damper and remove the Opti. I also removed the 2 knock sensors. The damper was not easy to slide off. I had to work it by hitting it from behind as suggested and rotating it.
As for the knock sensors, I had sprayed them with PB Blaster, and with some effort they came lose.
On the other hand, I am not able to remove the damper no matter how I tweak it. There is simply not enough space between the crank hub and the rack and pinion. Looks like I may need to loosen up the R&P in order to move it about 1/8", so I can pull the damper out. Any other ideas?
I was finally able to dislodge the damper and remove the Opti. I also removed the 2 knock sensors. The damper was not easy to slide off. I had to work it by hitting it from behind as suggested and rotating it.
As for the knock sensors, I had sprayed them with PB Blaster, and with some effort they came lose.
On the other hand, I am not able to remove the damper no matter how I tweak it. There is simply not enough space between the crank hub and the rack and pinion. Looks like I may need to loosen up the R&P in order to move it about 1/8", so I can pull the damper out. Any other ideas?
Don't mess with the steering assembly. I was going to do the same. Then decided to do what the FSM said. Remove the two bolts on the bottom of the motor mounts. Put jack under the pan and jack the engine enough to come off the studs (.5"-1.0"). That was enough to wiggle the damper out. I didn't mess with loosening the exhaust.
Don't mess with the steering assembly. I was going to do the same. Then decided to do what the FSM said. Remove the two bolts on the bottom of the motor mounts. Put jack under the pan and jack the engine enough to come off the studs (.5"-1.0"). That was enough to wiggle the damper out. I didn't mess with loosening the exhaust.
Thank you! I actually thought about doing that as an option.
Updat: I pulled the damper today. As Collector Man suggested, I removed the 2 nuts from the engine mounts and raise the engine by the pan. It took less than an inch and the damper cleared the R&P by a lot.
Getting ready to make some posts regarding my damper and Opti. Check them out!
Why does my damper have so much metal removed from the backside and a weight added to the front? The pictures of replacement balancers I've seen online are nothing like this one.
I just sent it to Damper Doctor for rebuild. If you look closely at the rubber, it is cracked all along it's diameter. The box weighed 10.7 lbs, so the damper itself must be about 10.
Issue with damper
