So my main belt popped off and I looked to see what the problem was, and the pulley was wobbling and was able to turn by hand. I had this happen once and I put so much lock tight on the bolt and tightened as hard as I could, and thought that it would never come off, sure enough it did, why is it coming off again? What can I do to stop it? And is there an easier way than taking the rack and pinion out again?

 

Is it an ARP bolt?

 

Use EXCESSIVE force if needed

I've been through 2 Harmonic Balancers. Have sworn to the gods I will not do it again!

 

Be happy you don't have a DSM.

 

Did you reuse the same pulley? If you did that is a big .

If you didn't did you use a new OEM?Stock pulley? If you did sorry but the OEM damper is a P.O.S.

No need to use loctite on the bolt, you should have used a new bolt. The damper is not held on by the bolt. Its an interference fit between the crank snout and the damper. That is why its literaly streched onto the end of the crank and is why a used balancer should never be reused unless you key it with the crank.

 

I used the same stock pulley, I just tightened it, what kind of beefed up pulley can I get, should I replace it with an underdrive pulley while im at it? do I need a new harmonic balancer

 

Powerbond. Worth the money.

 

The pulley and harmonic balancer are one and the same piece. As I said before it is an interference fit piece and it was just a matter of time before it would loosen and wobble. Secondly the stock unit is made up of three parts: 1. the hub 2. the rubber damper layer and 3. the outer inertial ring that forms the pulley section. The stock balancer is known to fail when the rubber layer either seperates from the hub or from the outer inertia ring. This will cause the outer ring to either slide forward and contact the steering rack or slide back and take out the front engine cover. Mine slid back and took out the front engine cover, oil pump and the front edge of the oil pan. Perfect time to do the cam swap.!

There are three primary makers of after market pullies all of which have good reputations on here. ASP and Powerbond are similiar and if I remember correctly cost less than $300 and can be purchased in either the stock size or underdriven. You will not see a significant gain from the underdrive. ATI makes the super damper which is a bit more higher tech - rebuildable and more expensive and probably not needed unless you are going all out horsepower wise.

If you have ever considered doing a cam now is the time. If not I would just buy the ASP or Powerbond in the stock size and have it installed. If you need to or want to install it yourself then you will need two special tools a proper / beefy three arm pulley puller and a tool used to push the new balancer on that can either be made by you or purchased off a member on Ls1tech.com. You will need a new bolt as well and do not use the old bolt method to to push the new balancer on as you can damage the threads in the crank and then you are screwed.

 

will it be enough room to take out if I remove the rack and pinion steering? and if I do a cam install do I need more room, to pull it in and out???

 

Yes you will have to remove the rack. It will be enough room as long as your puller is not too long. Otherwise you will have to remove the radiator as well. If you decide to do the cam swap you will have to remove the radiator and have a friend pull the A/C condensor a bit to get the cam out and the new one in.

Cam swap on ls1howto.com. Good guide on replace the balancer as its part of the cam swap and how to do the cam swap. The site is a little dated and there are a few ways things are done differently now than on this sight. 1. dont use the spin and pray method for holding the lifters in the block you can use a wooden dowl or steel rods to hold them. 2. don't use the old or longer bolt method for installing the new balancer. There is a real good thread going now about tips for a cam install if you go that route.

 

No matter what route you decide to take, installing a cam or not pin the crank to the balancer!

 

About how many miles before the balancer goes? Mine has a bit of a wiggle and I'm about to head out on a long trip.

My car has 53k miles on it.