$800+ for labor!? I have gotten a couple can swap and tune quotes where the labor+tune was around that.

 

[QUOTE=silverbird;1591312841]Guys,
Thanks for all the great responses.
Next week, I'm taking my daily driver to the Chevy dealer for a complimentary oil change. I'll ask for a quote on the Balancer job.
Will post the Number$$$$$$.....Any guesses?
Silverbird



FYI....
I got three different quotes today. (Labor only)
Chevy Dealer #1 "around" $500
Chevy Dealer #2 $650
Local auto repair shop that has worked on many Corvettes $650
Silverbird

 

An in terms of hours, how many they said it would take? That's 5 hours @ $130 or 6.5 hours @ $100

 

Are you going with a OEM? If so why with everything that has been said about them?

 

No.......ATI balancer with an ARP bolt.
Silverbird

 

Good decision. Best of luck.

 

Didn't get into the amount of hours the job is estimated for with the Service Writer.
Silverbird

 

I thought this was a good post and wanted to add my $.02...
I did not hear the infamous "chirping sound". I did not notice any vibrations. And I guess you could say that my HB did not "fail", but the wobble did throw the belt (never found it) in the middle of "no-where" south Georgia and left me stranded. Found a shop that towed it in, tightened the HB down, replaced the belt and I limped on back home.
Now I am having it replaced for $900, including OEM parts. What else should I have them replace while they are there? I have a 2003 with 80k. I have read several items... oil seal, tensioner pulley, timing chain, etc... Any thoughts?

 

Was the HB loose?

 

Not sure. The shop it was taken to told me they "tightened" it and put a new belt on. That was before I knew of the dreaded "wobble" issue. They did show me the HB was wobbling and that was the only thing they found that would cause it to throw a belt. I did have a new HB, new bolt, new shaft oil seal & new belt work done for $450 + parts. 5.5 hour job and hope that will resolve my problem.

 

I can tell you it's a labor intensive job. Not one to be taken lightly. 800 dollars is a fair price.
You have to take out the radiator and condenser as well, also its very important to replace the front crank seal. No one of any mechanical aptitude that gets 50 to 90 dollars an hour ( shop time ) could do this job for 100 dollars. OEM balancer is 80 dollars, a good After market balancer is 200 dollars. this is a 1000 dollar job at any reputable shop.

Some asked about how common this problem is.. With the longevity of these cars, its not if... it when.

There are two issues
1) inter fit of the crank OD to ID of the Balancer failure over time. ( Bolt backing out )
2) loss of the elastomer bonding agent between the two segments. ( Causing the outer race of the balancer to separate from the rest of the balancer and the crank shaft.

Loss of the balancer could potentially destroy your motor when the crank runs severely out of balance due to a balancer failure. You will feel the vibration, but quick action and a tow could save you..

With loss of the elastomer, same thing happens but sometimes you will see and hear chucks of rubber separating from the balancer. see evidence on the garage floor ( if you are lucky.

If the balancer moves front an back and destroys the front seal integrity, say good by to your motor.

Not trying to scare anyone, but this is a problem that needs some attention. a C5 runs hot under the hood only adding to the drying out process of the elastomer, which holds both elements of the balancer together..

Good luck
Bill aka ET

 

just after a purchase of a c5 with 58k on it, i have plans this summer from wash to kansas to az and then back home, and wondering if the HB on the car will survive. are there any external early symptoms since i will schedule the car for work before leaving?

 

A few questions;
Are all year HBs the same or did they make any improvements from '97 to '04?
Were certain year cars more prone to HB failure?
If heat is one cause for failure, is it more common in hot climates?
Do extreme driving habits increase the chance of failure?
Are new OEM replacement HBs still prone to failure or would it be wise to replace with an aftermarket part?
Should the HB bolt be re-torqued after all these years?

 

Think mine is due to be replaced soon. Started out with notorious squealing. Reputable corvette shop in Houston quoted $525 using a powerbond HB.

 

Want to add that my car is an automatic. There are additional labor dollars involved in removing the trans cooler assembly.

 

Absolutely correct on the A4 extra labor cost.

 

As a matter of fact, I just checked and I do have an oil leak on the front of the engine. Or at least oil buildup that shouldn't be there...Is that a dead giveaway for this problem?

 

When I bought my car at 65k the balancer already had a slight wobble to it. It did not leak any oil, but there was a little bit of belt noise on start up. No obvious wear to the belt even after examining it when I replaced it (original belt...lol). I drove the car 2,000 miles without issue, and then got a local shop to replace it.

The shop's name was Florio's Corvettes in Theodore, Alabama and the owner only charged me $400 for the labor. Couldn't be happier with the results, although the ARP bolt that I used is starting to rust already.

 

Explain the squealing... Is it at high RPM?

 

Yep after 2k rpm...I drove to a reputable corvette shop to take a look and he told me the cause couldnt be determined at the time. And for me to drive it around for a couple of weeks more. He said there was a very slight wobble but not bad enough to make a decisive plan of action. I personally changed both belts. Later changed the main tensioner. Havent messed with anything AC related except for the belts. The squealing mainly comes on when the AC is on but even when I turn it off, I can still hear it slightly. But now I noticed oil build up in front of the engine (not sure if that is an indication of anything).