and you will have no more problems... 
loose harmonic balancer
Thread Starter
Navigator
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
loose harmonic balancer
Has anyone replaced the bolt on the Harmonic Balancer on a C5 without removing the rack and pinion? My '98 threw the AC belt. On further inspection, it turst out that the bolt on my harmonic balancer had come lose. I managed to tighten it back up, but a few weeks later it came lose again. I built a wrench so that I can get sufficient torque on it. However, the manual specifies using a new bolt. Unfortunately, I can't get the old one out b/c of the rack and pinion. I think I might be able to lower the front cross member and get it out, but I don't really want to disconnect the steering column and risk blowing up the air bags, especially if I still won't be able to ge the bolt out.
Suggestions?
Has anyone tried putting a whole bunch of Loctite in there, using the old bolt, and praying?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Suggestions?
Has anyone tried putting a whole bunch of Loctite in there, using the old bolt, and praying?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
There are so many things that can go wrong here, I would simply suggest pulling the rack and doing it per the manual. You have been lucky thus far since no damage has occured. Pulling the rack is not that bad, I was concerned going in but it was actually quite easy. Go to LS1HOWTO.com and check the cam installation in a C5. You will see what needs to be done to get at it. Also, if the bolt is loose, I would consider putting on a new damper since with higher mileage cars they can be an issue. If the bolt is loose, the damper may be already turning on the crank shaft. Don't use loctite, you may end up with bigger problems down the road IMO.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by vettenuts
There are so many things that can go wrong here, I would simply suggest pulling the rack and doing it per the manual. You have been lucky thus far since no damage has occured. Pulling the rack is not that bad, I was concerned going in but it was actually quite easy. Go to LS1HOWTO.com and check the cam installation in a C5. You will see what needs to be done to get at it. Also, if the bolt is loose, I would consider putting on a new damper since with higher mileage cars they can be an issue. If the bolt is loose, the damper may be already turning on the crank shaft. Don't use loctite, you may end up with bigger problems down the road IMO.
Good advice.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,707
Likes: 4
From: Los Angeles
Isn't GM doing anything for this problem, even after the warranty is up? I suppose that's wishful thinking, but it SHOULD be covered since it's clearly a factory defect. Regardless of how long it's been. 
Pro
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 653
Likes: 5
From: Florida
Be carefull or you'll end up in my situation 
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1227076
Mike
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1227076
Mike
Thread Starter
Navigator
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Alright. Because of your advixe, I think that I am going to move the rack and pinion and replace the crank bolt. I don't think that I am going to replace the harmonic balancer unless I find a good deal on one before this weekend.
Hopefully it will work... otherwise, I think I will chalk it up to bad luck.. like my Buelle I broke the crank in half on, or the Tahoe that I broke both half shafts on.. or the 240Z i put a small block in and broke the drive shaft on... or the VW I burned a hole in the cylinders on, or the Fiat I broke the valves on... Or the mazda's that I have burned up head gaskets on...
I guess I just have to try to fix it. Hopefully not over and over again...
I appreciate the help. I just hope that I am able to fix it correctly. Thanks for all the advice, and I will write back about how it goes.
Hopefully it will work... otherwise, I think I will chalk it up to bad luck.. like my Buelle I broke the crank in half on, or the Tahoe that I broke both half shafts on.. or the 240Z i put a small block in and broke the drive shaft on... or the VW I burned a hole in the cylinders on, or the Fiat I broke the valves on... Or the mazda's that I have burned up head gaskets on...
I guess I just have to try to fix it. Hopefully not over and over again...
I appreciate the help. I just hope that I am able to fix it correctly. Thanks for all the advice, and I will write back about how it goes.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Before you start, make sure you have a degree wheel to measure bolt rotation, Autozone has them. Also, pick up a set of vacuum caps and use them to cover the two PS hoses that you remove from the rack so you won't lose much fluid. Make sure the wheels are straight before you start and use some bungee cords or something to hold the steering wheel from rotating. A couple of clean rubber corks will also help keep the fluid in the PS box while you rotate it out of position.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,364
Likes: 38
From: King George VA
Originally Posted by joelshaw
Alright. Because of your advixe, I think that I am going to move the rack and pinion and replace the crank bolt. I don't think that I am going to replace the harmonic balancer unless I find a good deal on one before this weekend.
Hopefully it will work... otherwise, I think I will chalk it up to bad luck.. like my Buelle I broke the crank in half on, or the Tahoe that I broke both half shafts on.. or the 240Z i put a small block in and broke the drive shaft on... or the VW I burned a hole in the cylinders on, or the Fiat I broke the valves on... Or the mazda's that I have burned up head gaskets on...
I guess I just have to try to fix it. Hopefully not over and over again...
I appreciate the help. I just hope that I am able to fix it correctly. Thanks for all the advice, and I will write back about how it goes.
Hopefully it will work... otherwise, I think I will chalk it up to bad luck.. like my Buelle I broke the crank in half on, or the Tahoe that I broke both half shafts on.. or the 240Z i put a small block in and broke the drive shaft on... or the VW I burned a hole in the cylinders on, or the Fiat I broke the valves on... Or the mazda's that I have burned up head gaskets on...
I guess I just have to try to fix it. Hopefully not over and over again...
I appreciate the help. I just hope that I am able to fix it correctly. Thanks for all the advice, and I will write back about how it goes.
If you do not key the new bolt, I would recommend adding locktite. I didn't, and I reused the old harmonic balancer not knowing about this problem - and though we did use a new bolt and followed the service manual procedure exactly, my balancer came off on the track at over 5000 rpms... and did I say I lost a motor this way?
After I lost my motor, I talked to several other SCCA teams and found that after an engine rebuild, they all do use locktite to help hold the bolt in there. Personally I don't think the worry about the bolt getting stuck in the crankshaft due to the locktite is a little unfounded. The two large bolts on the brake caliper bracket get red locktite and I take those on and off all the time without problem.
Good luck.
__________________
C66 Racing #66 NASA ST2, SCCA T2
AMSOIL Dealer (Forum Vendor)
AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program (Members buy at Wholesale - a savings of about 25%)
C66 Racing #66 NASA ST2, SCCA T2
AMSOIL Dealer (Forum Vendor)
AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program (Members buy at Wholesale - a savings of about 25%)
