well i have the wobbling crank pulley and the annoying squeek that comes along with it.
how hard of a job is it to change out to an u.d. pulley? some say "well its time to do a cam swap then" im not ready to do a cam yet. i have exhaust and wheels/tires first in line.

 

Switching out the pulley is not technicaly difficult you will need some special tools and 1 to 1 1/2 days to do it depending upon how good you are with a wrench, have air tools and or a lift.

I think I would change your priorities if you want to fix this. I would recommend that you fix this soon. The stock balancer failing can cause some serious ($$$) damage. I know this because mine failed and the outer inertia ring slid back and destroyed the front engine cover, seal and the front of the oil pan. I took this opportunity to do my cam swap the only real labor it adds to the job is swapping the springs and makes it a two day job.

Look on this site under the C5 head/cam swap it will give you an idea of the work needed. The most difficult part is removing the steering rack. ls1howto.com

Now two things on this site that people should not do. Do not use the old bolt to push the new balancer on. Go to LS1Tech.com and search for a balancer install tool. It is much easier and much safer to use. Using the old bolt risks breaking it off in the crank or damaging the crank's threads both of which are very bad things to have happen. Secondly if you do decide to do the cam then use a dowel or something similar to hold up the lifters. The spin and pray they don't drop method is just too risky.

 

Whatever you do - do not use a stock oem balancer. The aftermarket ones are much better engineered pieces. You can buy them either under driven or stock diameter.

 

Just the balancer is about a 6 hour job without a lift. the steering rack does have to come out but its not bad at all. If you are even considering a cam in the future NOW IT THE TIME. The radiator needs to come out anyway as does the sway bar. Once you get the pulley off, you are almost at the cam anyway.

You can make the reinstall tool yourself You will need the following:

M16 - 2 threaded rod 300 mm long
3 ea M16 - 2 nuts
about 15 or 20 M16 "fender washers"

I ordered all of this from McMaster Carr for $27.00. I would also suggest that you upgrade to an ARP crank bolt. The factory bolts are Torque to Yield, and they can't be reused.

 

I have the same problem with my vette, I got a lot of great help form all the guy here. check out this thread http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...2&goto=newpost

 

Before you spend all your time changing out your crank pully put a new gatorback belt on. Ill bet you your sqeak will dissapear. I had a very slight pulley wobble changed pulley still had the same wobble and squeak. Put on a goodyear gator back sqeak gone. Always do the simple things first...........

 

My squeek was really bad - and a little balancer wobble. Belt swap MUCH easier, and less costly than balancer swap. Just changed my belt to gatorback tonight - also put on new idler pulley (seemed a bit rough) - 15 minute job. Cleaned all pulleys with soft brass wire brush. No squeek at all - if it returns from main belt area soon, then will consider new aftermarket balancer.

I also noted some small pieces of metal (much smaller than a pin head) embedded in old belt grooves - anyone seen that? I didn't see any evidence of grooved metal pulleys looking like they are loosing metal????

 

I waited almost a year to do my pulley (and cam) after gatorbacks fixed the squeaking. Wobble wasn't too bad. If wobble goes away at 1500+ RPMs (have someone hold it there while you watch), it will be fine for a while.

I talked to several mechanics about mine and they all said the same thing -- Its wobbling, but I've seen worse.

I also looked at several used vettes on dealer lots and they ALL wobbled worse than my 1997. Even the 2003 model.

 

If you're having someone do the job I would shop it around. A lot of forum members posted up when I had this situation about these 6 and 7 hour horror stories for install time. Some even said it would REQUIRE a day or more...

Out of curiosity I went to my local Chevrolet dealer and inquired. Book time to remove/replace crank pulley is 3.6 hours...far, far less than a cam swap and even at the dealer's inflated labor costs it would be $400.

A local speed shop here in South Florida, Stealth Performance, did the job for $350 and I could not be happier. When I asked about the difference in what I had read and heard versus what the book labor time was, the shop proprietor explained with a lift, the proper tools, and experience with the LSx motors it could easily be done in that time.

Before you shy away from the job see if it isn't worth a couple of hundred bucks to have someone else do it for you and, perhaps more importantly, be on the hook should something go wrong...

 

Not bad advice at all if you've never done it or seen it done. It takes some work and a LOT of torque when tightening that bolt in the end. It is not for the faint of heart or inexperienced wrencher. Too many things to go wrong!! It is fairly straight up install but make sure you have the proper tools (Buy a puller! The money you spend will be the best $50 ever!) and take your time to do it right. I've read more than one thread that has said DO NOT USE THE HOW-TO IN LS1TECH! There's plent of info here, I'd do a search!!

 

I have the Powerbond 25%U.D. Very nice product. Was done when we did the cam.

Anyway I didn't see this come up yet so I thought I would put in the reminder- No matter who does the job be sure to get a NEW bolt to hold it on DO NOT let them or you use the original bolt again. This is very important.

Good luck

 

I changed my pulley this past December following the advice in this forum and the job went very well. It took about a day and a half, but at 53 years of age and with a bad hip, I don't move very fast.

Also, I used a pvc coupling and a 16mm all-threaded rod, nuts and washers, etc., to install the new timing cover seal.

The hardest part is breaking loose the old 16mm bolt and tightening the new one.

Good luck!

 

I recommend the service manual for the balancer change. Some don't care for it for some reason, but it has never failed me.

 

Dumb question here but what exactly causes it to start wobbling in the first place? I have never had mine off, but I would think its a solid piece of metal so other than the bolt coming out, where does a wobble come from?

 

The factory balancer, on an LS1, is not a solid piece of metal. Rather, it is a two piece hub bonded to the pulley, with rubber in between.

 

well i changed the belts to gatorbacks about 2 weeks ago and the squeek never came back. the car is getting a new pulley with the cam install next week anyway.

 

I'm in the exact same boat. C5's been in the garage for a week now waiting repair, tomorrow its going in for an UD pulley cam and tune!

darn cheap pulley!

 

Here is a post I did on the subject, hope it helps

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1872301