Harmonic Balancer
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Fort Worth Texas
Harmonic Balancer
Has anyone ever had their harmonic balancer just break? My 1999 corvette was in the shop to fix part of the cooling system and they said the harmonic balancer just broke. Yeah.....?
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,843
Likes: 16
From: Howell Michigan
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
Any photos? If the surface at the break points has dark areas it could have been a crack that has been there for a while and I would believe that it may very well of just broke. If the surface is shiny (clean metal looking) then I would have a hard time buying their reasoning. How did they discover it?
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Fort Worth Texas
The belt was squeaking the last couple of days and today they said the vehicle was at idle and then it just broke. I have no idea on the color but I guess I can head up there and take a look at it. It just bothers me to pay 500 more to fix it... it is stuck at the shop and I can't exactly tow it back to my place to work on it.
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,843
Likes: 16
From: Howell Michigan
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
Replacing it is pretty involved and the harmonic balancer can cost $200 to $500 depending on which manufacture you purchase from. If they are quoting $500 total to replace it with a new unit, that doesn’t seem to be too bad of a price. If you ever had any thoughts on a cam change, this would be the time to do that as well. JMHO… 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,618
Likes: 5
From: Overland Park KS
The belt was squeaking the last couple of days and today they said the vehicle was at idle and then it just broke. I have no idea on the color but I guess I can head up there and take a look at it. It just bothers me to pay 500 more to fix it... it is stuck at the shop and I can't exactly tow it back to my place to work on it.
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 207
Likes: 0
From: San Antonio, TX
My 98 vert did the same thing. The rubber compound that connects the two pieces of the balancer together breaks down and comes apart. When I found mine it sounded like a flock of birds under the hood.
Shannon
Shannon
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Instructor
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 137
Likes: 1
From: Litchfield Park AZ
Not uncomon for the factory balancer to go bad or slip forward and hit the steering rack. When I got my used '99 the balancer had a wobble. Thrashed all of the tensioner and idler pulley bearings.
It's a tough job, but can be done.
It's a tough job, but can be done.
