Harmonic Balancer
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 82
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From: Gulf Breeze, Fl
Harmonic Balancer
Hey Guys,
New Vette Owner here. I bought a Navy Metallic 2001 LS2 with 71K miles on it about a month ago and love it. When I first bought it, I noticed some movement of the crankshaft/harmonic balancer. Maybe 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch. (had one replaced on a Nissan Pathfinder once. Dealer made it seem like it was a huge deal and I had it towed in for repair) My local Corvette guy (Leo's Corvette's Pensacola Florida) said some movement was normal in a Vette. Have any of you had trouble with this?
New Vette Owner here. I bought a Navy Metallic 2001 LS2 with 71K miles on it about a month ago and love it. When I first bought it, I noticed some movement of the crankshaft/harmonic balancer. Maybe 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch. (had one replaced on a Nissan Pathfinder once. Dealer made it seem like it was a huge deal and I had it towed in for repair) My local Corvette guy (Leo's Corvette's Pensacola Florida) said some movement was normal in a Vette. Have any of you had trouble with this?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,902
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From: Oak Hill Virginia
Hey Guys,
New Vette Owner here. I bought a Navy Metallic 2001 LS2 with 71K miles on it about a month ago and love it. When I first bought it, I noticed some movement of the crankshaft/harmonic balancer. Maybe 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch. (had one replaced on a Nissan Pathfinder once. Dealer made it seem like it was a huge deal and I had it towed in for repair) My local Corvette guy (Leo's Corvette's Pensacola Florida) said some movement was normal in a Vette. Have any of you had trouble with this?
New Vette Owner here. I bought a Navy Metallic 2001 LS2 with 71K miles on it about a month ago and love it. When I first bought it, I noticed some movement of the crankshaft/harmonic balancer. Maybe 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch. (had one replaced on a Nissan Pathfinder once. Dealer made it seem like it was a huge deal and I had it towed in for repair) My local Corvette guy (Leo's Corvette's Pensacola Florida) said some movement was normal in a Vette. Have any of you had trouble with this?
Replacing it is a pretty big job. The steering rack has to come out...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
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From: Blue Ridge Georgia
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,722
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From: Florida
St. Jude Donor '09
Hey Guys,
New Vette Owner here. I bought a Navy Metallic 2001 LS2 with 71K miles on it about a month ago and love it. When I first bought it, I noticed some movement of the crankshaft/harmonic balancer. Maybe 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch. (had one replaced on a Nissan Pathfinder once. Dealer made it seem like it was a huge deal and I had it towed in for repair) My local Corvette guy (Leo's Corvette's Pensacola Florida) said some movement was normal in a Vette. Have any of you had trouble with this?
New Vette Owner here. I bought a Navy Metallic 2001 LS2 with 71K miles on it about a month ago and love it. When I first bought it, I noticed some movement of the crankshaft/harmonic balancer. Maybe 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch. (had one replaced on a Nissan Pathfinder once. Dealer made it seem like it was a huge deal and I had it towed in for repair) My local Corvette guy (Leo's Corvette's Pensacola Florida) said some movement was normal in a Vette. Have any of you had trouble with this?
Have you noticed any engine vibration at elevated RPM, is it moving axially or radially? That amount seems excessive.
The outer ring is bonded to the inner hub assembly with a hard rubber or plastic type material. Over time it degrades and the outer ring will start to separate from the inner hub. When this happens the outer ring will either walk forward and rub against the streering rack or move backwards and rub against the timing chain cover. In either case it's easy to see. By this point you may notice excessive belt noise and the belt may even come off the pulley.
If yours is really moving that much you should be able to see some degradation of the bonding material. You will need a flashlight and inspection mirror to perform the inspection.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,362
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From: Dyer, IN
Thread Starter
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 82
Likes: 5
From: Gulf Breeze, Fl
Thanks. That is how I first found it. The second time I drove it, I heard belt noise. I popped the hood and saw the pulley on the crankshaft moving in and out (front to back) I called the dealer I bought it from who said he had the car inspected in South Carolina which is where it came from. I took it back to him and he took it to a Corvette mechanic here in Florida who changed the belts and tensioner. He said it was a good car and that the amount of movement was normal. I just wanted to check with the experts and see if you all also have some movement of that pulley.
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,362
Likes: 1,128
From: Dyer, IN
Thanks. That is how I first found it. The second time I drove it, I heard belt noise. I popped the hood and saw the pulley on the crankshaft moving in and out (front to back) I called the dealer I bought it from who said he had the car inspected in South Carolina which is where it came from. I took it back to him and he took it to a Corvette mechanic here in Florida who changed the belts and tensioner. He said it was a good car and that the amount of movement was normal. I just wanted to check with the experts and see if you all also have some movement of that pulley.
