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2004 CE Z06, 32000 miles. My question is, my balancer as of now has no wabble, no belt noise, seems ok as of now. But I’m getting ready to take a Route 66 trip with my son and his new C8 on a last hurrah trip for both of us with both cars before my declining heath would not permit this from being possible. I guess my question is, if the balancer fails does it disengage from the engine? Or is there some kind of pre-warning before failure ? I only drive this car a couple thousand miles a year and my son will be getting the Z when my time comes. Don’t really want to spend $$ on replacement if not needed at this time before road trip, but would not want to be stranded in middle of nowhere either.
If it's not wobbling, leave it be.
When they fail, the warming is a wobble then if left unfixed, it could either move forward into the rack or backwards into the cover.
Just keep an eye on it periodically.
If there is no wobble, or any other signs of failure just enjoy your trip. Tons of them go 100k, and I'd be willing to bet the majority that fail are sticks that are driven hard. If it ain't broke...
I always mark the balancer with 3 equidistant paint stripes across hub, rubber, outer ring when I get a car with known balancer/damper issues and you can just look at the paint periodically to see if the lines have shifted as well. I use 3 because no matter where the engine stops I can usually always see one.
Last edited by Ed Ramberger; Sep 3, 2020 at 10:57 PM.
Reason: spelling
2004 CE Z06, 32000 miles. My question is, my balancer as of now has no wabble, no belt noise, seems ok as of now. But I’m getting ready to take a Route 66 trip with my son and his new C8 on a last hurrah trip for both of us with both cars before my declining heath would not permit this from being possible. I guess my question is, if the balancer fails does it disengage from the engine? Or is there some kind of pre-warning before failure ? I only drive this car a couple thousand miles a year and my son will be getting the Z when my time comes. Don’t really want to spend $$ on replacement if not needed at this time before road trip, but would not want to be stranded in middle of nowhere either.
The only one on my 2000 C5.that ever went bad was on a trip to California and Nevada in a record 2006 heat wave. I think some of it is heat related. By the way, some of this trip was on.....You guessed it, ROUTE 66!!! I think you'll be fine, but I'd take an extra serpentine belt for accessory drive, and an extra A/C belt, too. My balancer was aftermarket, and it still got me home. Enjoy......
The balancer on my '04 went 165k before I replaced it - and only as a "while you're there" thing while replacing my front seal. Like Ed Ramberger, I have marked my new one, but doubt I will have to worry about it for quite some time. If it isn't wobbling now, I wouldn't worry about it too much, I would just keep an eye on it.
Harmonic balancer
