Dreaded Harmonic Balancer Wobble…
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 8
Likes: 3
Dreaded Harmonic Balancer Wobble…
Hey gang,
I was changing my belt and tensioner today on my 2001 C5 and I noticed that my harmonic balancer is starting to wobble a bit. I am pretty concerned about this, so I’m interested in replacing it myself. I wanted to hear your feedback on the replacement process and how bad it was. I also would like to know what replacement harmonic balancer I should put in so I won’t have to worry about it for a long time. I don’t drive my car that hard.
Or is it even worth it trying to replace it myself? Should I just get it done somewhere, if so how much is the job normally?
Thanks gang,
- J
I was changing my belt and tensioner today on my 2001 C5 and I noticed that my harmonic balancer is starting to wobble a bit. I am pretty concerned about this, so I’m interested in replacing it myself. I wanted to hear your feedback on the replacement process and how bad it was. I also would like to know what replacement harmonic balancer I should put in so I won’t have to worry about it for a long time. I don’t drive my car that hard.
Or is it even worth it trying to replace it myself? Should I just get it done somewhere, if so how much is the job normally?
Thanks gang,
- J
Zen Vet Master Level VII
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 5,218
Likes: 1,174
From: Southlake, TX
Hey gang,
I was changing my belt and tensioner today on my 2001 C5 and I noticed that my harmonic balancer is starting to wobble a bit. I am pretty concerned about this, so I’m interested in replacing it myself. I wanted to hear your feedback on the replacement process and how bad it was. I also would like to know what replacement harmonic balancer I should put in so I won’t have to worry about it for a long time. I don’t drive my car that hard.
Or is it even worth it trying to replace it myself? Should I just get it done somewhere, if so how much is the job normally?
Thanks gang,
- J
I was changing my belt and tensioner today on my 2001 C5 and I noticed that my harmonic balancer is starting to wobble a bit. I am pretty concerned about this, so I’m interested in replacing it myself. I wanted to hear your feedback on the replacement process and how bad it was. I also would like to know what replacement harmonic balancer I should put in so I won’t have to worry about it for a long time. I don’t drive my car that hard.
Or is it even worth it trying to replace it myself? Should I just get it done somewhere, if so how much is the job normally?
Thanks gang,
- J
Also, did you check and see if your balancer is actually wobbling? You need to take some chalk or paint and scribe a line from the inside to the outside of your balancer-- from the rubber to the metal. Drive if for a few miles then check the line orientation. If the lines are matched, you are good. If they are separated, you have slippage and you need to change things out.
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 8
Likes: 3
J, before you do anything, put up a video and lets have a look. I have seem many people freaked about the wobble (a bit is normal) that did not need to be. Lets have a look.
Also, did you check and see if your balancer is actually wobbling? You need to take some chalk or paint and scribe a line from the inside to the outside of your balancer-- from the rubber to the metal. Drive if for a few miles then check the line orientation. If the lines are matched, you are good. If they are separated, you have slippage and you need to change things out.
Also, did you check and see if your balancer is actually wobbling? You need to take some chalk or paint and scribe a line from the inside to the outside of your balancer-- from the rubber to the metal. Drive if for a few miles then check the line orientation. If the lines are matched, you are good. If they are separated, you have slippage and you need to change things out.
Apologies for the delayed response. I’m just getting back home from work. I have the link to the video here. I believe what I am focusing on in the video is the harmonic balancer. I noticed it wobbles a good amount and I hear some of that wobble from inside the car as well. Do you think it looks bad?
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 230
Likes: 155
Mine actually wobbles a little bit more than that, I put the line on it and it has had no slippage what so ever, still drive it every day, I check the line once a week to make sure but so far so good, as said before, some will swear it's bad, in the end if you can turn a wrench you can do this job, have to drop the rack but not a big deal I have seen people not drop the rack but lift the engine a bit,
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 108
Likes: 78
From: Norfolk, UK
Similarly, that’s what mine currently looks like and have got the parts on order so I can replace it.
Possibly jumping the gun but with the HB seeming to be the biggest C5 “don’t let this get bad” (with the possible exception of leaky battery
), I figured better safe than sorry. In my case I have some other chirps and so on from, presumably, the belts/pulleys so figured the time is right to get bits done.
Possibly jumping the gun but with the HB seeming to be the biggest C5 “don’t let this get bad” (with the possible exception of leaky battery
), I figured better safe than sorry. In my case I have some other chirps and so on from, presumably, the belts/pulleys so figured the time is right to get bits done.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 2,555
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Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,864
Likes: 4,668
Mine actually wobbles a little bit more than that, I put the line on it and it has had no slippage what so ever, still drive it every day, I check the line once a week to make sure but so far so good, as said before, some will swear it's bad, in the end if you can turn a wrench you can do this job, have to drop the rack but not a big deal I have seen people not drop the rack but lift the engine a bit,
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 230
Likes: 155
The only thing at all that's wrong with your recommendation is the definition of "a bit!" If anyone tries lifting the engine, you must take care to check clearance between the intake and the firewall. It can be done, but you must be carefull. IIRC, you can't gain much over an inch to inch and a half, before contact is made, and damage occurs. IMHO, not worth the risk. Just drop the rack and cradle, and go from there. My .02
Pro
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 627
Likes: 181
From: west coast of Canada
My wobble was about the same as yours. I just finished installing the harmonic balancer yesterday. For me, it was not a quick job. I'm 78 years old with limited mechanical experience. I worked on it at a slow pace about 2 -3 hours a day for about 10 days. The job was not hard and I spent a lot of time making sure I got it right. I used a quickjack, I think it would take too long using a floor jack. I'm planning on taking the Vette on some long trips and
did not want to get stuck out in the boon docks with a bad balancer. I used toys4life's procedure, he covers everything. The harmonic balancer I used was a PB1117-N. If you decide to do it yourself, couple of things that worked for me...the crankshaft bolt would not budge even with a 3 foot extension on my breaker bar, I used a butane torch on the bolt for 3 minutes (I timed it) and it came off effortlessly. Another thing, when replacing the fan shroud, tie off the hose on the driver's side, it makes replacing the fan shroud a lot easier. I recommend that you get the Summit racing HB wrench, works like a hot damn. HTH
did not want to get stuck out in the boon docks with a bad balancer. I used toys4life's procedure, he covers everything. The harmonic balancer I used was a PB1117-N. If you decide to do it yourself, couple of things that worked for me...the crankshaft bolt would not budge even with a 3 foot extension on my breaker bar, I used a butane torch on the bolt for 3 minutes (I timed it) and it came off effortlessly. Another thing, when replacing the fan shroud, tie off the hose on the driver's side, it makes replacing the fan shroud a lot easier. I recommend that you get the Summit racing HB wrench, works like a hot damn. HTH
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,864
Likes: 4,668
I agree, it wasn't a recommendation by any means, almost everyone just drops the cradle, I only added the engine lift so others wouldn't come out and bash me for not including that method as well, as for the question at hand, it is a doable job for the average mechanic, a shop could charge anywhere from 650 to 1300, at least that's been what I was told by several shops...
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 8
Likes: 3
Thanks everyone for your guidance. I went ahead and got an appointment to get a new balancer put in tomorrow. After doing enough research, I concluded that this was simply too big for me to tackle myself, so I’ll let the pros handle it!