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Harmonic balancer

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Old May 2, 2026 | 06:37 AM
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Default Harmonic balancer

After some reading I decided to take a look at my Harmonic Balancer. I has a bit of a wobble. So now, there seems to be an endless list of suppliers. Is there any feedback on the best one for the value? This is my project for next weekend if I can get one soon enough. I live 1/2 hour from Summit in the Reno area.
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Old May 2, 2026 | 11:13 AM
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A lot of the forum members have gone with the Summit C2501 balancer and happy with it
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Old May 2, 2026 | 07:49 PM
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I replaced mine with a Dayco PB1117N. It’s a stock replacement with a revised rubber compound.

I put the car on jackstands and replaced it by dropping the cradle. Was pretty straight forward. There’s a video on YouTube that shows how to do it. That car is a C6 but the steps are the same.
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Old May 2, 2026 | 08:38 PM
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im in the process of switching mine out, went with the summit 2501. didnt want to spend ATI money!
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Old May 3, 2026 | 02:23 PM
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One other thing, I was a tech/shop owner (and yes I swept the floors as well) for 35 years. A long time ago I replace the cam and followers on an old (pretty new back then) 1974 Ford Mustang II by removing the motor mount bolts and carefully lifting the engine using a floor jack and some wood. That gave me enough space to pull the camshaft out over the top of the radiator and save me a ton of time. Perhaps the same can be done on my '99 C5 by raising the engine enough to get the balancer to pull straight out over the steering rack? I haven't looked at it closely yet but has anyone ever tried to get the balancer out this way? It would be a huge time saver it could be done, just wondering.
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Old May 3, 2026 | 03:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Petcelman
One other thing, I was a tech/shop owner (and yes I swept the floors as well) for 35 years. A long time ago I replace the cam and followers on an old (pretty new back then) 1974 Ford Mustang II by removing the motor mount bolts and carefully lifting the engine using a floor jack and some wood. That gave me enough space to pull the camshaft out over the top of the radiator and save me a ton of time. Perhaps the same can be done on my '99 C5 by raising the engine enough to get the balancer to pull straight out over the steering rack? I haven't looked at it closely yet but has anyone ever tried to get the balancer out this way? It would be a huge time saver it could be done, just wondering.
I would think that before you got the engine lifted up, sufficiently, the cylinder heads will have firmly collided with the firewall. Secondly, a lot of torque is required to properly tighten the balancer's retaining bolt, that you won't be able to achieve that, spec with the engine dangling on some sort of hoist. Secondly, you may not be able to lift the engine very much, at all, with the torque tube attached.....


FWIW, I went with the ATI balancer.
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Old May 3, 2026 | 04:10 PM
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Yes you are probably correct. I would torque the bolt after is was back down if there was room. Just thought I'd throw it out there, thanks.
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Old May 3, 2026 | 11:02 PM
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The under drive balancers are interesting. I understand they are for racing by making everything at a lower rpm using less HP. Has anyone ever tried it for street application?
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Old May 3, 2026 | 11:38 PM
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ATI in standard diameter. If you go forced, then pin it.
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Old May 4, 2026 | 04:30 PM
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I'm not sure what "if I go forced" means.
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Old May 4, 2026 | 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Petcelman
I'm not sure what "if I go forced" means.
https://pedalcommander.com/blogs/gar...rced-induction
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Old May 4, 2026 | 04:58 PM
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Got it, thanks.
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Old May 5, 2026 | 09:37 AM
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Originally Posted by Petcelman
The under drive balancers are interesting. I understand they are for racing by making everything at a lower rpm using less HP. Has anyone ever tried it for street application?
I've run an ASP 25% UD balancer for around 20 years/90,000 miles. Ii still have my original alternator, PS pump, and A/C compressor, after 26 years and 150,000+ miles. The UD balancers work fine on the street.... BUT-I don't recommend a 25% unit in the southern border states, especially without a tune and with a stock radiator. A tune is one of the best things you can do for a stock C5. If going with a 25% unit, have a tuner slightly increase idle rpm when the A/C is on. If you don't, the A/C compressor can spin slow enough to trigger a low pressure/low refrigerant situation, and the compressor will disengage. This is all not nearly as complex as it may seem. Personally, I'd say that if I had to do this over again Id probably go with a 10% UD. My opinion, and best of luck to you.
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Old May 5, 2026 | 11:04 AM
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Every day I learn something new, thanks.
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Old May 10, 2026 | 01:44 PM
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Any opinions on the Speedmaster 10% under drive Fluid Harmonic? I've never heard bad responses to Speedmaster brand.
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