Harmonic Balancer Issues
Pro
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 504
Likes: 42
From: SW Florida
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,047
Likes: 207
From: Columbus Ohio
Instructor
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 122
Likes: 48
From: Maui
All these horror stories have me worried as I shop and potentially own a C6. Is it safe to say a dealer is competent and replacing the HB and doing it all correctly? As in, following @C6ToGo list??
Here's a great YouTube I found about how to mark the part and check if it's moving. Unfortunately, the whole process takes a while (letting the white polish dry, then driving the car) but is a good tip for current owners. It seems the best you can do pre-purchase is just looking/listening to it.
Here's a great YouTube I found about how to mark the part and check if it's moving. Unfortunately, the whole process takes a while (letting the white polish dry, then driving the car) but is a good tip for current owners. It seems the best you can do pre-purchase is just looking/listening to it.
Last edited by mtofell; Aug 19, 2023 at 06:19 PM.
Instructor
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 215
Likes: 55
From: North Texas--McKinney area
Racer
Joined: Aug 2023
Posts: 337
Likes: 74
From: New York
Any part of any vehicle can break! you will only find people WITH that problem mentioning it. All those (the majority?) who have not, DO NOT say anything. I find it hard to believe it happens to every car. Ned's son Shaun's C5 has over 100,000 miles NO problem!!! If it does we will fix it here in the "Shed". My only regret is when I changed the rack I could have change it, But if I did could I have been one of the few that got a "bad part" ? hindsight 20-20!
Last edited by 1 MEAN66; Aug 20, 2023 at 08:53 AM. Reason: didn't know I was editing?
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Drifting
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,917
Likes: 451
From: Central NJ
The older these balancers get the quicker they are failing. To say it can wait a while etc because it has a slight wobble or even no wobble is rolling the dice imo. The outer ring is held in place with rubber.
Do we wait until we get a flat or a blowout before we get new tires? No of course not so why would it be ok to say a 15+ year old thin rubber ring that spins over 6500 rpms is ok to leave as is?
Do we wait until we get a flat or a blowout before we get new tires? No of course not so why would it be ok to say a 15+ year old thin rubber ring that spins over 6500 rpms is ok to leave as is?
Instructor
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 217
Likes: 95
If you got the car used and still has a stock balancer, you should plan on replacing it as maintenance. Wobble only is not a great way to gauge unless its excessive because even brand new they will have a slight wobble just by nature of the design being two piece of metal with rubber in the middle. You need to mark them with some paint and see if it's actually separated from the rubber.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 212
Likes: 12
Final update: After futzing about with the owner of the shop who screwed up my harmonic balancer installation I managed to get him to refund the labor charges. I took the car to "Larry", probably the only guy older than I am in all of Indianapolis. He reviewed everything with the previous tech and then told me that he couldn't find anything wrong with what they did.
So I told him that I was never charged for a new balancer bolt and that I doubted that they replaced the TTY bolt.
I bought a new bolt at Advance Auto for about $9. Larry's shop put in the new bolt. I talked to the tech and he showed me the bolt he took out. There was a trace of red loctite around the head but nothing on the threads. (Why the eff-you-see-kay do you think they call it thread locker?) It was also clearly the original bolt.
So the moral of the story is never give up and if you have the slightest doubt about the competence of the shop tell them to button it up and give you your car (and your money) back.
And always replace a TTY bolt.
So I told him that I was never charged for a new balancer bolt and that I doubted that they replaced the TTY bolt.
I bought a new bolt at Advance Auto for about $9. Larry's shop put in the new bolt. I talked to the tech and he showed me the bolt he took out. There was a trace of red loctite around the head but nothing on the threads. (Why the eff-you-see-kay do you think they call it thread locker?) It was also clearly the original bolt.
So the moral of the story is never give up and if you have the slightest doubt about the competence of the shop tell them to button it up and give you your car (and your money) back.
And always replace a TTY bolt.