jscotty

I started my car today for the first time (after a long period of time of being inactive in the possession of the PO) and I noticed an erratic knocking noise. I later investigated the issue and discovered that there is a heavy ring of metal behind the crankshaft pulley that was was freely spinning and making all of this noise as it bounced between the pulley and the engine block.

I am guessing that this is the crankshaft harmonic balancer, however it's just a thick ring of metal and not the entire part that I've seen in pictures and diagrams.

I noticed that there are holes in ring of metal and that there are slotted holes on the pulley itself. Does this bolt on to the pulley? And if so, what size bolts and thread pitch do I need in order to repair this?

Or do I need to pull the crankshaft pulley and replace the entire part?

txjason1

jScotty that is the harmonic balancer has taken a crap.
No biggie, normal occuance in fords.
The outer ring is the weight, the inner is the crank snout and keyway, and what holds them together is a thin rubber strip. it has gotten oil on it and deteriorated. allowing the 1 piece to become 2
replace with a better quality for a couple hundred bucks....or a factory one for around a hundred.

Did it myself in my truck and stang.
hope it helps.

capri debris

A harmonic balancer is a two part item... an inner hub and an outer ring bonded together with rubber. When they fail, the rubber bond breaks and the two pieces come apart and you end up with what you're explaining. You will need to get a whole new unit.

Bubba 95SN

R&R harmonic balancer.

jscotty

Thanks guys! So if I remove that outer ring for the time being, will that cause me any problems if I start driving the car?

mattdel

Yup. dont drive beyond moving it in the yard until u replace that. engine balance is crucial to bearing life.

txjason1

engine balance is very important....however
the "Harmonic Balancer"
only really affects the engine under load at higher RPM's.
So if you took the ring off, you can drive it. just dont hammer it, and dont do it for weeks.
Would I do it?
Maybe till payday......A to B driving, never above 3500-4500 rpm.
I had a 88 F-150 drove it for 3 weeks with the balancer spinning, till I found another one.
Now I have a 91 F-150 and replaced it same day......feel like Vegas? Go for it!
But driving a few days wont implode the engine or scrap the bearings.
LUK

jscotty

Thanks Matt and TXJason. I want to pull it off just because I can't stand the noise and all of the attention that it will draw.

And it's also good to know that if I take it out of the driveway, I shouldn't hammer it like I really want to!