9550

i was trying to remove the distributor but couldnt read the balancer at all. too much rust. i tried scrubbing, brushing, cleaner, etc.
so i brilliantly decided it would be much easier to clean and inspect if it was off the car (the balancer that is)
so, i bought a balancer puller. not a very expensive one i admit because i think i will never use it again.
so, the balancer isnt stock (if i recall correctly), and it has two spots for the puller bolts.
ok so i set it up and start the pull process and the bolts start bending. i stop.

i imagine the thing is rusted on, so at the moment it is soaking in some pbblaster.

questions:

are there any bolts that hold the balancer on? im guessing no

next question, would it be a dumb idea to use the bolts that held the pulley on to try and remove the balancer? i ask because i can then use 3 bolts to try and remove the balancer instead of 2


also, if anybody has any tips, please feel free to add them


thanks in advance

9550

omg, i am dumber than i thought
that 15/16 nut i use to turn the crank, that also holds the balancer on?

if so, is there anything special i need to do to get it off?

and a bonus question:
how deep is this hole i am digging for myself?

9550

one more question, will i need a special tool to re-install the balancer?

mjr46

use the bolt to pull in the balancer on reinstall, use a impact to remove bolt or something such as a chain wrench to hold balancer and a breaker bar to remove bolt

9550

i dont totally understand what you are saying.
use what bolt to pull in the balancer?

mattdel

He shoulda said push.
What he's saying is use the large balancer bolt to push the balancer back onto the crank. Works best with an impact gun, the motor will spin if you attempt to tighten it with a ratchet.

9550

pull is ok, i just wasnt sure what bolt he meant.

now, have you guys actually used that bolt to put balancers back on?
i saw something that said it would be a bad idea due to the force required to get the balancer all the way back on and that force might strip the threads. they also talked about taking a spark plug out and inserting some type of device that would stop the crank from turning. something about rotating the piston to tdc and sticking something in there.

mjr46

all the time.......and do not insert anything in a spark plug hole such as a piston stop, such a practice is used for timing the motor when trying to locate tdc, if the balancer goes on hard, I'd be leary of the force being placed against such a stop, I use a big chain wrench or strap wrench to hold the balancer from spinning and I have never had an oem balancer that was really that difficult to install.

9550

ok thanks. so it shouldnt be too tough to get it back on. can this all be done by one person? (holding the strap wrench and tightening the balancer bolt)

if i can get the rust off tomorrow, i wont go through with taking the balancer off, but im going to assume i wont be that lucky

tinman

When installing the balance I always use a little anti-sieze on the crank, keeps things nice and easy going on and the same way when I have to take it off again........