[Sin7]

I finally got my dual Flowmaster 40 series installed and now I can see and hear something that I couldn't before.... Let me rephrase.... The exhaust installation isn't what caused this. Just meant to say that now that I dont have open headers I can hear what the engine is doing and pinpoint noises a little better...

I notice that my lower pulley is wobbling and making an "off balance" rattle. Could it be the pulley or the harmonic balancer?

Take a look for yourself....

First video

second video

[Jmark]

From the looks of the videos, it appears that the outermost crank pulley is whacked! So is the water pump pulley. The balancer and the remaining pulleys look fairly straight.

You need to remove the belts and ck it. Either the pulley is not tight, it's cracked or it's bent. If it's making noise, I'll guess at cracked or loose. Only you can tell by inspecting it.

[Sin7]

probably what I get for buying cheap ebay pulleys ....

How do I go about checking them once the belts are off? I cant turn them by hand fast enough...

Or do you mean pull them and lay them on a flat surface?

[JeffB]

What ebay seller did you buy these from? I know some folks that also bought chrome pulleys that should be made aware of this. There are some pics on the web of import chrome pulleys that have come apart and caused a lot of damage,I would forward that video to the seller and ask them to warranty the product or refund it.

[Sin7]

was just some random dude selling parts. Not a company or dealer so i can't point the finger....

[dawg]

definately a bad set of pullies!
get them off there before one seperates and hurts someone.
balancer looks fine from the vids.

[Sin7]

Originally Posted by dawg

definately a bad set of pullies!
get them off there before one seperates and hurts someone.
balancer looks fine from the vids.

Thanks Dawg. Gonna pull them off this afternoon....

[Sin7]

Got an update... Good and bad news...

waiting for a video to finish uploading

[Sin7]

The good news is that I was able to find the problem. As I was taking the lower outer pully off, one of the 3 bolts that hold it in place just slipped right out. So it's stripped..



That one bolt is what made the entire lower section wrattle. here's a vid with only the inner pulley spinning...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7jhomDkmC8

Doesn't vibrate at all...

Also swapped the water pump pulley with the stock one.

[Jmark]

Yep, looks much better now. You can either replace the balancer or just helicoil it.

[Sin7]

I have the stock one piece lower pulley assembly, so can i just put that one one as a temporary fix just using the center bolt to hold it in place? Or do I need to have the other 3 bolts also???...


Also, can I just use a tap set to rethread that one bolt?

[Sin7]

Originally Posted by Jmark

Yep, looks much better now. You can either replace the balancer or just helicoil it.

can i get the helicoils at NAPA ?

[Sin7]

Just googled Helicoils and Time Serts and it looks like I need the entire set huh....

[Jmark]

You can get specific size packs at almost any auto parts store. I believe those are 3/8" fine thread? (don't hold me to that! LOL) You will get a drill bit, special tap and about a half dozen inserts. Very simple to do, even in the car. Used them myself the first time on a bunch of stripped holes in my TH350 tans valvebody.

[Sin7]

yup, they're 3/8" fine thread. I walked to autozone and they had a bunch of helicoils but he said i needed the 3/8-20 and they didnt carry that. Told me to go to NAPA. I thought since the bolt is already a 3/8 i would need to bump it up in size??

The 3/8 fine bolt just slips right in and out of the current hole. So there's no threads at all...

You answered my other question: Is it necessary to take the balancer off to do this.

When my wife gets home I'll drive to NAPA....