Crank Pulley Questions

[quikdrive]

Does anyone have an idea what is going on here? The crankshaft pulley seems to be pulling away from the engine. You can see that the outside edge no longer lines up with the other pulleys. I removed the belt and tried rocking the pulley with a pry bar and it doesn't move. I also tried tightening the bolt and it doesn't appear to be lose. I am not sure either what that metal ring is that is exposed now.

Any help would be appreciated!!!!

[pocket-rocket]

I don't have one in front of me to compare it with, but I wonder if the outer ring is coming lose from the inner ring. The metal ring with the notches in it is the 24x crank trigger ring. Tightening the bolt to pull the pulley isn't the ideal way to go about pressing a pulley on the crank since you run the risk of stripping the threads in the crank. If it were me I would pull the splash guard behind the tire and look at the front of the pulley to see if it is separating.

[quikdrive]

I don't have one in front of me to compare it with, but I wonder if the outer ring is coming lose from the inner ring. The metal ring with the notches in it is the 24x crank trigger ring. Tightening the bolt to pull the pulley isn't the ideal way to go about pressing a pulley on the crank since you run the risk of stripping the threads in the crank. If it were me I would pull the splash guard behind the tire and look at the front of the pulley to see if it is separating.

Is the "crank trigger ring" what the crank position sensor reads? Also where does the ring usually sit? Is it pressed in the pully?

[bszopi]

Its what the 24x crank sensor reads. The ring is attached to the inside of the pulley.

[60dgrzbelow0]

The Stainless Steel Reluctor Ring seems to be slipping out from the inner race. Here is what it should look like when it is in its proper place. You can use this image to get an idea of how to re-insert it and get the timing groove and the reluctor properly positioned to provide the correct 24 X readings to the PCM/ECM.

http://s557.photobucket.com/albums/ss19/60dgrzbelow0/GM34ENGINETEARDOWNIMAGES2/?action=view&current=34LENGINEHARMONICBALANCERINVERTEDVI.jpg

[pocket-rocket]

The Stainless Steel Reluctor Ring seems to be slipping out from the inner race. Here is what it should look like when it is in its proper place. You can use this image to get an idea of how to re-insert it and get the timing groove and the reluctor properly positioned to provide the correct 24 X readings to the PCM/ECM.

http://s557.photobucket.com/albums/s...INVERTEDVI.jpg

Actually that one is different than the FWD balancers, but same concept.

The 24x ring is used for the SFI function of the fuel injection system. There is a certain RPM that the PCM switches modes from SFI (Sequential Fuel injection- fires one injector at a time to what ever cylinder the intake valve is opening on) to MPFI (Multi-Port Fuel Injection- or batch fire as some call it, fires all injectors or 2 sets of 3 injectors... forgot which). So, the 24x sensor is only used at low RPMs for a smoother idle and slightly better economy. It's not essential to run your engine (the 7x sensor in the side of the block is responsible for that), but it does help it run better at low RPMs and get better fuel mileage. It for sure looks like those pulleys are out of alignment going by the AC and crank pulleys. For sure pull that splash guard and check to make sure the outter ring hasn't busted loose and is making its way off of the inner. If that puppy flies off while you are going down the road you will lose power steering and your alternator. The power steering is nice to have but the car can be driven without it. The alternator, however, is very important since eventually the battery will die and leave you sitting in the water dead after a while. How long until it will die will depend on a lot of things like temperature, battery condition, headlights on or off, ect. That crank pulley could also leave a nice speed hole in your hood if it flew off just right.

[quikdrive]

Thanks everyone for there help. I played around with it a bit tonight and it appears the outer ring of the pully has seperated somehow from the assembly and walked out apprx 1/2". I ordered a new balancer and will throw it on this weekend. Thanks again!

[60dgrzbelow0]

P-R has nailed down the danger of what can happen if that massive outer race comes completely off, but for the sake of stressing that point and a few others, you should know that the "elastomer" adhesive in between the two segments will generally never break down unless there is a substantial amount of rust migrating inward...say from a vehicle that is exposed to a lot of salt water, etc. The outer ring is quite literally ...a spinning projectile waiting to explode come off and do either damage or harm.

The harmonic balancer on all vehicles is essentially designed to absorb the vibrational forces that will build up along the crankshaft longitudinally and prevent them from tearing the engine apart should the rotational motion of the crankshaft begin to "harmonically" increase in amplitude when the engine RPM remains at certain vibrational sweet-spots. If your HB lets go and the engine is allowed to continue to run...if that even seems possible, the engine will try to shake itself apart. So the less you drive the car between now and the needed repair, the better.

Please don't be tempted to fram on the outer shell of the HB or you will run the risk of damaging (de-tuning) the crankshaft. The fix for this is very straightforward, You should plan on getting either a brand new replacement HB at best...or one from the junk yard that you can examine and ensure that the "elastomer" remains intact and that the two hunks of metal do not slide one over the other. Here is what you will need:

1. A New (or a decent used one) Harmonic Balancer
2. A Three Slot Puller or the one designated by GM for your specific engine
3. An Harmonic Balancer Installer Tool (screws into the end of the crankshaft)
4. A "Redi-Sleeve" kit to re-race the OD of the HB and avoid an Oil Leak
5. PTFE HB/Crankshaft Seal (R&R the old seal from the front engine cover).
6. A tube of Molybdenum Di-Sulphide Grease for the removal/install tool(s) threads

Depending upon how friendly your AutoZone folks are, perhaps they will loan you the tools to get this done right.

[pocket-rocket]

IIRC the balancer and steering wheel puller and installer kit runs about $80-90 to rent, but you get every penny you paid back when you bring it back. Basically they just want to cover their behinds if you don't bring it back and can buy another kit. I picked up that same exact kit on ebay for around $30-40 one time a couple years ago. It's one of my better purchases because it's a good quality set.