Question on Harmonic Balancer Install

[93Rubie]

So I got the old Harmonic Balancer off without too much trouble. Got the new one. Now how do I get the weight out of the old one and put it in the new one?

Also I will be doing intake manifold gaskets as well, they leak oil. The oil has covered the front and back of the engine. So naturally the opti-spark is covered in it. Any tips on cleaning the thing off. I don't want to cause any problems with it. I like to use Brake Parts Cleaner to degrease stuff, works good. Will it be ok to use it on the Opti? I think it will be ok as the stuff evaporates pretty quickly. Any thoughts? Tips?

 

[boomdriver]

sorry, I can;t help much with the balancer but it seems unlikely that a weight would be moved to the new one because it would have to be in the exact right place or the whole thing is useless. That cannot be re-balanced on the car.

The brake parts cleaner...keep that away from the opti and most other plastics. Some, not all, plastics & rubbers harden, crack or even dissolve with a chemical solvent like brake cleaner. I'd hate to see you damage that thing. An opti-spark being what it is and what it cost, I'd wipe it by hand and maybe some mild detergent like simple green or dish soap & water on a rag. That ain;t the fun way but its the safest way.
The whole "opti" concept is a great idea but it sure rules out steam cleaning and pressure washing in the front of the engine. Its just a bit too fragile for that. Seems like GM would have protected it a little better.

 

[vetteoz]

seems unlikely that a weight would be moved to the new one because it would have to be in the exact right place or the whole thing is useless. That cannot be re-balanced on the car.

What engine are you working on that has a weight?
LT1 is neutral balance at front so there should not be any " weight " to remove.
Only 400's had a weight on the balancer and it is usually cast in.Some aftermarket 400 balancers have a removible weight

 

[boomdriver]

thats kind of what I remembered...not c-4's...

These balancers are pretty straight forward. Bolt 'em on and roll.

I lost one on another car and took me a week to figure out what that tinging sound was...I'd hear it and slam it in park op the hood and run out there to see what was making the racket..took me about a doz of those dash and search deals until I finally got lucky and saw the balancer ring still spinning 10 seconds after the engine shutdown! ..had to laugh when I saw that,.

 

[vetteoz]

I lost one on another car and took me a week to figure out what that tinging sound was...

Something like this?
Very hard to set the timing ;squint:

 

[93Rubie]

It is an LT1. I must be mistaken the old one had pin weight in one of the holes. I thought they had to be put in the new balancer before installing it on the end of the hub. The new balancer has no weight in any of the holes. I know the FSM was very specific in saying it had to be aligned with the marks on the hub and on the balancer. The little triangle things on them. Better safe than sorry you know.

 

[boomdriver]

Oz,
worse !
mine had completely lost the rubber liner between the dampner and ring, so the outside ring just spun like a bearing !
It made the strangest noise...The only other symptom was vibration at 2000+ rpm that kind of made the whole car vibrate. I had never had a balancer fail before so I was not putting it all together until I finally caught the ring spinning on the balance when the engine was shut off so I could hear better....