1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
The harmonic balancer makes a very loud screeching sound at startup. Like a loose belt but worse. First tighten your belts to see if that's the problem, it usually is. If belts are worn, replace them rather than run too tight and wear out all the bearings and bushings.
If the screech does not go away, you can check the balancer pulley by marking the hub and the pulley with a crayon at the same rotational position. You can reach down between the engine and the firewall to feel the hub bolt and mark it. Use an inspection mirror to see where you've marked it and mark the pulley in the same spot. If after starting the car a few times, use the mirror to see if the relative positions have changed. If so, the balancer is slipping and should be replaced, since it will eventually grind against the oil pump cover.
Replacing the balancer pulley is a medium to high difficulty job for the shadetree mechanic. Go to the Townsend site and read the technical document on front seal replacement to get a feel for difficulty. If you do have to replace the balancer, you (or your mechanic) should replace the oil pump gasket and the front main seal as townsend suggests. Also not a bad idea to replace the alternator arm bushing and bracket bushings and the water pump while your at it. I did the whole works over a weekend and had a hell of a time getting the front crankshaft bolt out. I could not get the townsend, crank the engine method to work, so I used a large screwdriver wedged into the flywheel teeth near the starter at the top of the engine to lock the engine in place. An 18 inch breaker bar finally loosened the bolt. The rest of the job required patience, but was not too difficult.
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