1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
 | [Main 9000 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
harmonic balancer/main pulley Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Fri, 9 Jul 2004 08:01:35
In Reply to: Squeal, Brad, Fri, 9 Jul 2004 06:57:52 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
A classic symptom of a failing harmonic balancer is a squeal at start-up. Yes, it could be a belt, but I'd suspect the balancer. The balancer (main pulley) is three pieces - an inner part on the crankshaft, and outer section that carries the belt, and a thin rubber binder between them. The rubber fails, and the outer portion turns a little, causing the squeal. This heats up, and the two track. However, the outer portion of the pulley likes to move - if it moves far enough inward, it hits the timing cover and can chew through it. If it moves outward, it can come off. Before that, it'll misalign the belt enough that the belt will start hitting parts of the tensioner.
Open the hood, and look at how the belt runs on the tensioner when the engine is running. If the belt isn't right in the middle of the tensioner pulley, suspect the harmonic balancer. Look down at the balancer - if you see the rubber bit sticking out, it's bad. Another trick is to draw a chalk line across the face of the harmonic balancer, and start the engine cold. Shut it off and see if the line is still straight. If not, the balancer needs replacement.
A new pulley is about $120 for the part. You'll probably want to replace the serpentine belt while you're at it, unless it's brand new. If the pulley is off, you might as well replace the main seal (all of $5 for the part), and possibly the oil pump O-ring. These are cheap parts that are expensive to replace simply because you need to remove the pulley. If the pulley is off for replacement, replacing the seal / o-ring is minimal extra work.
DOn't live with a bad harmonic balancer - it can fail pretty spectacularly. If it dies, you'll lose power steering and the water pump drive.
posted by 192.249....
, Fri, 9 Jul 2004 08:01:35 <-- Viewing This Message, Fri, 9 Jul 2004 12:46:07
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
