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Harmonic balancer installation.....special tool

34K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  modain 
#1 ·
Hello,
Do I really need this tool to install the Harmonic balancer/damper?
http://millerspecialtools.spx.com/Detail.aspx?id=563

I like buying tools as much as the next but I try not to buy "one time only" tools.

Two Questions
1. If so do any of you have one laying around (to sell me) that you will not use again?
2. Can you recommend any general tool like the OTC 4531 or similar that can also do the job?

Thanks,
Kevin


Regards,
Kevin
 
#2 ·
I will tell you my recommendation, and then what I ended up doing. Go to grainger or McMaster Carr, or similar, and get yourself a threaded rod that matches the threads on the dampener bolt. Maybe a foot long or so. Get a nut to fit it and a bunch of washers. Thread the rod into the crank, and when you have your dampener lined up, stack the washers over the rod so they rest on the dampener and just tighten down on the nut. The pain here will be finding a threaded rod to match the bolt, it is metric, and some weird thread like 10X1.5 or 1.25, sorry I don't remember exactly which thread offhand.

What I ended up doing was polishing the crank and inside of the dampener so that they would go together smoothly, tapped the dampener on a little and used the bolt to pull it onto the crank, BIG no no, I know, but I had to keep moving to beat the weather and I was super careful, took a lot of prep time polishing too to make sure it went on without too much force.

I went so far as to try and weld bolts together without much luck. The threaded rod should do the trick. No easy way to get it on that I could think of.
 
#3 ·
Check your local chain auto parts store. A lot of them have a tool rental program and will probably have that tool or a similar one to it. Most of the time you just pay them up front whatever the tool costs and then you get your money back when you return it.
 
#7 ·
Rent one!
 
#9 ·
You want to be carefull with the ATI damper and torches... Im sure Marty knows how to do it without melting the inner damper bands but if this method is used you should be very carefull not to get it too hot.

ATI recomends that you boil the damper in water for 5 minutes and then install it.. I took it a step further and used cold air to freeze the snout. Honestly I did that and the tolorences where so close that it got about 1/4 of the way and then just froze... I ended up purchasing the correct install tool and got to say its a dream to install with the right tool.

I had a kit put together with the installer & removal tool... but the price for all tools is a bit too much so I plan to offer the tool alone for rental.

We rent the tools out for what they cost new. And charge a weekly rental fee + shipping and deduct that amount once the tool is returned then refund the difference.

We do have the install tool in stock. Also, it appears this tool will also work on the 3.7L & 5.7L... The 4.7L bolts and 5.7L bolts are almost identical.

SPEED SAFE, AIR RAM
 
#12 ·
I lubed the snout and the inside of the hub. Lightly tapped it onto the snout, then I kept checking it with the stock bolt. Once I had over 3/4" sticking out of the hub I used the stock bolt to pull it on. Worked fine just have to make sure you have enough threads into the snout so not to strip it.
 
#13 ·
Hello,
Do I really need this tool to install the Harmonic balancer/damper?
http://millerspecialtools.spx.com/Detail.aspx?id=563

I like buying tools as much as the next but I try not to buy "one time only" tools.

Two Questions
1. If so do any of you have one laying around (to sell me) that you will not use again?
2. Can you recommend any general tool like the OTC 4531 or similar that can also do the job?


Kevin, I have built them with the miller tool and without. I just made a tool from a stick of threaded rod sized m14 x 1.5mm from Grainger for 15 bucks and got an m14 x 1.5mm nut and a couple of washers to sandwich a roller bearing to absorb the load of the nut as I spin the balancer on.

The rod was one meter long so you can make three or four tools for just the price of the nut. I used some of the miller tool power lube supplied with their tools and the balancer went on easily.
 
#14 ·
Just make sure the threaded rod and nuts (14mm x 1.5 pitch) are hardened, and not regular stock. Don't want to strip it during the install...

I went this route and made my own tool years ago. Very useful and cost effective.
 
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