Just finished new opti install and now the balancer is wobbling badly. I had to use a puller to get the balancer off the hub, and it came off sideways. It only went back on by using the bolts to press it back on the hub. It is tight on the hub and torqued to spec. Checked the hub and it is tight as well. I'm not sure if it is the balancer or hub that is causing the problem. Any advice on diagnosis and repair options would be appreciated. 1994 Z-28

 

Take it back off and clean up some of the rust that will probably fix it, just dont take too much rust off cause then it might be too loose. Usually there is only rust in the area's that werent making contact anyway. If it came off sidways with full force then some of the metal is probably scapped away and might need replacement.

 

Did you pull it with the puller arms on the inside diameter of the damper (correct way), or on the outside diameter of the damper (wrong way)? It's possible to break the rubber ring that holds the inner and outer halves of the damper together.

 

I did pull it off using the inside diameter of the balancer, so that is not the issue. I cleaned the hub with emery cloth prior to reinstalling after discovering the wobble, with no effect. It seems the hub shaft is distorted from pulling the balancer off slightly sideways, but the balancer still seats firmly against the hub. After twice removing and reinstalling the balancer, it still fits tightly on the hub. Repair guides for the balancer suggest that the balancer should just fall off of the hub, however, this is not the case. Also, I don't know if the balancer wobbled before the first removal, just noticed it after I finished this job.

 

When it was brand new, it would just fall off the hub - mine did. But after 16 years of rust, it becomes more difficult. A good rust penetrant might have helped.

 

The rust was a concern so I soaked it with penetrating oil several times in 24 hours before using the puller. The damper was still locked on and required the puller. The first time I removed it, the puller struggled to remove the damper. The second time, the puller removed the damper much easier, but still crooked. With the damper coming off crooked, I still can't tell if it is the hub or damper that needs to be replaced. Any suggestions on how to determine which one to replace without replacing both? Thanks for your advice!

 

Measure the ID in a few places to see if it is still round.

Rich

 

The damper is round, but the hub shaft is slightly out of shape from the damper coming off crooked. However, the damper still seats firmly against the hub.

 

Just wanted to update for future searches. The damper was not the issue. I replaced the crankshaft hub and all is well. By pulling the damper off sideways, the hub shaft was out of shape and caused the wobble. With the new hub, the damper falls right off without the puller.