I'am right in the middle of a opti/elec water pump install and i need some info on a couple things....everything went together well so far, i have the new opti and waterpump w/csi installed.....but how does the balancer go back on?

I'am used to the older small blocks that have a grove for the woodruff keys and they only go on one way. But what about these, can they be installed in any postion, or are they balanced for only one position if so, how do i line it up perfectly without all the crank key groove? By balancer is flat inside and doesnt have any goove? WTF is going on here?

Also I changed all the seals on the timing cover while i was at it, and i know the crank seal should be greased and the opti seal said to leave it dry so i did, but what about the waterpump seal? it looks like its teflon as well......so i installed it dry, should i have greased the lips of it like the crank seals are supposed to be.....

any help would be great, as my car is not running, and i need it back ASAP.

thanks

 

With #1 at TDC the key at the crank (that holds the gear) should point at a 45° angle or at 1:30, you can then put on the hub with the pointer on it facing straight up. Try to look carefuly inside the hub bore and you maybe able to see a marking.

 

so it has to go on just like it came off is what your telling me though? I really dont want to take plug out and go the hassle of rigging up a light and looking there and what not for TDC calculations, is there an easier way?

 

If you don't get it installed right your engine may shake/be out of balance. Its not that difficult to get approximate TDC and thats enough for a hub installation.
You can put a rolled paper tissue at #1 spark plug hole and rotate the engine clockwise until the tissue pops, then you must rotate it a little more until the crank key is at 45°.

 

Well, if your pretty experienced, you can do what I did and stick a flat head screw driver in the #1 spark plug hole and rotate the crank until the clyinder barely touches the screw driver, I set my screw driver at an angle so I could pull it out easier and just turn it enough to where the cylinder was at the very top. Be careful not to break the piston or screw driver in there. Don't do it if you don't feel you can, but its not hard at all.

 

Its a "harmonic damper"... not a "balancer". Exact location is generally not critical. That's why they didn't bother with a key. I've heard stories of some LT1 dampers using the holes around the edge for extra weights, used by the factory for final tweeking of vibrating engines, but I've never actually seen one. Just get it "close". Did you look at the inside of the hub to determine if you could see the "outline" of the crank key slot, you know, not an actual slot, but a discoloration from where the hub sat on the crank slot?

 

Well so far I've gotten two completely different answers.......i just dont know

Injuneer's point makes sense, if it would have been critical then it would have had a key in it, but there bolt holes drilled all over this thing, on the outside ring, and on the center hub, for balancing i'am assuming, i would just really like to know "how citical" it is, but i guess i'll just slap it on and get as close as possible......Yeah i can see the line inside, plus a slight nick on the end of it, where it was pushed up against the back key just barely, so i'll just go see what happens.....

 

It's my opinion that the "holes" in the hub and the damper were put there to neutral balance the hub and the damper. Those tiny holes, located so close to the center of rotation of the crank, would not have a significant impact on balance of a "factory" engine. Some people claim they have found "heavy metal" inserts in a few of the holes.

This article indicates:

This book on rebuilding the LT1/LT4 recommends that the damper should be neutral balanced, and that most "out-of-the-box" dampers are neutral balanced.

 

The holes are drilled to ballance the damper it's self. Same as adding weights to your wheel.

 

If your pulley has any weights in the holes, you might want to get it back as close to what it was. If not, there probably won't be a problem, however it is nice to have the hub oriented properly for determining correct crankshaft position (like when setting valve lash).

Inside the hub, you should be able to see a shadow line from the crank keyway. Transfer that line to the outside of the hub where you can see it as you line it up for install. That should make it pretty close.

 

well i have my block stripped bare and im going to a 383. how can i assemble this and make sure everything is right?

i have 2 weights in my dampner but does that matter if im going to a new crank? should i take those weights out?

threads like this let me know how much i still need to learn.

thanks

 

Since your engine is apart, I would have the damper balance checked to insure it is neutral. Then, have the hub keyed, or buy a keyed hub. If you are building a serious motor, it may be worthwhile to go to the ATI SFI-rated balancer. SFI rating is required for cars running under 11.00

 

Sorry for the no response time, I did this basically on the re-install and everything seems good so war, no new "vibration" or anything after the re-install......and mine did have the small weights in some of drilled holes....so who knows?

I replaced the all the cover seals as well.....not a drop....its great.
thanks for the help guys