Help me get my harmonic balancer hub off
Registered User
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 27,725
From: Little Rock, AR
The three bolts are what mount the pulley to the hub. Put the center bolt back in. That's what your puller will be pushing against to get the balancer off. In the pic, shoebox has a socket over the center bolt to prevent damaging the head, but I don't think you need to really worry about that if you're careful. The hub will remain on the shaft. Do you want to take the hub off also?
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,628
From: Pgh, PA
NO Dont do that. You'll end up ****ing up the Crankshaft.
Go to a tool store and buy a bolt-style puller. 3 Bolts go through the 3 holes in the hub, and will have a nut placed on the back side of them. The center of the puller will go into the middle of the crank. You may need to use a long allen bolt inside the middle of crankshaft if the end of the puller does not fit inside it. My puller actually has a small enough end on it that it fits. Then you just crank down on the center shaft of the puller (That goes into the crank). This tightens up and slowly works the hub off the crankshaft.
FWIW, mine was TIGHT. I used my impact gun, and went easy on it, working it out slow and steady.
Go to a tool store and buy a bolt-style puller. 3 Bolts go through the 3 holes in the hub, and will have a nut placed on the back side of them. The center of the puller will go into the middle of the crank. You may need to use a long allen bolt inside the middle of crankshaft if the end of the puller does not fit inside it. My puller actually has a small enough end on it that it fits. Then you just crank down on the center shaft of the puller (That goes into the crank). This tightens up and slowly works the hub off the crankshaft.
FWIW, mine was TIGHT. I used my impact gun, and went easy on it, working it out slow and steady.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 27,725
From: Little Rock, AR
Honestly, I have never heard of anyone having to go to that extreme. Are you now pushing against the bolt you inserted into the hole? Have you given the hub a few taps with a hammer to maybe break it free? I have heard some say they had to heat it with a torch, but you would also want to replace the seal in that case.
BTW, you can easily click on your screen name or go into the user CP area to find any posts you made.
BTW, you can easily click on your screen name or go into the user CP area to find any posts you made.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 229
From: Wetumpka Alabama
I have tried it with the bolt style puller and I broke 2 different ones. I am pretty sure that I am pushing against the bolt, and I have tapped it probably more than I shouldve. What size allen bolt should I use?
Registered User
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 27,725
From: Little Rock, AR
You use the biggest, strongest bolt that will fit into the hole without damaging the threads. I do not recommend threading a bolt into the hole, unless you thread it in until it bottoms out and it has a taper on the inserted end, so that it does not jam in the end of the blind bolt hole. 7/16-20 is the thread size of the crank bolt.
If you just thread a bolt anywhere into the threads and then put stress on it, you can strip the crank bolt hole. If you strip it, it will be your worst nightmare.
If you just thread a bolt anywhere into the threads and then put stress on it, you can strip the crank bolt hole. If you strip it, it will be your worst nightmare.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,027
From: Lansing, MI via Bowling Green, KY: Dalton, GA: Nashville, TN & Atlanta, GA
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 214
From: Hendersonville Tn.
I depend on the Moroso puller-installer with the disc and bolts that screw into the holes in the arms on hub, it also makes installation a snap. I do not recommend using a hammer on it. Danny Mc
Registered User
Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 27,725
From: Little Rock, AR
He obviously does not have the recommended tools.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,628
From: Pgh, PA
Yea, actually, I think I gave mine a tap or two with a small hammer also, but mine came out slow and easy with the impact gun and my puller. You have to be SURE your using a small enough end, OR are using a bolt long enough to press on. I suspect if you broke two of them, that it was not going in far enough as many bolt style pullers wont go in far enough.
And you need a 4" long, 5/16", Grade 8, Allen Bolt. Go to the hardware store, and then fill us in. Good luck with it. I know how frustrating it can be dealing with something as retarded as this. Im currently fighting a Pitman Arm Seal on my truck, that should be 1 2 3.
And you need a 4" long, 5/16", Grade 8, Allen Bolt. Go to the hardware store, and then fill us in. Good luck with it. I know how frustrating it can be dealing with something as retarded as this. Im currently fighting a Pitman Arm Seal on my truck, that should be 1 2 3.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,628
From: Pgh, PA
And dont be afraid to pound on the puller for a bit with the impact gun. Mine is a so-so impact gun, running on 110ish PSI, and it took close to all it had to pull it off, It was slow as all hell coming off, and going on.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 175
From: Philadelphia, PA
i just did this a few days ago and I thought i was going to break something. I used a bolt slightly smaller than the crank bolt but 4" in length, grade 8. I used the same puller that shoebox recommended for taking the pulley off when i took off the hub. The point on the puller began to indent the grade 8 bolt!! i got a little nervous but knew that nothing would happen and i couldn't damage the crank threads because the bolt wasn't the same diameter. Took a lot of hard cranking but it eventually came off. I could not believe how hard it was considering haynes says that it should just come off by hand when new.