What is the correct method for re-installing the balancer hub?

I'm removing and replacing my optispark and when I removed the balancer hub (with the hub puller) I thought to myself, "How in the heII do I get this durn thing back on?"

I thought of maybe applying a little grease to it and using a rubber mallet and tapping it back in, but figured I'd give a shout on here to see what the professional's have to say.

thanks

 

oil up the crank and the hub and get a longer bolt. Start it with the longer bolt, then switch to the shorter regular one once the regular will grab sufficiently but before you bottem out the longer one. You *might* be able to get it started far enough with a mallet, but just getting a longer bolt will be much better.

-brent

 

that thing is extremely easy to put back on. Just line the arrow up to the line on the crank and it should slide on with even tightening of the bolts. I bet you didn't line it up right. It is keyed as well

 

i haven't even tried to install it yet, i gotta put all my stuff back together first....dumb question though, what bolts? I'm taking about the part that connects to the crank, not the actually "round" part....if that makes any sense.

 

I 've reinstalled them by using a wrench and tightening it down. Once I placed the hub in the oven to heat it up. It went on very easy once it's hot. I had to use BBQ gloves. How's that for a backyard job?!

 

o you removed the actual crank hub thing, sorry. Did you remove the timing cover? I can't help you there.

 

If you have trouble putting it on.......



Get it lined up right (The key mark), and press it by hand as far as you can. You may have to hit it with a soft hammer or press with wood.

Then get it started with a long bolt. After it starts going, get a big enough flat washer , and a nut that is big enought to press against the flat washer. Put the washer and nut over the bolt that is threaded in the middle of the crank. And just turn the nut which presses the washer , which presses the balancer/and or hub on.

Of course the nut has have the same thread size as the bolt which is in the crankshaft so you can turn it. But needs to be of course bigger than the middle of the washer you use so it can press against it.


I had trouble doing mine until I figured this out. I think some people were telling me it would go right on easy by hand or rubber hammer. I bench press almost 300 pounds , and I could not press it on with oil or grease etc. A rubber hammer would not work either. For some it probaby does go on easy , but you know how cars are. Mine would not. Maybe heating it up like the person above said would help. But with the washer and nut method I described above, none of that is neccesary . It went on easy the way I described.



Edit : Oil or grease might not be a good idea. Like they said , it might spin on the crank.


But I think the washer and nut method like Shoebox and I described is an easy way. I would not beat the balancer with anything . Some say it won't hurt, but I would not take a chance. It' s not so much the balancer and hub I would be worried about , as it is the crank when trying to "beat" it on. It vibration / harmonics might not hurt the crank, but I rather use another method.

To each his own, but the washer and nut method basically imitates the purpose made hub installer like shoebox said. Thats where I got the idea from when I got stuck. By looking at a picture of a $100+ lt1 hub installer.

 

sounds good to me...looks like i'll have fun when i go back to putting it together....tonight i work on the re-build of my opti and drilling out a bolt from my timing chain cover....oh and I have to watch the Tampa Bay game...oh boy, it never ends.

 

Use a high grade threaded rod, washer and nut to pull it back on (much the same as a hub installer). I would not lubricate the crank or hub, because they have a habit of spinning on the crank anyway.

 

Dont lube it up... its a press fit so lube wont help. You can try the longer bolt and pull it on but you run a risk of pulling the threds off the bolt or out of the crank if you dont have it just right. Easy way I have always done it is with a BFH and a block of wood. Dont hit metal to metal. Just slip a block of wood between the 2 and pound it on.

Or the best way is to use a large lead shot filled dead blow hammer. Wont hurt the crank, hub or your hand. And it will go on.

B

 

 

There is that what you were looking for......

 

From Machine Design by Robert L. Norton 2nd edition page 573 "Interference Fits"

It then goes on to reference that information is supported by the AGMA (American gear manufacturers association)

Or if you don't have that particular book handy just do a quick search on google for "lubricate interference fits" and you'll come up with some stuff like this,

 

This is a very interesting thread to me as I'm looking at putting that thing back on next weekend. I'm not really looking forward to that I'll tell you, it wasn't any fun getting it off and I'll bet getting it on isn't going to be any easier.

 

I'll try to furthur explain a little bit why you would counterintuitively lubricate an interference fit. While you are hammering or more appropriately pressing an interference fit on you will have a great deal of difficulty pressing it all they way on so that you have good 'interference' everywhere. It will bind at one (or a few) spots and it will appear tight. Under use those few spots of interference will deform because the localized areas are supporting much more of a load then they were designed too. Once these few tight spots deform this will cause the joint to immediately loosen up. Also remember the large mechanical advantage the threads provide you and how much pressing force you are really providing if you press it on correctly using a threaded faster instead of a hammer.

Another example that supports this is when you torque head/intake/any bolts you lubricate them with oil or moly. Do they loosen up just because they were lubricated?

-brent