harmonic balancer wobbles

[fishon1213]

I have a 1998 Montero Gen 2.5 and the crankshaft pulley is wobbly. The bolt is tight though so I am guessing the harmonic balancer is the problem. There is no oil leaking from the front. I am due for a timing belt which I plan to do next week. I already have the timing belt, water pump, tensioners, etc.. The harmonic balancers seem to vary in price a lot, any real difference in them? I have read about there being a problem with the crankshaft pulley bolts as well but I have been unable to find out where to get the new style bolt. Anyone know the part number? Any links to write ups or info on this would be helpful as well.

Thanks, Al

 

[fishon1213]

I plan on ordering these parts today, so bump......advice please

 

[KarmannMarco]

I bought the bolt from the Mitubishi dealer.
There's a couple of threads with the part numbers floating around but you could just as easily call your local dealer and they can look it up using your VIN number. The bolt was only about $15 I believe.

As far as a broken crank pulley goes I'm unsure if they are failure prone. I had one brake on my Isuzu Rodeo a few years back. The front and rear part of the pulley was bonded with vulcanized rubber and it broke in two.

 

[m3at333hp]

I would check this thread http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/114855-Montero-Gen-2-5-(NL)-Capacities-Part-Numbers-and-Specialty-Tools-List

 

[off-roader]

Yes, replace if required. Your dealer will know if it's the correct bolt. For the price it makes sense to buy the new one for the peace of mind. This is usually a dealer only part. If you do find it online, it's typically because you're buying from a dealer who has an online presence. HTH.

 

[Justice R]

If your pulley is wobbly, cease using the truck and tear down and inspect ASAP. You risk doing greater damage. You need to inspect the HB as well of the face of the crankshaft drive gear. Photos are a good tool to help us help you.

 

[fishon1213]

Well I finally tore the Monty down. I did a timing belt, water pump, tensioners, new harmonic balancer and new crankshaft pulley bolt. Still wobbles Everything looked fine while it was apart. Gear looked fine as did the old harmonic balancer, I guess I will just keep driving it and hope for the best. I already had the updated bolt in it too, I still replaced it with a new one. This vehicle was driven with a misfire by the previous owner, not sure how long, maybe that could have caused this. I dunno. Could an acc. belt being too tight cause this?

 

[thedjjack]

2 piece balancers are known to fail... I would put a new one on...

 

[fishon1213]

I did replace the harmonic balancer with a new one, along with the crankshaft bolt. Still wobbles.

 

[PajEvo]

I lost a crank bolt last week (03 3.8). Lots of collateral damage when it came apart. I'd be very wary to drive it with a wobble till I sorted it out. Just MHO...

 

[fishon1213]

I am unsure what else to do at this point. I did a complete timing belt job, New timing belt, idler pulley, tensioner pulley, water pump. I also put a new harmonic balancer on as well as a new crank bolt and torqued to spec. All of the accessory pulleys seem fine. The crankshaft gear was fine. I am worried about snapping off the bolt at some point but I am at a loss for what else could cause the crankshaft pulley to wobble. Any ideas?

 

[Toasty]

Possible that it had lost a balancer before and the previous owner just had it "fixed" to sell it before it went down hard? Or the new balancer is junk as well, do you have the proper washer between the bolt and HB?

 

[fishon1213]

The vehicle seems like it was mostly dealer serviced and there was no record of anything pertaining to the balancer. I did put the correct washer in place, also the bolt and washer that came out did not appear to have any abnormal wear. I have put about another 8K on the truck and the wobble is not getting any worse or better. I guess I will just keep driving it and hope for the best. Not sure what else to do without tearing down the entire engine, hopefully I don't come back to the message board crying, lol.

 

[dorifto-san]

If you replaced the HB with a new one as well as the updated crank pully bolt, then you shouldn't have this issue.
Either something isn't allowing the backside of the harmonic balancer to sit flush or you have bigger problems, like a cracked/broken crank. The crank being cracked is incredibly rare but is a possibility. How bad is it wobbling? Do you have video of it?

 

[SirFrancisDrake]

Is the crankshaft bolt an issue on Gen 3 as well? Is it a maintenance item... meaning should I go out and replace mine right now even if I am not noticing any problems? About to hit 175k