# Harmonic Balancer anyone ever have one go bad on an LS1



## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

This pertains to an LS1 motor in specific. 

Has anyone heard of a harmonic balancer going bad??? I've never heard of one going bad till you got above 150-200,000 miles. 

Here's the situation. I've got a Big 10 Tire pretty close to me at work and they did an alignment and installed new KYB shocks and struts on my Cavalier and did a great job at a reasonable price. 

I was talking with the guy and told him about the 02 Z28 I just bought and suggested that I should change all the fluids and the serpentine belts since it was 7 years old and had almost 60k on it. He gave me a price of $320 including changing the fuel filter. I thought about how long it would take me and decided that he was charging a fair price and told him to go ahead and do it. 

I got the car back and they had put on the new belts and they told me the tensioner and the harmonic balancer needed replaced. I got a price for that from him and it was $536.00. $350 of that was parts.

I thought that was high so I found the Harmonic balancer for $90 and the tensioner for $20 and told him I needed a just labor price. 

I'm now thinking it doesn't need replaced. The balancer itself is on tight, there isn't any play. The mechanic told me there was a wobble to it when it was running and I checked and didn't find any wobble, even under a load. 

The tensioner is on tight and doesn't have any play. It also isn't making any noise when I check it with a stethiscope.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Shops are severely hungry, they have creative billing departments now.


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## REDGTO89 (Jul 19, 2008)

I work at a Phillips 66 station and they will find any thing to replace let me tell ya its a F****** joke I totally dont understand it!


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

As long as the elastomer(rubber) is good and not cracked or pushed out between the outer and inner part of the Harmonic Dampner then its good no need to replace it. Also if the inner/outer hubs are lined up and not offset.


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## 6QTS11OZ (Mar 27, 2005)

gm4life said:


> As long as the elastomer(rubber) is good and not cracked or pushed out between the outer and inner part of the Harmonic Dampner then its good no need to replace it. Also if the inner/outer hubs are lined up and not offset.


:agree EXACTLY! 

Yo Fergy. I've only heard of a few of them failing. If it looks suspect it's best you go ahead and replace it because if it comes off at a pretty good rpm, it's going to do some nasty damage under the hood unless you get lucky and it shoots from beneath the car.


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## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

gm4life said:


> As long as the elastomer(rubber) is good and not cracked or pushed out between the outer and inner part of the Harmonic Dampner then its good no need to replace it. Also if the inner/outer hubs are lined up and not offset.


The elastomer is where it should be. It's not bulging or cracked. The inner and outer hubs are aligned. With 350 miles of driving with a new belt there isn't any sign of wear on it. The balancer is on tight and running true. 

I think this guy was trying to pad his work load.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

There is a shop around here would have just sprayed some paint on the old part and charged you for a new one and installation!


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

Rukee said:


> There is a shop around here would have just sprayed some paint on the old part and charged you for a new one and installation!


Wow, its a shame that happens but it does all the time. Some people are not too don't know this and don't ask for the old part(s).


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

gm4life said:


> Wow, its a shame that happens but it does all the time. Some people are not too don't know this and don't ask for the old part(s).


This guy would have just pulled some junk balancer out of his scrap pile and handed it to you. If you'd ask why it looks different, he'd prolly just tell you the new one he just installed is improved design or some sheet. I predicted 20 yrs ago that this guy wouldn't last two years the way he was going, and yet, he's still there today.


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## fergyflyer (Apr 18, 2005)

It got the best of me. I kept thnking about the Harmonic balancer and wondering if it really needed replacing. 

I took it to a great speed shop and told him what happened. He checked it out and said that it looked ok to him. He said from one angle there seemed to be some movement to it, but that it might just be an optical illusion. If it was his car he'd just let it go till there was more movement on it. 

I asked how much for a new one. He told me the Chevy dealer had one for $137 and he'd throw it on for $60. 

$200 for peace of mind. 

The tensioner is perfect though so the first guy was full of it on that. 

This guy has a couple dragsters. They run high 6's and low 7's. The 60' times are 1.07 on the slow car .96 on the quick one. He said the slow car is ok, but you should see the quick one. It puts you back in the seat.


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## 6QTS11OZ (Mar 27, 2005)

fergyflyer said:


> This guy has a couple dragsters. They run high 6's and low 7's. The 60' times are 1.07 on the slow car .96 on the quick one. He said the slow car is ok, but you should see the quick one. It puts you back in the seat.


So the slow low 7's car won't put you back in the seat? LOL! At those times I don't think a passenger could tell the difference.


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