Outer Limits 4x4 Board

hi all. could someone please let me know how to stop my 97 quad 3.5 from flogging out harmonic ballancers. at 500 a pop it's getting past a joke...
great site ppl...
nuttz

Welcome to OL - we're pleased you like us.

Personally, I don't know much at all about harmonic balancers. Could an over-tensioned belt be a cause? Are they keyed to the crankshaft? Any possibility they're being installed "out of sync?"

I'll now let somebody else truly expose my ignorance.

Scott

End of the crank "rounded" off?

Is it the balancer coming loose or the rubber in the balancer flogging out?

the harm. balancer is a flat faced surface, no key to the crank. it has a hole for a roll pin which i replaced with the last balencer. they are held in with a h/t bolt and flat washer. both replaced last time. suposed to be lock tighted in, done that. still sheered off the roll pin and spun ballancer off.
now have BIG spring washer as well as lock tight and still spins off...
the rubber stays intact but you do loose power steer, alt and fan drive as belts stop spinning. have heard it's very comon in the 3.5s....

Yep, sounds like crank end is farked to me.

I assume you are using genuine Mitsu balancer. After market (if even available) size tolerances may be slighty too large to fit tight on the end of the crank.

Try Loctite "Shaft Fit Retaining Compound" on the end of the crank and inside the balancer, before you assemble it. It should fill any minute gaps/clearances and make a nice tight fit, but is still removable with a puller. The reason it's shearing the pin is it's not "grabbing" the end of the crank properly and putting all the rotational load on the pin. The retaining compound will help the balancer "grab" the crank end. Also, when you use it, just to be safe, don't start the car for a full 24 hours after fitting. This will allow the loctite to fully cure. If you were to start it, and the balancer shift, even a mm, while half cured, it will ruin the bond and you've wasted you time.

Probably cost about $20-30 a tube but beats paying another $500 if it works.

http://www.loctite.com.au/int_henkel/lo ... ompound%00

ok cool... thanks for that. will give it a go. will chech the crank end and be craped off if it has to be replaced to. i think the balancer is now passed it... can only hope...
thanks again... cheers
nuttz...