OK, I have had two shops try to get this balancer off of this 454. I couldn't do it with a puller and a wrench and they couldn't do it with their pullers and air impact wrenches. It tore their pullers up.

Its starting to look like I'm screwed.

Two shops, both failed.

Now they want to know where I want to go from here.

I hate this cuz I don't know.

Is this a stock crank? If its stock, you can get a new cast replacement pretty cheap. Is the engine disassembled? If so, I would try to heat it up and then try to use a puller. Worst case scenario, try and carefully cut a groove in the balancer where it is pressed on the crank with a die grinder. Good luck!!

Pattrick,
Make sure that the big washer for the bolt is not still in the damper. Sometimes they get a lot of dust in them and you can't tell it is still there. Impossible to get the damper off if the washer is still in place.
I have yet to find one that my Snap On 1/2" impact gun and my Snap On puller would not remove.

I checked it, there isn't a washer in there, we got them all out. I pulled off the puller and checked to make sure. I was hoping that there would be one in there and my problems solved.

So what does this mean?
Does this mean my engine is hosed? People are telling me I'm going to have to pull the crank out of it!

If that is the case, I'm not going to have this running for months or maybe ever.
Since I don't have the resources to pull the motor and tear it down to get the crank out of it. Its starting to look like selling the car.
Not sure if someone would buy a car that has this problem for much more than penny's.

I hate to see you thru all this, its getting almost personal now. You have yet to say that you have used a good unbreakable puller that pulls from the balancer bolt holes to get this off. I am sure you got all radiator and stuff off the front car so you can have plenty of room to work. You did not say or I did not read if this car is AT or manual and wondering if all this balancer bolt torque thats being applied,, is turning the motor? I still believe that a good puller and with some good raps with a hammer on that jack bolt,,, this think will give, or you will pull the balancer spokes off. My next thought is to cut the outer ring off with a hack saw or some good grinder, get a good grove in there then take a good big chisel and try to spread that ring or break it ,, I am assuming its CAST? Then go after the hub,, hopefully you can split it just enuff for it to loosen up? Am I getting to backwards here? You do need help. Hate to see someone sell car just because of this?

How about with the puller on and tightened up good with a 2 ft break over, then apply heat to outer front hub?

[quote=zdld17]I hate to see you thru all this, its getting almost personal now. You have yet to say that you have used a good unbreakable puller that pulls from the balancer bolt holes to get this off. I am sure you got all radiator and stuff off the front car so you can have plenty of room to work. You did not say or I did not read if this car is AT or manual and wondering if all this balancer bolt torque thats being applied,, is turning the motor? I still believe that a good puller and with some good raps with a hammer on that jack bolt,,, this think will give, or you will pull the balancer spokes off. My next thought is to cut the outer ring off with a hack saw or some good grinder, get a good grove in there then take a good big chisel and try to spread that ring or break it ,, I am assuming its CAST? Then go after the hub,, hopefully you can split it just enuff for it to loosen up? Am I getting to backwards here? You do need help. Hate to see someone sell car just because of this?


I have the radiator, water pump and fan off. Been trying with a 700 pound impact wrench. Tore up one puller already and now using a real stout Matco puller. This baby ain't tearing up but it ain't moving either. Its an automatic trans and I have the motor locked in place. The motor was turning before when I had the old puller on it.
The balancer is cast I think.
Yeah, I'm stumped and highly frustrated. This thing done ate my lunch and stole this week's lunch money.

But speaking of the center bolt, oddly, it ain't the right threads. It isn't the right bolt to be in there and I hope I didn't spread the end of the crank, by having it on there. If that is the case, this whole motor will have to come apart, because I won't be able to get another balancer on it after this one is chipped, hammered, cut or torched off.

We've arrived at having to chip off the balancer. Going to use a sawsall to get through the outer ring and hopefully it will budge after that. If not, will go through the rest of it. I was thinking of just cutting through on two sides to just remove it and obviously go with a new balancer.

You got a point there about the bolt. I am just guessing here in theory. IF the bolt is still in there? If the crank is cast? Would it be possible to spread the crank bolt hole??? Anybody?? If thats the case, balancer will not come off , period. Crank is gone. But I cant understand why the bolt would be differant. Are you saying the bolt head is gone? Can you see a tapped hole? or a broken bolt in the hole?

You got a point there about the bolt. I am just guessing here in theory. IF the bolt is still in there? If the crank is cast? Would it be possible to spread the crank bolt hole??? Anybody?? If thats the case, balancer will not come off , period. Crank is gone. But I cant understand why the bolt would be differant. Are you saying the bolt head is gone? Can you see a tapped hole? or a broken bolt in the hole?

No what I'm saying is that the bolt in the hole was discovered as not the right bolt to be in there. The thread did not match up, it was forced in there and I'm hoping it didn't somehow spread the crank enough to make it impossible to get the balancer off.
The bolt was forced in there and it was about 80 pounds of torque to loosen it. It was short so maybe only the first 2 or 3 threads were ruined.

If this is the case, it means that even if I do cut off the balancer, if the crank has been spread, a new balancer won't go back on there.
So I'm going to cut it off anyway. Then we'll see if another balancer can go back on.
I'm only grasping at straws here. It may be impossible to 'spread' the crank. I'm just trying to reason why this balancer just WILL NOT come off.

Anyone else seen something like this? Could this be a keyway bind?

Understood. I was just commenting on the worst as to the spreading of the crank bolt hole. If you got it out and just a few threads were chewed,,, you can compensate retapping entire hole and going to a better longer bolt like arp or mr qasket. BUT you need to get balancer off first.... Just wonder if someone put loctite red on the entire length of the snout?

Understood. I was just commenting on the worst as to the spreading of the crank bolt hole. If you got it out and just a few threads were chewed,,, you can compensate retapping entire hole and going to a better longer bolt like arp or mr qasket. BUT you need to get balancer off first.... Just wonder if someone put loctite red on the entire length of the snout?

I'm thinking they put something on that snout. Or the keyway is bound or rusted or all of the above.

It seems like the story of my life that when something happens with me, someone of a lot of experience always says, "well, I've never seen something like this before"!!
I'd just settle for some 'normal' problems like maybe a cracked manifold or a bad distributor.

So what's the best way to cut off a balancer? What tools? Saw? Grinder?

What about putting the the puller back on it, Tighten the puller till its TIGHT and pulling on the balancer. Apply some heat to the balancer and re tighten, then leave it overnight pulling throughout the next 24 hours. Come back next day and do it all over again. Seems the worst thing to happen is a few days of not having to butcher that balancer. I would slow down and work smarter not harder. You will get it. You are smarter then the balancer :-)