YUP you guessed it... just striped out that bolt that holds on the harmonic balancer, cept it was not the bolt... its the crank... what are the chances of retaping it, or heli-coiling it? OH by the way I still gotta press it on about a little less than 1/4 of an inch. I think im going to cry...

 

wrong tip on the balencer puller?

your going to want a 7/16-20 tap.

just take your time when you re-tap it, so the threads get chased straight, because depending on how bad you stripped it, it can be pretty easy to tap it crooked.

but its easily fixable. if you don't have a tap and die set, i think harbor freight has one for like $10

 

LOL well the balencer puller... the same one I have used about 4 times now... decided this time tryed to thread itself into the crank... cept that aint what did it... the bolt GM decided to put in there is not long enough to press it back on, SOOOO i went and got a longer bolt, pressing it on good and dandy(mind you i have used this bolt 4 times to)... when i try to reverse it back out cause i know i cant go all the way in cause it is to long... get half a turn out and it stops. foreward backward foreward backward till i inch it out and look at, went about 1/2 an inch to far! grabed the original bolt and started tightening in up to finish the job (after cleaning the metal shaveings out) pressed it a little farther on and got loose all of a sudden, took all the threads out of it.

 

try to 7/16-20, there should be plenty of meat left to tap it with a 7/16.

if its not, go up to a 15/32-20 or 12mm metric and get a matching bolt.

but 7/16 should be fine.

 

I'd suggest retapping to ½-20 and get a bolt to match. After only 18 years in the fastener industry, I've never seen/heard of a 15/32-20 thread, but I can learn something new every day.

 

never heard of 15/32-20, come on vader after 18 years in the fastener industry i'd thought you'd learned a little bit more.

to prevent stripping the crank you should try the right point on your puller and use a installer tool to press the dampner back on. i'd second vaders idea of going up one size either metric or american. i'd have to look but i bet there's a metric size between 7/16 and 1/2, if not just go to 1/2.

 

ok i got it taped 1/2 - 20 ... cept I cant find a 1/2 - 20 bolt grade 8 anywhere... only grade 5... will it do?

 

see if you can find a crank bolt from arp. i'd use grade 8 or a socket head cap screw, actually the cap screw would be my first choice if arp didn't have anything.

 

hehe, in the future do this to install the dampener:


screw in a long stud, or a all-thread rod.

put on 2 big flat washers... put a lil grease or oil between the washers...

screw a nut on the end and tighten it.. as it gets tighter it squeezes the dampener on.



doing it this way keeps you from stripping out the crank... because the rod is allready fully engaged with all the threads, and its not spinning...

 

Even with the balancer installer tool, which is the same thing as you described, I needed another set of hands to put a wrench on the end of the threaded rod to keep the motor from turning over while I spun the nut.

 

I completely agree with MrDude_1!! I tried using my balancer bolt to pull the balancer back on after I swapped my timing chain- and wound up snapping the bolt flush with the crank snout. My mech welded the balancer to my crank for $100, and it's been that way since 1998. I shoulda just used the hammer-and-block-of-wood method that everyone told me was so dangerous to the crank!

To keep the crank from turning, just wedge a screwdriver into the teeth of the flywheel/flexplate.

 

Thats a good idea. I geuss I could wedge one in there but with my luck it would shear off and I would have to remove the whole tranny.

 

you can put a screwdriver in the starter teeth... OOOOOR put a screwdriver or other bar in one of the holes in the flexplate...

i perfer the 2nd method... mostly because theres no chance of that turning....... but you only need to do that when you go to TQ the nut.


when installing the dampener... HOLD THE TOOL STILL. if you're using my allthread rod method, jam 2 more nuts on the open end together and put a wrench on one nut (the one on the "inside" near the engine) and hold that nut still... jam the wrench with the nut on it agienst the swaybar or somthing if its easier for you.

holding the rod or tool still while installing it keeps the engine from turning and makes your work on tightening the balancer all go toward the balancer install... instead of needlessly turning over your motor... i HATE turning over my fresh motors needlessly.. heh when you're working on em, the oilpressure is ZERO... bigger chance for wear.


you have almost no chance of shearing a tooth on the flexplate if you're only TQing the dampener bolt.. remember the flexplate is a BIG circle, and you're apply torque to a small bolt in the middle.. and not alot of TQ either.

if you're trying to use it to install the dampener, you could break it..... athough more likely, the screwdriver will slip just as you put your weight into it and you slam your hand on somthing.... punching a swaybar or sliding your arm on a radiator isnt fun... :lala:

 

Yea I realize this. I was trying to be sarcastic about my luck. Thanks for the tips. Now that I have done it once I could do it again a lot more effectively.