i had my car's 305 rebuilt due to a "warped crank" in feb '04. in march and april i noticed the engine would shake at around 2000 to 2500 rpms, then after that or b4 it it would stop. didn't know what it was until i had timing issues, the distributor was set wrong (plug one one plug back as if the distributor is set to the right). then i noticed the bolt that goes were the harmonic balancer is at is not there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 htye welded it in place, and the shaking was due to the welding coming apart. is there anyway of fixing this, those mechanics are no good and will hear from a lawyer soon???????? thanks guys, i am tired of driving my parent's aerostart to school i need my car back fast.!!!!!!!!!!!!! or should i sell for parts>>>?????

 

How do you know that your crank was bent ??

It doesnt matter where you start placing your # 1 spark plug wires at the distirbutor as long as you keep them in the correct firing order.

are you saying that they welded your harmonic balancer to your crank instead of using a bolt to hold it down?

 

no i knew it was bent cuz my oil leaked and i ran it with low oil. found out the crank was f'ed up. but the balancer has no bolt in the center when u look at it, and u can see welding spots! the car still starts and runs like crap, but no power at all a lwan mower can pass me by. an suggestions????????????????????????????????????

 

i think is what he is saying, and i will say it too, becuase i agree is, did you VISUALLY inspect the crankshaft to see that it is warped or out-of-round. Have you even removed the oil pan?

Where was it leaking oil? The rear seal? The front seal? Just because it leaks does not mean the crank is toast. In fact, that is rarely the case. And if you think that the crank is toast because of low oil, i would suspect then that the bearings are disintegrated.

At any rate, if the balancer is welded to the crank , you need a new one of each, assuming they welded the center of it, around the balancer bolt circle of the damper. If you can slip a balancer bolt down the hole and thread it, it may be temorarily salvageable.

i guess the big point would be, take the crank to a shop, have them verify that it is bent. Because, in my mind, if you haven't removed the pan yet, and in turn, the crank, i seriously doubt it is bent. Maybe out of round, but not bent. Surely not by lack of oil.

 

Ok this is the best hypothesis(educated guess) I am getting from what your saying..

If your harmonic balancer seems like it has a woble to it The balancer has an elastomer(plastic ring) surounding the inner piece of the balancer . Sometimes the plastic ring gets distorted from age,oil, and wear and tear and it allows the two pieces of the balancer to slip out of balance..
If this is the case just have it replaced with a stock replacement from a local auto parts place, If you are racing this car get a good SFI approved race balancer from fluiddampner or Tci rattler,Ati also makes some good ones as well call jegs or summit for one if thats the case..