I'm doing some reasearch for my upcoming timing chain replacement ....

What exactly is a sleeve for the balancer snout? What does it do and why do I need one? Is it hard to install?

Also is this the tool I need to pull the balancer? Will it also work as a balancer installer.

 

Not Karl, but, here's what happens to require a balancer sleeve:

 

For the tool pic, that is what you need to remove the balancer. For installation, just make sure the inside of the balancer is clean and the crank is clean. You can tap it on using a hammer and a block of wood.

 

Tom's thoughts are valid, too.

BUT for a measly $4 & an extra part to obtain, it's cheap insurance to prevent a future leak.
I found this out hard way as I have the snout on my 1995 3.4 in the Firebird, is seeping from there & my Balancer was & still is in good shape, as I did not feel a grove.
Did I install wrong, no, it's just age of a part.
I also neglected to realize the importance of a cheap $10 part (new tensioner). I have to remove my water pump cover stuff for installing a new tensioner. Not cheap, just didn't know better (again a cheap insurance cost against future problems & helping for long engine milage longevity)

The PART NUMBERS ARE

PIONEER BRAND 14908 HB-4127-S

FEL PRO BRAND 16212 Future # 21-2512 & 970109

Yeah ya got the right stuff to remove a balancer that'll be stuborn.
Use an old lifter to place in the area from where balancer bolt was removed.
Like I said, Tom is also right, but, I've discovered this cheap insurance fix using on my second 3.4 project (The Blazer).

How to apply?
Friend showed me.
Wipe balancer snot clean with thinner or brake cleaner.
Give slight scuff sand with a brillo pad or some steel wool, apply Gas-A-Chinch around the snout, and as suggested, hammer & wood or spare hammer handle to absorb blows.
AND IT'S REALLY GENTLE WACKS, NOTHING EXTREME. Slips right on!
All I suggest is,
You're ordering the gaskets, chain, tensioner, why not add the balancer sleeve to the budget ($4, one less hamburger meal to cure a future probable leak!).

Hope I helped your decision.
This is a long day project. Jack up car & USE STANDS.
Change oil after ya run the engine checking for the leaks (any particles will come out)
Change the coolant same time, too!
Rebuild the distributor (see my recent post)
You'll have back about 10+ solid gained in your face HP! & cooler engine & better gas milage & Less emission & better start up in AM/Winter!!
YOU WIN BIG TIME.
Such a worthwhile pain in the butt project.
Can't say that enough!

ANY BRAND Timing Chain is the right chain!
VERY limited parts selection/choices for this part (both 3.4 projects included DynaGear chains, a just perfect choice!).
Chain $30, gasket $20+, gasket goop $5+, Snout sleeve $4, tensioner $10, fluids $10-15.

 

Thanks for your responses.

 

See that center bolt that's holding the crank pulley on? Do NOT use that bolt to pull the balancer back on!!!! I did that. I heard that using a hammer & block of wood was bad for the crank. (Can't tap on the balancer directly or you can separate the steel outer ring from the steel inner hub, the rubber isolation ring between the two can get ripped, that's why the block of wood is used.) So I thought I'd be slick and just tighten the center crank bolt to pull the balancer on.

So I'm tightening and tightening, using a 15" breaker bar, and the bolt is really REALLY hard to turn. So the normal person would've said "uh oh" and stopped. What do I do? I go get a 3 foot pipe for extra leverage. So I'm tightening and tightening and WOW this is tight, something's gotta be wrong, I'm using a 3 foot pipe for cryin' out loud! So I start loosening the bolt, and hey, it's loosening easily, this is great... SNAP.

I snapped the damn bolt... a 10.9 = strong as hell bolt, and I snapped it. The cause was over-stressing the threads in the snout of the crankshaft... yep, ruined the threads. My mechanic quoted me $1200 to pull the motor and fix the crank- OR, $100 to weld the balancer to the crank snout. He welded it up (obvoius decision for me!), and it's been holding for the past 4 years. I got a better-condition balancer from the junkyard for $30, and found out later that a new balancer from the dealer was $50... oops.

Oh yeah that's another thing- check your balancer. The balancer's made up of three pieces, a steel center hub, a rubber isolation ring, and an outer steel ring. The rubber isolation ring should be completely inline with the edges of the hub and outer ring. If you see the rubber poking out of one side (and "sunken" in on the opposite side), the balancer is junk, get a new one.

 

Anybody ever notice that a 2.8 balancer has TWO timing marks on it!!! WTF???!!! I figured out which one to use (its wider), but this sort of blew my mind when I discovered it.

BTW, Tom, didn't you say that you didn't use a tensioner at all?

 

The 82-86 balancers actually have -3- timing marks on 'em! Has something to do with using a special timing probe instead of an inductive pickup on the #1 plug wire. And yeah, I'm not using a timing chain tensioner.