redfiveshoe

After lots of cleaning and waiting then cleaning and waiting, I finally figured out that my oil leak was coming from the crank seal. After gathering my tools and parts, I saw that apparently someone had tried to fix it and broke the harmonic balancer bolt off in the crank head. It looks like it broke where the threads start. What now?? Two problems 1. There is no bolt to hold the pulley on even though it seems to be holding fine. 2. If I take off the pulley, I will have no way to get it back on without being able to use the bolt or an installer. I have attached a picture.

Please help. The leak seems to be getting worse.

Thanks

DJ1

You'll need a puller for the balancer but I wonder if it's seized to the sleeve/crank. Assuming you're able to get the balancer off, then you'll need an ez-out bolt extractor to remove the broken bolt. Put a new balancer on and a new bolt in from AARP or similar.

My 2 cents.

Good luck!


** Looking at the pic further, it's looks like that bolt is broken within that sleeve/crank. I think you're pretty much fubar'd.

jadmt

I wonder how much bolt is sticking out if you pull the pulley off. Maybe you can weld a nut to it if any is sticking out.

DJ1

That's what I was originally thinking but just looking around at different crank shaft setups on the webz, I think the portion of the crank that sticks out sits pretty much flush with the balancer that is mounted to it....

For example, take a look at this vid.... 00.14 to 2:05 mark....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXATKfIZyTw The part of the crank that is sticking out would be flush to the face of the balancer thus no portion of a broken bolt would stick out....

That would be hell to try and drill out. He will probably need a new crank shaft.


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kevinlee

I did the same thing to a grand am years ago. What I did was,
Pull the balancer with a puller, it was a little bit of a pain with the broken bolt still in there but doable

Make a divot in the center of the bolt with a punch

Start out small and drill a hole (had already picked up the new bolt and went just a fuzz short of drilling through it. (When drilling keep the bit lubed and drill speed down a little)

Move up a few sizes and repeat until your close to the threads or the right size for your largest easyout, which ever comes first.

Use a torch focused on what's left of the bolt and heat enough to melt a crayon the wax sucks in the threads lubes them up.

Grab the easy out and have at it.

And clean up real well before doing anything else to keep your metal chips from getting places you don't want em to go

redfiveshoe

There isn't any of bolt sticking out. I used a small screw driver to get a rough measurement and it is definitely recessed. It looks like it broke right where the thread starts.
I hear so many horror stories of easy outs breaking. I am screwed at that point. I'm also worried about taking the balancer off because I may not have a way to press it back on without getting the bolt out.
I guess that I could roll the dice on the easyout and if it does break then I am in no worse shape than I am right now. I would just have to live with an oil leak and hope that the balancer doesn't come off. Or go through the enormous cost of having a new crank installed.
Luckily this isn't my daily driver, but I like to have things right.

resharp001

Dang, this situation seems to suck. Bad enough to deal with a broken bolt in general, much less right there. Glad to see some good advice on this thread, and I hope to gawd I never have to use it myself!

redfiveshoe

With its location, it would next to impossible to make sure that I am in the center of the bolt.

jadmt

here is what I would do I would have a drill guide machined to fit in the hole in the pulley and try and drill it out. I have broken more ez outs than not so I hate those as once those are broke you really have a fight on your hands. You might check local machine shops and see if anyone has an EDM machine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUXJiPtWVrk

DJ1

^^ that's cool and all but where in the hell would you be able to mount that? I think it's hard enough / probably just enough room to squeeze a smaller puller in there to pry the balancer off lol

If he had the entire engine out then sure, no problem lol

But yeah, hopefully there's enough room to try and drill it out / ez-out it but worse case, I'm thinking new crank shaft....

Knock on wood, I hope that bolt doesn't snap on me like that.


** If he's got the confidence to tear into his engine, he could drop the pan and pull the crankshaft. That way he has more room to better drill / ez out that bolt.






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