"is it all over???"

[ianf]

Can someone tell me if it's all over?, started to get a massive rattling sound out of the motor while at idle but motor seemed to rev and go ok otherwise, I have now found where the rattle noise is coming from, I think?, The largest pulley, at the bottom of the motor has a heap of the rubber missing, ( I know nothing but the large one with the nut on the middle, it looks like it was packed with rubber and now there is about half gone and the rattle, any ideas??? This motor has done 320,000 but seems to be still going alright?

[monkeys437]

Thats the harmonic balancer. I've had one die and it sounds like your engine is well and truly effed.
Any mechanic should be able to replace it but ive heard you need a the right tools to diy at home. Not just a matter of unbolting it and replacing like with the idler pulleys

[ianf]

Can the car still be driven?, as I say it seems fine away from idle...

[SUSVS]

If its the pulley it's fairly easy to change if you have the right tools

[Hangman]

Change the pulley mate. Or get it changed. Not a hard job.

And I'd avoid driving it till it's fixed.

[hako]

If it fails whilst driving it can destroy the radiator,CAS etc when it and the serpentine belt get airborne plus the car will be a tow job. Cheapest fix is a 2nd hand one from a wrecker. Do a search on how to remove/replace as it's not hard with the right tools which most people already have.

[SP00KSTER]

you can change it your self mate when we pulled the balancer off the 350 all we did was get a 3 prong puller from kennards, wasnt a balancer puller but it worked. it destroyed the balancer when pulling it off but cause its gone already doesnt matter. im pretty sure you dont need anything special to put it back on to engine.

[Pickle']

You can buy a puller from SCA for around about 50. not a hard job to do, And yes they make a shit load of noise when they break apart. I drove mine home (3 min down the road) but no further when i had this happen.

EDIT: just read a little more responses, I would personally not reuse a second hand one. When i replaced mine it was withing 2 weeks of replacing my engine so had one spare, When it went on it only lasted me about another week. Dont know if the rubber gets weakened or whatnot when pulled off, But just saying from experience. Ended up getting my mechanic to change it the second time (he had a decent puller) i gave him a hand and he charged me nothing. So i wouldnt be paying more than $40 to pull it and i believe i paid around $100 for the balancer.

[damotm]

I agreee with Pickles, get a newy