Harmonic balancer replacement cost?

[crew chief]

The correct removal tool makes the job easier that's for sure, couple minutes with this.

 

[shane_3800]

I do them with radiator in and thermos it's an easy job.
If using a short rattel gun be careful not to have your fingers on the back. If you have your fingers there they can get crushed between the rattel gun and thermo fans...... Yes it ******* hurt and took a big chunck of meat off.

 

[shane_3800]

To sawp balancer, belt and tensioner I would charge 200.
And that's inflated pricing as you supply the parts.
I charge more labour if people supply their own parts as I don't make anything of the parts.

 

[vc commodore]

So I have the balancer, the bolt, new air con belt, and the removal tool with the carrier pigeon. I've changed gearboxes on 4 cylinders, turbos, and a few pieces on my SS. I work in mechanical field albeit the 2 wheeled variety. My local mechanic can't do this till mid March and I'll have the parts in a few days. I see there isn't much room there with the engine in, and my mechanic says it's a pig to get off and a pig to get on, but then he wants $750 to swap it inc parts, $1000 if I add the air con ungrade. Is this THAT much of a pic to do guys?

Seeing you appear to have a little mechanical ability perhaps you could do it yourself to save the required hours labour....

I removed a harmonic balancer from an ecotec, rather than your alloytec in the home environment by using a battery powered rattle gun....I understand that not everyone has access to an air powered rattlegun.....However you could use a spanner or socket to remove the bolt.

To loosen the bolt, I had a breaker bar resting just above a folded rag on the chassis rail.....With the fuel pump fuse removed, I just hit the ignition key twice to ensure the bolt was loosened....From that I used the rattle gun to remove the bolt....If you don't have a rattle gun this is where the spanner/socket comes into play....

Again, I used the rattle gun on the harmonic balancer removal tool to get the balancer off, but the socket/spanner would do the same job....

When I put the balancer back on, I put a coating of oil on the crank shaft and from that I used a lump of timber and a hammer to get the balancer back on.....The oil was used to help the balancer slide..

To this day 3 years later, that balancer is still on the car....I also accept that an alloytec balancer maybe different in how to goes back into place compared to the ecotec so this write up may not be appropriate...

The figure you have quoted to do the replacement appears to be 6 to 7 hours labour...To me, that is way over the top....More like the place doesn't want to do the job.....So if it was me, either investigate whether you could do it yourself, or find a place that actually wants to do the job

Best of luck with your choice

 

[07GTS]

all comes down to if the rattle gun fits between the balancer and the radiator/fans, if it does its easy job if not then still easy just have to take fans off, or worse case radiator, i just use a small battery rattle gun works fine, the bolt to suit wont be long enough to start the balancer back on so just need a longer one to get it started then can use the proper bolt (ARP preferred) and ur done

 

[Pauldw500]

OK thank for the help/advice guys. I'll have the parts this week and still no one who can do it so will give it a go myself. I don't have a rattle gun but do have a decent socket set and spanners... will see how we go I spose..

 

[VTS5]

OK thank for the help/advice guys. I'll have the parts this week and still no one who can do it so will give it a go myself. I don't have a rattle gun but do have a decent socket set and spanners... will see how we go I spose..

You don't need a rattle gun but definitely need a puller.

 

[rucxy]

And a torque wrench that will do 234ft/lbs

 

[Pauldw500]

So I finally went to swap the balancer last weekend and see the belt was still there, albeit it had popped off. When air con guy said it had popped off I visioned it being left up the road somewhere. Anyway I popped it back on and so far it has stayed on. I've done over 1000k and yeah the balancer still has a wabble, and I'm sure I'm counting the days till it pops off again, but so far am just enjoying the air con as I went a week or so with the windows all down, and now have half the ceiling hanging down. I had one kinda air pocket in the ceiling but yeah driving with all the windows down has farked it...

 

[shane_3800]

So I finally went to swap the balancer last weekend and see the belt was still there, albeit it had popped off. When air con guy said it had popped off I visioned it being left up the road somewhere. Anyway I popped it back on and so far it has stayed on. I've done over 1000k and yeah the balancer still has a wabble, and I'm sure I'm counting the days till it pops off again, but so far am just enjoying the air con as I went a week or so with the windows all down, and now have half the ceiling hanging down. I had one kinda air pocket in the ceiling but yeah driving with all the windows down has farked it...

You can drive it but soon the outer ring will shoot off into your radiator.