47-55.1 What's going wrong inside my 350?

[NeoJuice]

Originally Posted by dsraven

on the crank pulley deal, that vibration damper part is "pressed on" and needs to be "pulled off" but some guys will not put anything against the crank snout when they pull it off so the threaded end of the puller center bolt will extend deep into the snout's threaded hole and can rub against the inner threads of the crank and damage or strip out the snout of the crank. it may be that the threads were repairable before the bolt was attempted to be screwed back in. who knows. the other thing that can happen is the vibration damper is supposed to be "pulled on" the crankshaft snout. there is a puller stud/bolt that screws into the crank snout, the damper is slid on the snout of the crank and then a thick flat washer or thrust bearing is used against the front of the damper with a nut on the threaded stud/bolt is tightened to pull the damper onto the crank. without the proper tool some will hammer the damper onto the crank. this can damage the thrust bearing, the damper or the crank's snout, the threads on the damper's pulley retainer holes or can bend the damper a little so it doesn't run true. when you take it apart ensure to use the right tools and then use a dial indicator on the crank snout so you know if it is bent before the crank is removed or if sending the crank to a shop for checking make sure to tell them about the possible issue. if the helicoil was not installed straight it should have no effect on the damper running true, it would just mean that the bolt would not be flat against the flat washer holding the damper on. I suggest to use the bolt rather than run without it.

damper removal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QORm5fnCvYA

installation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7BuijqjcUk

DSRaven,

Thank you for the tips. I helicoil the crank because I had to way to turn it over to set TDC on #1 to drop in the distributor. I didnt think it would be an issue but I will put the bolt back in after i figure out what is going on. Thank you for the links. I've been going youtube crazy watching videos on balancer removal and installation videos. I've actually watched one of the ones you posted. i hope to have some answers soon once I have some time to tear into the motor. Of course I'll keep you updated.