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New here, question about harmonic balancer

Old 01-10-2019, 08:21 PM
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New here, question about harmonic balancer

Hey all, I picked up a 2001 Maxima back in october of 2018, and the harmonic balancer was bad (slight but visible wobble), as the accesory belt was whining and squeaking VERY loudly. I just got the new one in today, and I was wondering is there any specific amount I should torque it down to when i get around to installing it? Thanks!
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Old 01-10-2019, 09:12 PM
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Old 01-11-2019, 06:47 AM
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I put em on with my impact. I don't want a sheared key. It's not a dampener or balancer, just a pulley (yes, the myth bothers me lol).
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Old 01-11-2019, 07:19 AM
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If it's just a pulley, then I'm wondering if something else is wrong. Why would a pulley bend? Is misalignment more likely? Is the belt glazed? Is the belt loose? Was the belt properly installed on all the pulleys? Spray some water on the belt when the engine is running. If the noise goes away, check for a misaligned or worn belt. If the squeaking or squealing continues after being sprayed with water, then the problem could be a bearing on the belt tensioner or a components bearing, such as the a/c compressor or alternator bearinng.

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Old 01-11-2019, 07:23 AM
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Originally Posted by DougR
If it's just a pulley, then I'm wondering if something else is wrong. Why would a pulley bend? Is misalignment more likely? Is the belt glazed? Is the belt loose? Was the belt properly installed on all the pulleys? Spray some water on the belt when the engine is running. If the noise goes away, then check for a misaligned or worn belt . If the squeaking or squealing continues after being sprayed with water, then the problem could be a bearing on tensioner or components bearing, such as the a/c compressor or the alternator bearing.
Idiots glue two pieces together with a strip of rubber in the middle for less belt noise...as if there's anything worth mentioning to begin with. It's a normal problem on all cars whether it's actually a balancer or not. The rubber rots and the pulley starts wobbling and will eventually separate.
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Old 01-11-2019, 10:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Child_uv_KoRn
… It's not a dampener or balancer, just a pulley …
When I use the word pulley, I think of a solid metal object without an additional layer of dampening material. A harmonic balancer may contribute a little something to longer belt life and less belt noise, however, it's primary function is to dampen higher levels of torsional vibration at critical frequencies. If we want to get 300,000 miles out of our engine with fewer issues, then a harmonic balancer will help do that. I've never had a bad balancer, so I used Google to find out more about it. I found this Nissan Maxima video
I also found numerous examples of nasty things that could happen if a harmonic balancer is not repaired promptly. Keep us informed of your progress 3van....
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Old 01-11-2019, 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Child_uv_KoRn
Idiots glue two pieces together with a strip of rubber in the middle for less belt noise...as if there's anything worth mentioning to begin with. It's a normal problem on all cars whether it's actually a balancer or not. The rubber rots and the pulley starts wobbling and will eventually separate.
I love your glowing compliment of the wonderful Nissan engineers .
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Old 01-11-2019, 09:26 PM
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google harmonic damper
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