Conversions & Swaps LSX Engines in Non-LSX Vehicles
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Harmonic balancer

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Old Mar 2, 2016 | 07:54 PM
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Default Harmonic balancer

After installing the balancer (LS1 Fbody balancer new from gm) onto my lq4 crankshaft I still see about an 1/8 inch of shaft behind the balancer. I can't get the original LQ4 bolt to fit it's not long enuff. After torquing the hell out of it with home made installer it won't go any further. Is this normal? What do I do now?
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Old Mar 2, 2016 | 08:13 PM
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From: Little Austin
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Pic?

Andrew
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Old Mar 2, 2016 | 08:18 PM
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Ill get pictures tomorrow it's too dark now. Sorry
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Old Mar 2, 2016 | 08:39 PM
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There's suposed to be a bit of a gap. I'm unsure why a 1/8 gap is causing your bolt not to be long enough. Are the belts in alignment? Did you grease your install tool?
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Old Mar 2, 2016 | 08:49 PM
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What I did was take the original bolt and cut a couple grooves into the thread with an angle grinder, making a cheap thread cleaner. Then, without the balancer in place, I packed shop towels packed around the crank snout to keep stuff from falling into the front cover hole. My handy thread cleaner would then be torqued in with a regular ratchet until I felt it get a bit tight, removed, and the crank bolt hole sprayed out with brake cleaner. I repeated this several times, to make sure there was no crap in the bolt hole.

Why?

Because I ran into the same exact issue you did, twice, putting in new ARP crank pulley bolts, and ended up binding the bolts up in the holes before the pulley completely seated. Then, while attempting to remove the bolts to figure out WTF, I sheared the end 1/2 inch or so of threads off the bolt, in the hole.

My process now always includes cleaning first, and then using another bolt, lubed and with completely good threads to torque the pulley into place. You can get a 100mmx12mm grade 10.9 bolt from Menards that will do this job quite well. It happens to fit perfectly with the 1/4" thick hardened washer that comes with ARP bolts. 5 bucks.

Take out the bolt after getting pulley seated, follow up with a brake cleaner rinse, air hose dry-out, and installing your new crank pulley bolt to spec.

FWIW, if you see a gap behind the pulley, where the crank is visible, I'm guessing you'll have a nasty oil leak there.
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Old Mar 2, 2016 | 10:26 PM
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Pretty sure that's normal. This is a 2002 LS1 from a camaro and it has never been apart. It has that 1/8" sticking out.
Attached Thumbnails Harmonic balancer-20160302_221814.jpg  
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Old Mar 2, 2016 | 10:51 PM
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I've had several varieties of LS-based engines and they've all had the front cover seal on the balancer neck, not the crank shaft.

Looking at this pic, I think the gap depicted above is actually showing part of the balancer, not the crank.

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Old Mar 3, 2016 | 12:16 AM
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Yes, my pic is showing part of the machined portion of the balancer which is what I thought the OP was talking about. If the actual crank was showing the balancer wouldn't be on hardly any at all and would fall off.

To the OP, is the crank even with the front of the balancer where the bolt goes? If it it, then thats as far as it's going to go on.
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Old Mar 3, 2016 | 04:20 AM
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Ill get some pictures this evening. It look identical to the gap in that picture though
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Old Mar 3, 2016 | 04:31 AM
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If your balancer looks like the picture ls1nova71 posted, it's on all the way.
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