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How to Remove Harmonic Balancer from Gm 3800 Engines

Having a hard time removing the retainer bolt from the harmonic balancer to replace seal or crank position sensor? In many cases this bolt seems to be either glued in or welded. Needless to say, it is VERY tight. This is how I got it out.

1. Do the usual jacking as well as placing of car on jack st as well as s procedure (safety first).
2. Remove the serpentine belt, right front wheel as well as foreward splash guard. Observe a 15/16" hex in center of harmonic balancer (it's metric, but a 15/16" socket will fit).
3. To keep the crankshaft from turning, fabricate a crankshaft retaining tool from whatever scraps at your disposal. This can be a piece of 1/4"X 3/4" flat iron stock with holes drilled as well as tapped for 5/16"X 1-1/2" bolts appropriately spaced to fit in holes in the harmonic balancer.
4. Impact wrench (1/2" or preferrably 3/4") only partly factor in here. Also needed is a good 18" pipe wrench as well as about a 24" box end wrench large enough to use as a pry bar over the h as well as le of the pipe wrench.
5. While an assistant below uses the impact wrench with a 15/16" deep impact socket, simultaneously from above apply reverse pressure on the socket with the pipe wrench as well as box end wrench for leverage. You must push like mad until you hear a crack, which is the bolt breaking loose.
6. Reload pipe wrench as well as go at it again repeatedly until the impact wrench can h as well as le removal by itself.

• A quality 3/4" impact wrench may do the job alone, but like me most people which do repairs at home do not have a 3/4 impact at their disposal.

• Make sure the fabricated crank retainer is propped against the frame as well as fits securely into the harmonic balancer. Slipping will result in mashed knuckles as well as much cursing.

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Added: Thu Feb 02 2006

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