Hey Buddy, I just wanted to let you know. About 12 months ago I purchased a base C5 vert., Auto. 77,000miles. Really good deal but then reality set in with the many items I had to attend to. One of them was a very small diff leak at the left side o'ring. I reviewed your video on repairing the diff leak , followed everything exactly as you had indicated , made all the purchases you suggested and performed the repair. Total success, and 10 months later no leaks. So I want to thank you for all your assistance . I really enjoy your video's. Now my next undertaking is to replace the vibration dampener. It is not wobbling yet and looks to be in good order at this time, but I figured as a matter of maintenance I want to get out ahead of it and replace it before it causes any damage. I also figured I should replace the oil pump while I'm in there. So engine warm at an idle, it reads about 28psi. I'm not to comfortable with that. At about 80mph ( 2,000rpmish ) it builds up to about 38-40psi. Again, I'm not too comfortable with that either. So my plan is when I do the vibration dampener, I want to replace the oil pump to increase my oil pressure. 1. Do you think that is a good idea? 2. If so, what oil pump would you recommend? Do I get a pump for pressure or volume ? What manufacturer?
Another superb video. Sometimes low mileage garage queens are suspect concerning harmonic damper wobble. It is refreshing to see that yours is fine considering your aggressive driving style. Thanks for showing us that this can be an issue and how to diagnose it. Small price when compared to what my fellow European sports car owners encounter. Although it can be expensive to replace the harmonic balancer (Somewhere around $2,000 if professionally done) Once done then ready for another hundred thousand miles of hopefully trouble free driving.
I’m looking at a ‘99 C5 garage queen right now with 28k on it and it’s got the wobble very noticeable while running. Will be using this test to check further. Thanks to the OP for posting! Appreciate it sir!
Anyway to mark is good,paint,sharpie even a scratch using a nail .great trick I actually hope mine moves...so sick of buying new parts thinking it will solve my noise and vibration issue..thanks again
This is a good idea. I have a annoying chirp I cant find but no wobble. Be sweet if it was just a pulley somewhere but I've had 13 mostly trouble free years so I'm not complaining if i have to fix it lol
@@goldenceaser7839 no I havent really messed with it anymore lol. Gonna try one of those gator back belts that is supposed to help with squeaks but I've since noticed my water pump leaking so i been wondering if the antifreeze is dripping on it making it squeak.
Hey bud, I just picked up my first Corvette. It is a 2003 50th anniversary edition and it has 88,000 miles. Mine starting to have a wobble as well. Plus the belt tensioner has a very very slight movement to it. In early morning start ups when it’s cold and wet outside I get a little Chirping which is constant until the vehicle heats up a little bit it last for maybe about a minute or so and then it goes away. I used a paint pen to mark a line on the front of my balancer. My question Is that can these harmonic balancer fail in a different way besides the line not moving? What I mean by that is can they still fail even if the line doesn’t shift? I appreciate all your help and insight into this. I really don’t wanna do this job until I have the money to put a cam as well as timing. Thank you very much
So when they start to fail they always twist like you were checking for,or they don't always twist...mine is 18 years old..looks dry .I removed my belt and I still get noise and vibration ..when I look at balancer it may have slight wobble,but not sure..I will do your test and see if it turns...than I will be certain...I already have a new part on it's way though.thanks
Hi. I have a 2004 Corvette (46000Miles) with some wobble in the balancer. Does that hurt if the balancer does not move? Will some wobble destroy something, if the balancer pass the line test?
IMO, It won't hurt anything until it starts to slide off of the hub, and then it typically slides back and grinds a hole in the timing cover. Keep a close eye on it.
removing the steering rack is the long way to do the job you can do it the dropped cradle way in about 2 hours providing you have a hoist and the know how
I had enough confidence in it that it's on my C5. It also has to drive my supercharger which puts it through much more stress than naturally aspirated. So yeah, I would say it's a good balancer for sure.
The shoe polish mark was applied correctly and served its purpose. The residue dried in the correct areas and I could tell instantly the harmonic balance did not move….it doesn’t need to be neat, just effective.
Yes you're exactly right my 07 LS2 with 23450 MI it was chirping and I checked why it was running and it was wobbling pretty good there are people that go back with the AC balancer but only to have it fail again or some people go with a cheaper aftermarket such as Summit Racing which is 225 the best bouncer you can put which I put on mine is a ATI super damper it was 466 from Summit Racing all of the cheaper brands that you can but they do not have the specs and tolerances that are close to the original damper but the ati's are real close and use the APR balancer bolt kit $29 instead of the GM bolt that is not reusable but it comes with a diamond encrusted washer to fix the problem they had the first year of that LS2 in 05
Hey Buddy, I just wanted to let you know. About 12 months ago I purchased a base C5 vert., Auto. 77,000miles. Really good deal but then reality set in with the many items I had to attend to. One of them was a very small diff leak at the left side o'ring. I reviewed your video on repairing the diff leak , followed everything exactly as you had indicated , made all the purchases you suggested and performed the repair. Total success, and 10 months later no leaks. So I want to thank you for all your assistance . I really enjoy your video's.
Now my next undertaking is to replace the vibration dampener. It is not wobbling yet and looks to be in good order at this time, but I figured as a matter of maintenance I want to get out ahead of it and replace it before it causes any damage.
I also figured I should replace the oil pump while I'm in there. So engine warm at an idle, it reads about 28psi. I'm not to comfortable with that. At about 80mph ( 2,000rpmish ) it builds up to about 38-40psi. Again, I'm not too comfortable with that either. So my plan is when I do the vibration dampener, I want to replace the oil pump to increase my oil pressure.
1. Do you think that is a good idea?
2. If so, what oil pump would you recommend? Do I get a pump for pressure or volume ? What manufacturer?
Those numbers don't seem bad to me at operating temperature. I'd leave the oil pump.
@@Toys4Life - and I wouldn't replace a dampener that's perfectly fine, either! Mine is wobbling so I have to fix it!
That oil pressure is normal. Don't mess with pump or the balancer if it's good
Does the Harmonic balancer squeak at cold start? My gosh i have a ton of belt squeaks for cold start that goes away
@StoneCold75 it's good to buy a quality belt like a gates..if there is such a thing of quality these days
Another superb video. Sometimes low mileage garage queens are suspect concerning harmonic damper wobble. It is refreshing to see that yours is fine considering your aggressive driving style. Thanks for showing us that this can be an issue and how to diagnose it. Small price when compared to what my fellow European sports car owners encounter. Although it can be expensive to replace the harmonic balancer (Somewhere around $2,000 if professionally done) Once done then ready for another hundred thousand miles of hopefully trouble free driving.
Thank you for the comment sir!
I’m looking at a ‘99 C5 garage queen right now with 28k on it and it’s got the wobble very noticeable while running. Will be using this test to check further. Thanks to the OP for posting! Appreciate it sir!
Agreed.
Once these are replaced and pinned. Then they don't need to be replaced for a while. Gotta love some of our C5's simplicity.
awesome, I love the shoe polish trick, I'll try that for sure
Great idea with the shoe polish.
Great idea with the shoe polish!
Anyway to mark is good,paint,sharpie even a scratch using a nail
.great trick I actually hope mine moves...so sick of buying new parts thinking it will solve my noise and vibration issue..thanks again
Thanks for a good tip.
Fantastic tips...thank you.
Thank you!
This is a good idea. I have a annoying chirp I cant find but no wobble. Be sweet if it was just a pulley somewhere but I've had 13 mostly trouble free years so I'm not complaining if i have to fix it lol
Was the pulley that was wobbling?
@@WarriorsPhoto not that I could see
@@hoobsgarage Got it.
Appreciate the feedback.
Did you ever figure it out? I'm having the same chirp and I've already had all of the belts replaced
@@goldenceaser7839 no I havent really messed with it anymore lol. Gonna try one of those gator back belts that is supposed to help with squeaks but I've since noticed my water pump leaking so i been wondering if the antifreeze is dripping on it making it squeak.
Hey bud, I just picked up my first Corvette. It is a 2003 50th anniversary edition and it has 88,000 miles. Mine starting to have a wobble as well. Plus the belt tensioner has a very very slight movement to it. In early morning start ups when it’s cold and wet outside I get a little Chirping which is constant until the vehicle heats up a little bit it last for maybe about a minute or so and then it goes away. I used a paint pen to mark a line on the front of my balancer. My question Is that can these harmonic balancer fail in a different way besides the line not moving? What I mean by that is can they still fail even if the line doesn’t shift? I appreciate all your help and insight into this. I really don’t wanna do this job until I have the money to put a cam as well as timing. Thank you very much
If your balancer has not moved and per your paint mark - is not currently moving - I think it should be fine especially at stock HP levels.
@@Toys4Life I appreciate you. Thank you very much.
@@sensualbroseidon514 Thank you!
I have the same chirp do you think that’s definitely the harmonic?
Do the paint test. A chrip can be many things.
my 1998 has 128k miles and original balancer. No wobble or slip yet, but I will probably change it this winter just to be safe.
Damn! This is one of those moments when you go, “WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT TRICK WITH SHOE POLISH???”. LOOK AWAY! I’M HIDEOUS!
Some of the best solutions are simple!
So when they start to fail they always twist like you were checking for,or they don't always twist...mine is 18 years old..looks dry .I removed my belt and I still get noise and vibration
..when I look at balancer it may have slight wobble,but not sure..I will do your test and see if it turns...than I will be certain...I already have a new part on it's way though.thanks
Do harmonic balancers squeal like belts at cold start or make any noise when going bad?
by the outer ring moving, it causes a misalignment in the belt path which results in belt squeal.
Hi. I have a 2004 Corvette (46000Miles) with some wobble in the balancer. Does that hurt if the balancer does not move? Will some wobble destroy something, if the balancer pass the line test?
IMO, It won't hurt anything until it starts to slide off of the hub, and then it typically slides back and grinds a hole in the timing cover. Keep a close eye on it.
Nice test!
removing the steering rack is the long way to do the job you can do it the dropped cradle way in about 2 hours providing you have a hoist and the know how
You can do it that way if you prefer, it's all about personal preference. I'm not known for being the fastest, but might comebacks are very low.
Hey this is a great tip...
Glad you think so!
@@Toys4Life glad you uploaded the video ...cheers
Good tip
Happy to help
Thanks for the great tip
You bet!
excellent video!!!!!!
Awesome👍🏼
Is the dayco truly a good balancer you have in description?
I had enough confidence in it that it's on my C5. It also has to drive my supercharger which puts it through much more stress than naturally aspirated. So yeah, I would say it's a good balancer for sure.
My c6 is getting an ATI as a type this. I drive it hard so I'd rather get it done.
With that slop of a mark how could you possibly tell anything? Use a simple grease pencil line...
That is why I use my cell phone to sneak down in there and get a good look. Crisper line - even better.
The shoe polish mark was applied correctly and served its purpose. The residue dried in the correct areas and I could tell instantly the harmonic balance did not move….it doesn’t need to be neat, just effective.
I'm Getting A " CHIRPING" Noise......Would That Be The Balancer?
It could be but is could also be an old belt and or weak tensioner. Perform this test to be sure.
Yes you're exactly right my 07 LS2 with 23450 MI it was chirping and I checked why it was running and it was wobbling pretty good there are people that go back with the AC balancer but only to have it fail again or some people go with a cheaper aftermarket such as Summit Racing which is 225 the best bouncer you can put which I put on mine is a ATI super damper it was 466 from Summit Racing all of the cheaper brands that you can but they do not have the specs and tolerances that are close to the original damper but the ati's are real close and use the APR balancer bolt kit $29 instead of the GM bolt that is not reusable but it comes with a diamond encrusted washer to fix the problem they had the first year of that LS2 in 05
Hard to fathom that GM was struggling to build a quality harmonic dampener as late as 2008.
Must be because people rev them a lot higher than all the LS's that are in pickup trucks??
They also went bankrupt that year, proving they were not exactly on the ball.
Supposedly the 100k mile mark is when they begin to fail.
At most..
@KameraShy - I just bought a 2006 with 66,000 and mine is wobbling.
More Fiero videos pls
What kind of stuff would you like to see?
Toys4Life C5 I'm interested in your setup, how'd you run high 11s? Did you use drag radials? Gen3 or GenV? What pulley?
Just bought a 2006 CTSV with 66,000 miles and mine is wiggling more than this. Obviously more of an age or design issue than mileage.
Keep an eye on it (:-)
@@Toys4Life - the car is intended as a "keeper" so I'm going to have it replaced. It will only get worse!
It's gonna just fail on you... There is no progression to failure...
No it is not, I changed mine out after this to a powerbond when I added a supercharger (:-) ua-cam.com/video/AqEDO9SE3BA/v-deo.html
@@Toys4Life I just installed a powerbond and it has a slight wobble to it like this one; did yours have the same?