So my bottom end is sitting on an engine stand after changing crank and rods. With the harmonic balancer off, the engine turns over easily by hand, however, when the harmonic balancer is installed, it will not turn by hand. Nothing has changed with the chains between HB being put on or pulled off, no teeth are missing anywhere, nothing is rubbing or stuck, or visibly out of place, it just simply will not turn.
For clarification, the crank will turn by hand again when the HB is removed.
Anyone have any ideas? This makes no sense to me as I see no reason the HB being installed should change anything.
Well, what engine or car is this on?
It's a 1994 325i, M50 with an M54 crank and rods. Didn't realize I didn't specify, I'm a little flustered as this has been a long time coming just to get held up on something stupid.
do you have it facing the right way?
98 Estoril ///M3 4/6
S54 swap CSL
Which damper, the E46 or E36? You might need the M54 hardware and unit?
I'm using the E36 hardware currently. The M/S52 use the same damper as the M54, so I'll have to check part numbers to the M50, but as far as I know it's the same.
I also don't quite understand how it would stop the crank from rotating of it wasn't getting stuck somewhere. I would think the problem would come from the chain sprocket if anything.
Though I suppose if the squared, axle specific wheels on my camaro can stop the car from moving if they're in the wrong spot, the wrong balancer could do the same.
Update: After looking on realoem, the dampers and hardware are not the same. However the E36 hardware would need to be used anyway for the chains to line up with the oil pump, chain guides, and cams. I'll have to come up with an E46 damper just to try it.
Last edited by Jeffersonwillis; 04-15-2018 at 03:09 PM.
Where in pa are you?
Car is currently just outside of Hellertown (Northhampton County).
Can you post pictures of how it mounts? And the hardware or you are using? If I recall correctly the balancer goes on and then the pulley Is independent of the damper?. Are you installing the belt as well? Are you sure you don’t have a seized alternator water pump or power steering pump?
I will be able to get the pictures tonight or tomorrow as I am still out of town for a long weekend. The hardware for the balancer is three piece. There is the initial hub that presses into the front main seal and aligns over the woodruff key which is what is held in by the crankshaft bolt (AKA the Jesus Bolt). The damper then aligns to this with a pin (so that timing marks can be aligned to TDC). The A/C pulley then lines up to the damper (no pin or alignment tool here) and then the damper is bolted to the hub.
The other pulleys are not bound or stuck, some of them even being new.
As I am writing this however, I am realizing that I may not have attached the A/C pulley as my A/C unit is more than busted. However, I may not remember installing it because they were stuck together from all the years they've been on untouched and I just didn't notice the lack of an extra step. This pulley would effectively be a spacer for the bolts holding the damper in. I did check that they were not making contact with anything and they were not, but at the very least I could install that pulley and retest. I'll feel like a colossal idiot if I wasted our time over something so simple though.
Link to RealOem diagram of crank/hub/damper assembly: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=11_6004
Update, the lack of the second pulley was the problem. The bolts were bottoming out on the timing cover just a hair. A turn and a half and it all spun as normal.
Cool that’s what I figured. Have fun w it
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