How do you replace a harmonic balancer on a 2001 oldsmobile intrigue?

Answer 1

to replace the harmonic balancer, first remove the front passenger side wheel. make sure the car is supported by a jackstand. once you have removed the wheel, you will notice a plastic cover held in place by a few plastic screws. remove the two screws that you can easily access and pull the cover down enough to expose the crankshaft pulley, which is the harmonic balancer. next open the hood and on the passenger side of the car, you will see what is called a tensioner pulley on the side of the engine. it is toward the back of the engine compartment and has two square holes in the side of it. you will need a long handled ratchet or breaker bar with a 1/2" drive. insert the drive into the larger of the square holes with the bar as high up as you can. pull the bar down to pivot the tensioner pulley and release the tension. (take note of the routing of the belt around the various pulleys.) i usually take a picture. pull the belt off of the crankshaft pulley. it is not necessary to remove the belt completely. next, the bolt holding the balancer onto the crankshaft snout must be removed. the easiest way i have found to do this is by using a breaker bar attached to a 3/4" socket. place the socket on the bolt and position the bar down and left so that it is against the framework of the car. make sure it is not going to hit anything other than the frame. next place your foot against the socket to keep it from falling off and have a friend crank the engine. the engine turns clockwise, and when the breaker bar hits the frame, the bolt will come loose. once the bolt is removed you will need to use a three jaw puller to remove the actual pulley. most likely the outer ring of the balancer will already have fallen off, so just hook the jaws around what is left of the pulley. once the pulley is off, inspect the crankshaft snout. there should be a small 'key' called a woodruff imbedded in the shaft. remove it and install a new one.(it will come with the new balancer) to install the new balancer, you will need a balancer installation tool which is basically a long bolt, large flat washer, and a bearing. pull the balancer onto the shaft until it bottoms out against the shaft. next install the bolt onto the balancer, reinstall your serpentine belt, dust cover and wheel. you are done.