Hi there. So I'm looking for some help removing the harmonic balancer in my dart. From what I can tell most slant sixes did not come with a retaining bolt from the factory except on heavy duty applications and they were instead held on by an "interference fit" which I assume means it was pushed on to a tapered end on the shaft. My dart doesn't have a retaining bolt. So I went to pull it off with the puller and when my center bolt pushed up against the end of the crankshaft the motor began turning over. Is the center bolt on the puller supposed to thread into the inside of the crankshaft and then pull the balancer off when it hits the dead end? My bolt is 3/4'' and it doesn't want to thread in. though this could be because the threads inside aren't very clean. What is the correct way to pull the balancer off? This is my first time tearing an engine apart so I apologize in advance if my questions sound stupid. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

The damper puller should have a cone on the center bolt to keep the bolt from entering the crankshaft. That bolt pushes on the crank to force the damper off and should not enter the crankshaft. To keep the engine from spinning you can take the starter out and use a large screwdriver on the ring gear teeth to keep the engine from spinning.

_________________
Joshua

I would suggest sticking a smaller bolt in the threaded hole in the crank, for the puller to press against. Some pullers, will force themselves in the end of the crank, and mess up the threads. Then it will be hard to draw the damper back on. Make sure the puller you use, is the kind that bolts on to the hub of the damper, and not the kind that grabs the outer ring. To keep the engine from spinning, I usually stick a bar or large screwdriver, between two of the bolts that hold the puller to the damper.

_________________
Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

I figured that's how it was supposed to go and like you said Charlie I was kind of concerned that the cone part was pushing into the threads on the crank so I'll make sure to put a bolt in there. Although I'm gonna try the bar method between those two bolts, would putting the car into drive work too, or even in second gear? or would this do damage to it? My car is currently sitting on jack stands so I don't think it would go anywhere and its an automatic

Putting it in gear won't help a bit with an auto trans. All gears are neutral until you develop fluid pressure.

For the record, the crank snout is not tapered. It's just a cylinder shape.

You should do whatever you need to ensure the puller bolt is contacting a good surface that it can press (hard) against. For the backyard mechanic, this means using a few washers that fit inside the damper hub. The hole in the washer should be small enough that it does not allow the puller bolt to pass through. Really, a solid disc of steel about 3/8" thick would be best, and if that disc had a center countersink that held the puller bolt on center, even better. The point is...you don't want the puller bolt directly touching the crank. If you have an impact wrench to turn the puller bolt, you usually don't need to worry about the crank spinning.

Many years ago I bought a two bolt puller from Montgomery Wards that had a center screw with a smaller diameter pilot that wasn't threaded and fits right into the 3/4 hole in the end of the crank. On a slant you have to use one 3/8" and one 5/16" bolt to bolt the puller to the balancer because of the way the bolt pattern is. I have pulled countless balancers with it and it always works perfectly.

_________________
If you didn't drive it there, it's not a street car.

Update on how it went. So I scrounged through my drawers and found some washers that fit, put the puller back on and it pulled off with no problems at all. Took the timing cover off and sure enough the chain jumped a cog so should be an easy fix from here on in!

M, Makita electric impact pulls them off without having to worry about holding anything. My puller has a large pilot that fits in the taper of the crank well. Never damaged any threads.

_________________
2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6