Harmonic balancer question

[Iulik]

Hi, new sprinter owner here, just got a 2005 with 155k miles and did all the pulleys, water pump, belt and fluid change, after that i stumbled across the harmonic balancer issues that people are having and i checked mine and there is a bit of play on one of the top rings, i made a video, is it something normal or i need to change this asap? it has a rear ac and it gets the bigger balancer that is ~450 ( ouch ) on europarts.
i am pretty sure it needs changing but figured that i ask first. Thank you guys in advance for the help

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxbhQMOef8AJZFlhR0NXdmdXMW8/view?usp=sharing


Also i got my tensioner pulley from INA and after i changed it i saw that they go bad, do they all go bad or can i go for 15 20k before i replace it

 

[One call a/c]

That's a problem for sure. Good thing you caught it early. It's said that the ones with the aux Ac belt are prone to failure.


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[talkinghorse43]

Agree the harmonic balancer is bad and needs to be replaced ASAP. Don't know about the present offering from INA, but mine failed and caused my engine to overheat. Overheat is very dangerous for these engines, so genuine MB parts are critical here.

 

[BenJohnson]

Yep its bad. I just got mine from europarts-sd - much better price than the dealership.

 

[seans]

...harmonic balancer issues...checked mine and there is a bit of play...i made a video...https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxbhQMOef8AJZFlhR0NXdmdXMW8/view?usp=sharing...Also i got my tensioner pulley from INA...do they all go bad or can i go for 15 20k before i replace it

Wow, thanks for the video and showing how to check for this problem so clearly.

In case you haven't seen the posts, when you put on the new balancer, be sure that you (1) throw away the bolt that holds the balancer onto the crank, and replace it with a new one. (2) Find the correct procedure for installing and torquing the bolt on your engine. Here's a post from one of the leading Sprinter mechanics on this forum as to why this is important. There are a number of posts about harmonic balancers that loosen and damage the crankshaft (often requiring its replacement) and take out other parts like the radiator when they finally depart the engine compartment.

I put an INA tensioner on my van about three years ago (60K miles? I can't find my log book) and then read about the tensioner problems shortly afterward. I left it on, thinking I would keep a look out for problems. But Europarts-SD suggests that a failed alternator pulley can increase loads and cause the tensioner arm to snap. If that isn't a gradual failure, maybe a periodic inspection isn't such a great plan.

Because of your post, I just now made a close visual inspection of my tensioner, and discovered that the belt is riding on the edge instead of the center (see below). This is a hint that the tensioner arm is bending. So, it's time for it to come out. The alternator pulley has been called out as a possible culprit so it will get examined for binding too.

It sounds like pulling the harmonic balancer might give you an opportunity to install your preferred tensioner.

 

[BenJohnson]

While in there, replace the idler pulleys. Maybe the rad hoses too. Also check the alternator clutch. Anyways that's what I am doing.

What about the crankshaft seal? The manual does say "NOTE: Front crankshaft seal must be replaced
before installing the belt pulley/vibration damper."

 

[seans]

While in there, replace the idler pulleys. Maybe the rad hoses too. Also check the alternator clutch. Anyways that's what I am doing.

What about the crankshaft seal? The manual does say "NOTE: Front crankshaft seal must be replaced
before installing the belt pulley/vibration damper."

Good idea on the pulleys; when I changed my tensioner, I found that those pulleys were not up to snuff (I can't remember exactly; they probably were a little loose or did not turn completely freely) so they got replaced.

On the seal, I have a harmonic balancer, bolt and seal that I intended to install preemptively, but I've held off. In this thread, skill3 talks about his seal replacement in post #11 (basically, do it while the harmonic balancer is off, and he makes it sound easy).

 

[skydiver007]

Mine failed the exact same way. Rubber let go of the metal. Finally hear a metal ringing under the hood when it was running. Doktor A fixed mine before he moved to SC. I happened to be working in Pittsburgh at the time and he was kind enough to fix it. Mine went backwards toward the engine instead of coming off the front.

Drove it for 2 weeks with that sound before I figured it out. He also replaced the front seal since the balancer was off.

 

[Iulik]

Thanks for the tips guys, i have ordered a new balancer and replaced it, with a new bolt and washer, saw about torquing, i don't know if i was able to do a full 90 degree turn, but i'm pretty sure i did at least 60, glad i ordered the flywheel lock too, only 20$ on ebay , also replaced the front main seal since it had a small leak, got a new tensioner with it from europarts and replaced it, don't know what to do with the ina one though, i might just put it back and drive it for a year just to get my money's worth the interesting thing is that the INA tensioner is heavier than the Litens one, i checked the alternator but it seems it rotates both ways without any issues, i thought it was supposed to rotate only one way.

 

[Iulik]

The replacement was pretty easy, no need to remove anything except for the fan , it would take about an hour to do it again, it took more time to fit the flywheel lock ))) it goes right under the crossmember and there is some kind of rigid wire in the way.

 

[seans]

<snip> got a new tensioner with it from europarts and replaced it, don't know what to do with the ina one though, i might just put it back and drive it for a year just to get my money's worth

I learned about the problems with the INA tensioners just after installing one. I immediately bought a Litens thinking I'd install it right away. Right away turned into almost three years. It broke last night. I wish I'd discarded it.

Fortunately, your post helped me discover it was failing and so I put the Litens part in in the van last week. The outcome would have been a lot more expensive if it weren't for you. Thanks!