[Roadsters] Update--- Re: U20 Crank Pulley (Harmonic Balancer)

[Daniel Heinze]

Thanks to all who responded about the noisy harmonic balancer.  Here's
what's up...

Diagnosis -- the rubber in the harmonic balancer has rotted and pieces have
even broken loose and fallen out.  It was not hitting the cross member, but
it did have enough play that it would occasionally hit the top dead center
marker just enough to make all the noise. I had previously relocated the
alternator to the right side of the engine, and so the belt tends to pull
the crank in that direction.

Planned Fix --  the harmonic balancer is packaged and ready to ship to Dale 
Mfg
for a silicon rebuild.  Thanks to Fred Davidson for the pointer to Dale Mfg.
Cost for the rebuild is $108.

NOS parts are available from the roadster parts distributors for $300+. 
After market
high performance harmonic balancers for the U20 can be found from race parts
suppliers and are $400+.  Hopefully the rebuild will be as advertised.

I'll post again when the fix is complete.

-Dan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daniel Heinze" <dth104 at psu.edu>
To: "Datsun Roadster List" <datsun-roadsters at autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 3:48 PM
Subject: [Roadsters] U20 Crank Pulley (Harmonic Balancer)


> At idle with the tranny in neutral and the clutch released, the crank 
> pulley on my U20 hits the cross member below it just enough to make a 
> horrible clatter.  Depressing the clutch or driving the car seems to lift 
> the engine just enough to stop the clatter.
>
> What's the likelyhood that the crank pulley is out of round and needs 
> replacing?  The engine and tranny mounts are new and in good condition.
>
> Any thoughts, suggestions or solutions will be appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Dan Heinze
>
> 68 Solex 2000