crank pulley harmonic balancer noise? or spun bearing?

[kyleh]

Hey my harmonic balance is shot. At idle the pulley is wobbling like no other. But my question is could this excessive wobble make a sort of knocking noise also. I just noticed it severely today on the way home. I thought oh great spun bearing...but the sound would go away. So I'm wondering if the pulley could be making this noise.

When I got home I would look at the pulley and have my roommate rev the
engine a little and I could see the pulley flexing/wobbling and when it did that I could hear the knocking noise. And sometimes if you revved it the pulley would straighten its self out and it wouldn't make the knocking noise.

I thought I have ran across somewhere on here where someone said the harmonic balancer/pulley could possibly be mistaken for a rod knock or other engine noise.

If you have any insight on this please let me know. I guess I go to get a new crank pulley anyway but I'd like to have the ease of mind that hopefully I didn't spin a rod bearing. I would cry cause this is my DD and I don't wanna have to tear apart the whole thing like I just did with my 300zx.

Thanks

 

[knochgoon24]

I think you answered your own question.

I could see the pulley flexing/wobbling and when it did that I could hear the knocking noise. And sometimes if you revved it the pulley would straighten its self out and it wouldn't make the knocking noise.

 

[kyleh]

I hope so. It could just be me really not wanting it to be a spun bearing

Do you know if on these cars I can take all the accessory belts off and the crank pulley off and run the engine without a crank pulley just to see if it stops the noise?

 

[DSM1G90]

Replace the pulley - you can prob go out to a yard and pull a good one off for cheap for the time being. But new they're a little over a franklin.

 

[kyleh]

It looks like I can just take it off and start the car to see if the noise goes away. I just want to make sure that's safe to do.
From looking at it looks like the crank bolt is actually holding the crank sprocket on. And the 4 bolts hold the crank pulley to the sprocket. So running the car a little without the pulley shouldn't cause the sprocket to come loose, right?

 

[DSM1G90]

The pulley itself is held on by the four 12mm bolts and the sprocket held down by the large 17mm bolt.

 

[knochgoon24]

You can run the car for a short amount of time with all the accessory belts off along with the harmonic balancer off.

You just won't have the alternator outputting current or the water pump circulating. I wouldn't run it for very long. But you should be able to run it long enough to convince yourself it was just the pulley.

 

[gstryyder]

a harmonic dampener that is about to fall apart will sound JUST LIKE ROD KNOCK!!! TRUST ME.... get it replaced and your worries will go away. it is very easy to replace. and when you pull it off let me know if it came of in a bunch of pieces and seperated like mine. ...

DO NOT run the car with all that shit off. that is stupid. just buy a new dampener install it and be on your merry little way.