Harmonic Balancer is Sparking?!? Help

[BustedTsi]

Hello all i just bought a 98 gst with 6k on the rebuild and 6 bolt swap, everything was fine for the hour drive home then next day i go to drive and i can hear a click....click well after looking forever i finally seen about every 5 seconds my harmonic balancer is popping a blue arc to the block but no loose wires anywhere,

iv looked and searched but cannot find an answer but found similar probs. with other cars relating to the belt slipping and causing static charge so on an so forth well i checked and all my belts are soaked in oil from the oil cap leaking so maybe this is correct?

i talked with a fellow mechanic here at work that use to work for mitsubishi and he says (site unseen) the thrust washer is toast causing it to spark WTF

if anyone has any idea whats goin on please let me know!

p.s i think the balance shaft may also be eff'd is makes a light rattle every couple seconds

 

[jmartinez1228]

grab the harmonic balancer with both hands and wiggle it see if there is any play. If it moves at all then it needs to be replaced. The rubber inside is worn and could be causing the pulley to shift. If this is your daily I would be very very careful driving it. That pulley could eat up the timing belt cover and work its way to the tbelt if it gets ugly. I've had one shred my tbelt cover before.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Think about re-doing the timing side of the engine if your belts are covered in oil.

 

[97gst_spyder]

I had this same issue, except it was the ac compressor clutch going out. Sure its not that?

 

[Colt4G63 also]

I've read about this problem too on IATN (International Automotive Technicians Network), and it is definitely static electricity. It usually occurs after a harmonic balancer change, and techs find that replacing the belt with a different brand often stops it.

I would be more concerned with the oil leaking onto the belts. You should fix the leak, and replace any belts that got oily, including the timing belt. If you hear a rattle you obviously need to pay extra attention to the idlers and tensioner to make sure you catch everything on the first go around. Don't forget to check all the oil seals on the timing side of the engine too. Chances are the sparking will be gone after you solve the other issues.

 

[BustedTsi]

I have replaced all timing components balance shaft delete everything aand I'm still getting this bearing noise. My internals are fine I was just in there with the pan off . I am also still getting sparking oon the block I need help any ideas? Video soon

 

[96awd16g]

Try running an 8-12 ga wire from a bolt on the block to the chassis and maybe one from the alt to the chassis and see if its a grounding issue? Simple test and simple solution if it fixes the arcing

 

[ramsack]

Certain brands of belts simply use materials that will build a static charge and it will arc to the engine (ground). It's not an issue, it's static. The belts don't even need to be slipping. Just the action of the belts bending the straightening and going in and out of the ribs is enough friction to build a charge. If it was some high voltage ignition problem it would be constantly arcing, but it takes time to build up to a level to arc through the air. It will vary with humidity. But definitely fix the leaks. It will still happen after that.

 

[96awd16g]

I agree 100%, just suggesting a solution for the arcing. Cheaper and easier than chaning a perfectly good belt and even static follows the path of least resistance, which could be fixed with additional grounds. Maybe im the only cheap one like that haha

Static is created by friction in general, anything moving through open space creates friction let alone a belt turning pulleys at high rates of speed

 

[ramsack]

How would adding grounds to the block make it not the path of least resistance?

 

[96awd16g]

haha it would. Thats why I corrected myself and said from accesories to block/chassis and chassis to block. (thought I corrected my previous statement but must have forgot sorry)

The goal is if the belt is creating the static to get it to transfer from your alt, power steering pump, ac comp, whatever through wire to your block or chassis before it builds enough to jump the shortest gap (harmonic balancer to block)


Make alil more sense when theory is explained? By no means am I saying this is a for sure fix. If most of the friction is coming from the belt soley on the harmonic balancer then grounding the rest wont help, but if the static is building up from turning all the accesories and traveling across/along the belt then grounding it else where should help create a path easier to follow than jumping an air gap would ever be.

 

[ramsack]

It can build a charge because those rotating parts are insulated, and no amount of grounding of the block or head is going to stop it from building a static charge and arcing to the block or head. Static electricity is a different animal than low voltage used in automotive.

 

[96awd16g]

Ah I guess i wasnt aware all accesories on these are insulated. Im still fairly new to dsms, spent last 5 months reading, but 98% of my experience is with older v8 chevys and some lsx plants (in all sorts of wild combinations, stock to boltons with cam to turbo). Out of 20+ builds in the chevy world I can count 4 off the top of my head that didnt require extra grounds to cure arcing (from plug arcing to an arc from the body of the alt jumping a 4 inch gap..tried 6 different alts before returning to the original ho unit thinking it may have been a short or something in alt).


I dont mind learning new things!

 

[ramsack]

I simply wouldn't worry about it unless you have a fuel leak, but then you have other issues.