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DSN46

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DSN46 Enthusiast

DSN46

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

Here is my question:

 

5.3 ltr, 57,000 miles.

Runs fine except it kinda "stumbles" a little during idle.

Good accelleration and starts and runs fine. Slight ticking, but it is coming from the injectors way up on top.

 

Was checking out my lower tensioner pulley while the engine was running today (it's bad by the waybanghead.gif ). Looked up and noticed that my Crank Shaft Pulley was wobbling. Let me try to explain HOW it is wobbling. If you look at it from the side... there is NO wobble back and forth from the front of the block. In other words, the belt never leaves its straight track around all the pulleys at all.

 

BUT, if you look at it STRAIGHT ON from the front, the bolt and the pulley together have a slight side-to-side wobble.

 

Can anyone tell me if this is normal operation because of the cam action? Or am I in trouble? Like I said, there is no noise coming from the oil pan (stethescoped it), no unusual action from the engine except the slight stumble at idle.

 

Thank you to anyone who can give me any advice.

 

James

DSN46 Enthusiast

DSN46

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yes Sir!

 

I went and watched it again for a long time. I even put a small dot at what I thought was the very center of the bolt head (hard to do exactly).

While watching it this time, I can't REALLY tell if it is an illusion of being off center and wobbly, or if it really is.

 

Have you ever watched one and thought it looked off-center?

 

I would think that if there was movement in that front bearing on the crank shaft, I would have an oil leaking or at least HEAR something going on.

 

Thanks for any help!

 

James

pm26 Senior Enthusiast

pm26

Posted
Posted

Keep in mind that harmonic balancers typically have a rubber cushion bonding two metal pieces together. Very slight wobble of the pulley may be normal.

mi.bowtie Enthusiast

mi.bowtie

Posted
Posted

If you were watching the crank pulley from the side, and it looked Good. then it is good.

It can't change by looking at from top. Otherwise, the serpentine belt would be fried. If I'm not mistaken there is No rubber on a gen three crank pulley.

DSN46 Enthusiast

DSN46

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the replies Guys!

 

It did look just fine from the side (also from the top-down), I was just concerned that from straight-on from the front of the motor, it "looked" to be off-center. Since I think I would be having all kinds of problems if the Crank was moving around in its bearings, I'm gonna just chalk it up to an optical illusion and quit worrying about it.

 

Also, there is a rubber ring, albeit very thin, built into the harmonic balancer. At least on THIS 5.3.... but then again, mine came without an EGR system either.

 

Thank you again.

I'm still curious if anyone else have ever watched the bolt spinning around and swore that it was not rotating on-center?

 

James

pm26 Senior Enthusiast

pm26

Posted
Posted
Thanks for the replies Guys!

 

It did look just fine from the side (also from the top-down), I was just concerned that from straight-on from the front of the motor, it "looked" to be off-center. Since I think I would be having all kinds of problems if the Crank was moving around in its bearings, I'm gonna just chalk it up to an optical illusion and quit worrying about it.

 

Also, there is a rubber ring, albeit very thin, built into the harmonic balancer. At least on THIS 5.3.... but then again, mine came without an EGR system either.

 

Thank you again.

I'm still curious if anyone else have ever watched the bolt spinning around and swore that it was not rotating on-center?

 

James

 

If there is a washer under that bolt head, it may not be centered properly and give illusion of wobble.

DSN46 Enthusiast

DSN46

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I'm done worrying about it. My mechanic said he has seen a slight off-center wobble lots of times. He said it "just happens" because of something to do with the self-centering bolt or something like that.

 

Also, it is very easy to see the the bolt in the middle of the balancer and crank pulley on the front. At least on my truck, I just drop down below the front bumper and look up at it....

Can't explain it any better than that. Maybe the lift and bigger tires make it easier, I don't know...

 

At any rate, no more lost sleep here.

 

Thank you again for all the replies!

 

James

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