DodgeForum.com - Checked your V10 harmonic balancer lately?

I know this is not a new topic but it is a topic that should be kept on top of for the newer members or somebody looking for a answer. My 94 V10 2500 Ram 4x4 Auto finally decided to part ways with its old balancer. First I heard that good ole hard to find weird squeaky noise that seemed like a bad accessory somewhere or bad idoler but it is none the less than a harmonic balancer gone wrong. For those who don't know ... On V10's the room was tight with such a long engine so the engineers made the other surface of the balancer the pulley itself. This mean no pulley on the front that is normally bolted to the center on the balancer where it is solid mounted to the crankshaft. Being it is on the outside it is constantly being torqued by the accessories and putting stress and strain on the rubber that is supposed to be dampening the vibrations. Good or bad idea it is what we V10 owners have to contend with!!
The rubber gets aged and stressed and it slips out of place leaving it misaligned and out of balance or comes flying completely off. Mine threw the belt and slid back towards the timing cover. No more squeal sounds.

I saw in a old thread people asking where and what is the harmonic balancer. It is the piece attached to the end of the crankshaft on the front of the engine. It does not have a keyway made it in like most engines do. It is a tapered shaft and relies on the strong torque of the bolt and washer that holds on the keep it in place and not slip on the crankshaft causing major damage. That is the second problem with this design is so many v10's has a issue with the bolt backing off and allow the harmonic balancer to slip. It needs to be torqued to 130 ft pounds but be sure and check your manual for the exact amount for your V10 year. Pulling it off usually involves removing the radiator, taking out the center retaining bolt and then using a puller to grab the three places cast into the balancer to remove it. Sometimes there is other ways but DO NOT BEAT ON YOUR BALANCER or pry against the front cover. Damage will occur! When installing your new balancer be sure and put locktite on the bolt and torque it down to specs. Under torquing will cause regrets! To be sure it stays tight and have peace of mind come back and recheck it after you run it a couple of days and then check it again in a few thousand miles.