Ok, so I'm looking to replace my harmonic balancer, as my current one is going out. The current balancer on my truck has the crankshaft pulley bolted onto it, they are 2 separate parts. I went to NAPA today and looked at a harmonic balancer there, and the harmonic balancer and crankshaft pulley was all 1 piece, so it was different than mine. It looked like the picture below. I went to Rock Auto, and Summit Racing, and that's what the replacement balancer looks like. Was there a change in the harmonic balancers? Can I use the new part on my truck, or do I need to find one exactly like mine? I'd appreciate any input you can give me.

My truck is a 1997 Dodge Ram 4x4 with the 5.9 gas engine.

 

Yeah, I think they changed the design at some point. It will work. The dealer might be able to get you the two piece though.

 

Pretty sure even the dealer uses a 1 piece now also . I got lucky about this time last year and some guy on ebay was selling off 6 OEM 2 pc balancers . I bought one . Think it was $65 shipped , I should have bought 2

I have the 1 piece Dorman on my wife 5.9 jeep for about 5yrs/80K now . No complaints

 

Ok, I'll check my local dealer and eBay. If not, I think I'll try the 1 piece and get it from Rock Auto.

 

Either will certainly work. If you'd like your original damper rebuilt like new, contact these folks, as they rebuild the damper to be better than new.


http://damperdoctor.com/index.php?route=common/home

 

is there a reason the 2 pc would be better than the 1 piece?

 

What part goes out on a harmonic balancer other than the groove formed by the oil seal?

 

I can only give two reasons , 1) that's the removal . The OEM style requires a standard HB puller . Makes for easy removal . The 1 pc w/pulley requires a 3-jaw puller . It's a bit of a PITA to remove in the vehicle . But , not like you should have to remove it anytime soon if you pop a new crank seal in while at it . 2) The 1pc does not have the option for an underdrive pulley .

Here's a pic of the new OEM style balancer

 

It's the rubber seal between the two sections of the damper .

Here's an obvious example from one of my 5.9 jeeps


Here's a not so obvious , but , bad HB . Note the outer ring is not flush all around anymore .


This was the back , it wasn't really easy to see until looked at closely . On the engine , I would have seen the wobble , maybe even felt it too .

 

Yeah, my rubber seal is going out between the 2 pieces of metal, like onegoodmason's above.

I ordered the 1 piece assembly from Rock Auto last night. I may get the original one rebuilt sometime if I ever rebuild my motor, if I decide to go with an underdrive assembly at that time.