Shaky Crank pulley
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Professional
Joined: Jan 2023
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From: Baltimore Maryland
I DO NOT mean to talk down to you but I bet most of us here remember being 19. At that time I thought everything stock sucked and surely everything in the aftermarket was better.
If you stay with the mechanical side of things you come to see OEM is usually the best with a few exceptions of well thought-out parts that truly address durability or longevity issues, eg the "Heater Treater" that replaces a stupid plastic coupling with a metal coupling or the upgrade to a 3rd Gen track bar on 4wd models.
Basically, if it's in the "bling" aisle at Autozone, says "Spectre" anywhere on it or offers LED "upgrades" at affordable prices, run far away.
We're all gonna seem like grumpy old guys but I PROMISE YOU in 25 years you'll be right here saying the same things
If you stay with the mechanical side of things you come to see OEM is usually the best with a few exceptions of well thought-out parts that truly address durability or longevity issues, eg the "Heater Treater" that replaces a stupid plastic coupling with a metal coupling or the upgrade to a 3rd Gen track bar on 4wd models.
Basically, if it's in the "bling" aisle at Autozone, says "Spectre" anywhere on it or offers LED "upgrades" at affordable prices, run far away.
We're all gonna seem like grumpy old guys but I PROMISE YOU in 25 years you'll be right here saying the same things
also, all of the OE mopar sensors I see are 70-100$+. Dorman has a lot of my sensors for around 40-60$… would that be bad since it’s not OE? As an example..
Last edited by BrendonM; Jan 10, 2023 at 01:22 PM.
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From: Central VA
Once you remove the belt and the pulley on the harmonic balancer, you will need a harmonic balancer removal tool. You should be able to rent it from an auto parts store if you don't have one. You can also purchase one at a local Harbor Freight store, if desired. You will also need a large socket to remove the large bolt holding the balancer onto the crank. I 'believe' the bolt size is 1-1/4". Having a good battery powered (or air powered) 1/2" impact wrench is helpful to have for this job, too. Once the large bolt is removed, you can use the removal tool to take off the balancer. I believe you have enough room from under the truck to do the job without removing the radiator. There is a woodruff key on the crank, so there is no timing issue to worry about.
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Joined: Jan 2023
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From: Baltimore Maryland
Once you remove the belt and the pulley on the harmonic balancer, you will need a harmonic balancer removal tool. You should be able to rent it from an auto parts store if you don't have one. You can also purchase one at a local Harbor Freight store, if desired. You will also need a large socket to remove the large bolt holding the balancer onto the crank. I 'believe' the bolt size is 1-1/4". Having a good battery powered (or air powered) 1/2" impact wrench is helpful to have for this job, too. Once the large bolt is removed, you can use the removal tool to take off the balancer. I believe you have enough room from under the truck to do the job without removing the radiator. There is a woodruff key on the crank, so there is no timing issue to worry about.
GOOD TO KNOW! Thank you sm. I was watching some YouTube videos about it and that is just as they did too. Removing the fan seems kinda annoying but I think I can get it done.
any preventive maintenance I should do while the fan and shroud are offf?
Last edited by BrendonM; Jan 10, 2023 at 01:26 PM.
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Joined: Sep 2012
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From: Central VA
I seem to recall that there is likely enough room at the bottom of the radiator shroud area to pull the balancer without having to pull the radiator out of the truck, but I'm lucky and have plenty of tools to do the job.
If you end up pulling the fan, radiator and shroud, check and consider replacing the radiator hoses, as they are quite old. The lower hoses are known to split over time. Also, check your belt and idler puller/tensioner to ensure they're in good shape. Lastly, check your coolant condition and replace if necessary.
Watching the YouTube videos is a great thing to do to pick up some ideas on how to do the job.
If you end up pulling the fan, radiator and shroud, check and consider replacing the radiator hoses, as they are quite old. The lower hoses are known to split over time. Also, check your belt and idler puller/tensioner to ensure they're in good shape. Lastly, check your coolant condition and replace if necessary.
Watching the YouTube videos is a great thing to do to pick up some ideas on how to do the job.
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Professional
Joined: Jan 2023
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From: Baltimore Maryland
I seem to recall that there is likely enough room at the bottom of the radiator shroud area to pull the balancer without having to pull the radiator out of the truck, but I'm lucky and have plenty of tools to do the job.
If you end up pulling the fan, radiator and shroud, check and consider replacing the radiator hoses, as they are quite old. The lower hoses are known to split over time. Also, check your belt and idler puller/tensioner to ensure they're in good shape. Lastly, check your coolant condition and replace if necessary.
Watching the YouTube videos is a great thing to do to pick up some ideas on how to do the job.
If you end up pulling the fan, radiator and shroud, check and consider replacing the radiator hoses, as they are quite old. The lower hoses are known to split over time. Also, check your belt and idler puller/tensioner to ensure they're in good shape. Lastly, check your coolant condition and replace if necessary.
Watching the YouTube videos is a great thing to do to pick up some ideas on how to do the job.
I recently flushed and cleared out my coolant which before was just water. My dad swore by it 😅
I’ll have to give it a shot without removing any of that. I will also look into my rad hoses, I did not change them with my coolant change and thermostat install.
Also, my tensioner and idler pulleys are super old, same as the belt, they never got changed before according to my dad so I was going to replace those anyway. My belt squeaks and it has tiny tears throughout it. Not sure if my tensioner or idler are broken or extremely worn but it’s somewhat cheap so I was going to send it and do it all not going to lie 🤣
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From: Clayton MI
You want to use OE sensors, and yes, they are more expensive, but, that's because they actually work right..... Using the cheap china sensors tends to introduce 'mystery' problems, that are hard to trace. 
This is especially true on critical sensors, like crank, and cam position. ONLY OEM on those.....
This is especially true on critical sensors, like crank, and cam position. ONLY OEM on those.....
Thread Starter
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Professional
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 122
Likes: 2
From: Baltimore Maryland
You want to use OE sensors, and yes, they are more expensive, but, that's because they actually work right..... Using the cheap china sensors tends to introduce 'mystery' problems, that are hard to trace. This is especially true on critical sensors, like crank, and cam position. ONLY OEM on those.....
This is especially true on critical sensors, like crank, and cam position. ONLY OEM on those.....So that’s a no for these?
more like this?
I take it that Dorman tends to have high defect rates?