i have a 95 eclipse and im tryine to change the head gasket. and i cant seem to get the harmonic balancer off i bought a 5 ton, 3 jaw puller but the harmonic balancer is being extremly stubburn. i've been at it all day and it wont budge. ive done about all i can do at this point so if anyone has any ideas please let me know this is giving me a huge headache thanks again !

Got a torch...heat that bitch up...or use some PB-Blaster and that puller will get it right off...

Good Luck.

uh yeah my dad and i broke ours taking it off. Dont use a crowbar like we did lol

I just told you how to do it...

Either heat it or PB blaster it over night...it will come off...trust me.

Alright thanks i have a propane tourch do u think that"ll do it?

Have you bought a high strength bolt approximately 1" longer than the stock bolt? That makes life so much easier, and saves you from accidentally stripping the threads.

Place the new bolt into the crank bolt hold until it hits bottom, and you'll have a little space for the pulley to move out. Now center your 3 arm puller, and place a block of wood under the left side of the puller under one of the arms, so the whole pulley does not turn as you tighten the puller. It will come off, but it takes a lot of leverage, I use a big metal pipe to extend my leverage on a heavy duty ratchet. If the pulley eventually hits the head of the center bolt and still hasn't come off the crank, back it out just a few threads, and then redo. Repeat by just backing out the bolt a few threads everytime - b/c you do NOT want to strip the threads in the crank!

One common thing that happen for first timers, is the the center bolt of the 3arm puller is placed right against the pulley, as the center of the pulley looks like it's a different metal and so you think it's the crank. It's not the crank, it's actually just how the pulley looks, and so if you do this, you are essentially trying to pull the pulley away from itself.

A couple more tips. While the pulley is a PITA to remove, it can also be just as bad putting it on. This is the easy way to do it: Set the oven to 450, leave the pulley in there for enough time to relax from the headache of the timing belt change, and then when it's hot and the metal has expanded, run to the car and slip it on easily. I did that today, went on like butter. It's good to do this on a cold day too, because the crank is cold and therefore the diameter is ever-so-slightly smaller.

The next major hurdle is pulling out the 3 crank bolts. You'll see what I mean soon enough. You may prefer to drill a small hole to take out the rear bolt (I've done this, it makes the timing belt change SO much easier - just make sure to rust proof the hole after you drill it.) Also, remove the screws holding the plastic timing belt cover to the block BEFORE you take out the motor mount.. It is actually easier to remove the plastic cover and the motor mount at once (some people try to remove the mount by itself, but IMO that's a headache.)

Thanks ez your info on what I should do really saved me from another painfull day of beating my head against the wall trying to figure it out :wallbash . I really thought the ring in the middle of the pully was the crank itself but I guess it was from the washer that was there. so I'll have to take a trip to the hardware store tommorow and get the bolt and Try and bang this out. This head gasket is more of a pain in the ass then i thought it would be. but yeah thanks a million

Use this:



It's the correct tool for the application. You can generally get them to rent (or just use) from Autozone/Advance.

BTW, unless you are removing the engine and doing a total breakdown of the engine (and pulley swap), I recommend that you stay away from the "heat the bitch up" process. Too much rubber involved.

^That's an awesome tool, but my local shops don't carry it. Plus, if you upgrade to a UDP, that is not set up like a harmonic pulley puller, it is a 3 arm jaw kind. Would be an issue for the AFX pulley, *maybe* not so much for the unorthodox kind as its center section is not made from aluminum.

Originally posted by ez
Would be an issue for the AFX pulley, *maybe* not so much for the unorthodox kind as its center section is not made from aluminum.

True dat. It works for one of my UDP's but not the other. Good point.

Now for the stock, its the tits.

You don't need it for the AFX. You use a harmonic balancer puller.

I'd suggest using a center punch on that new grade 10 bolt. Most rental pullers come with a cone on the end of the rod. Make a nice punch in the center of the head of the new bolt so the rod isn't walking off the bolt. Some PB Blaster, about 4 beers, and a half ass-ed impact will zip it off.

aint trying to steal this post but how much is anew harmonic balancer since i broke mine -.-

I actually got the right puller like the one seen above,it worked like a charm, so now i got everything bolted back up now im in the prossess if running all that nasty oil out of the engine and everything seems to be fine i was worried i spun a bearing but it seems to be all good, thanks for all the help.

but here is a link to autoparts warehouse for a harmonic balancer
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/search/?D=harmonic+balancer&Ntt=harmonic+balancer&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Main&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=1676+4294966986&Nty=1&V=1676&Vh=Mitsubishi

their usally a Little expencive,so you might be able to find one cheaper somewhere else

oh thankss