I am putting in a new cam with the motor still in the car. I have gotten to the point where i need to take the harmonic balancer off. I have one of those pullers where it looks like a ducks foot and you screw it in to the balancer and then turn the center bolt and the puller just come off. The problem i am having though is that when i turn that bolt, even with a ratchet, the puller will not budge. Am i doing something wrong? I am not worried about saving the balancer as i am going to replace it. How hard should it be to get it to come off?
Thanks in advance for the replies.

you could try using a little heat on the harmonic balancer around the balancer shaft,not on the shaft itself.sometimes corrosion can get between the balancer and shaft and cause it to become stubborn.the heat should swell the balancer a thou of an inch or so and that should break the corrosion bond.propane may work but map gas is hotter and will work better.be carefull.apply the heat as you put the pressure to it with the ratchet.good luck

Sometimes they are hard to get off. Try spraying some penetrating oil in around the crank shaft and key, let it sit for a while and get a breaker bar out... I dont think you really could damage anything other than the puller itself. Make sure the bolts screwed into the damper all the way so they do strip though.
If your not turning hard enough to turn the engine over that's not enough force try more...

Try tapping on the balancer to help loosening up the corrosive bond. Tap all the way around it. That, the breaker bar, and the penetrating fluid should do it.

Thats another thing, I have turned the engine over a little bit but i am worried about doing that because i already drained the oil. Is turning the engine over just a little bit nothing to worry about even though i drained most of the oil? And it looks like it will be another oreilly run to get some penetrating oil. Thanks for the replies.

Won't hurt a thing.

Good luck getting it off.

Thats another thing, I have turned the engine over a little bit but i am worried about doing that because i already drained the oil. Is turning the engine over just a little bit nothing to worry about even though i drained most of the oil? And it looks like it will be another oreilly run to get some penetrating oil. Thanks for the replies.

Won't hurt turning the engine trying to get the damper off, but you may need to hold engine at the flexplate or piston stop or something. Good Luck!

You do have the great big, THICK washer off, don't you????

pdq67

Ya lol i do have the big thick washer off. Im new to all of this but not that new. lol

If you have access to an impact gun you might try using that on the puller. Sometimes the "hammering" action of an impact will get things moving where the steady pull of a breaker bar or wrench won't.

if your breaker bar is not that long, put a long (20 inch maybe?) pipe on the end of it to get some more leverage... it works wonders...