stuck harmonic balancer bolt

[harofreak00]

I was trying to remove the harmonic balancer from the L67 from my 96 SSEi parts car. I had the engine out of the car already, and just sitting on the ground. The bolt that holds the HB on, was so tight, that even with my 2ft breaker bar I had no chance. I even sprayed a heavy dose of PB Blaster on it.

I ended up having to bolt a 8ft long piece of tubular steel to the block to keep it from turning, and use an 8ft long piece of pipe over the end of my breaker bar. Believe it or not, even using that technique, it was still hard to get that bolt out. When it finally went, it sounded like a gunshot going off! Both the bolt and the HB had an orange substance on it that looked like threadlocker or something. Was that OEM? I have removed plenty of HB's before, and none were EVER that hard. I wish I could have taken a pic of the setup I had to use.

[J Wikoff]

That sounds like the thread locker I found on mine originally. But I only needed 3 feet to break it loose.

[WhiteArrow3800]

And I thought mine was insanely difficult on one of the L27's. But I only had to use a 4 ft. metal fence post on top of the breaker bar.

Do you know if it was replaced before?

[00Beast]

I bet it was red thread locker. I bet If you'd hit the bar hard a few times with a hammer it would've come right off. It takes an impact to remove a bolt with red threadlocker on it. Hitting the breaker bar with a hammer is the same concept as an Impact Wrench.

[harofreak00]

I tried banging a hammer and 3ft piece of pipe, nothing but dents in the breaker bar handle.

It was def ORANGE, not red.

[OH2LS]

You guys must have all gotten the short end of the stick. When I took mine off the motor was out and on an engine stand. All I did was had a guy stand on the other side of the motor with a flex plate wrench holding the flex plate while I took an 18" breaker bar wrenched it right out. Not difficult at all. It did take a bit of muscle, but jeeze, the stories I've heard you'd think that it was welded on. It was kind of anti-climatic for me.

[Troyport]

It's the same story all the time. If you have one that is easy (easy being a relative term) then you probably have an engine that has had the bolt removed before. They are installed insanely tight and with thread locker at the factory, and I certainly don't think there is a reasonable explanation for it. I can't tell you how many balancer seals I've replaced on these engines over the years, always a bear to get them out. When I install them, I use anti-seize on the bolt, and tighten by hand with a breaker bar, then give them a 3 second hit with a GOOD quality impact set on high with about 120psi of air behind it, and I have NEVER had one come loose! But, if I have had to remove it at some other time, it takes about 10 seconds with the same impact. The worst one was my 95 Olds 88, I couldn't touch it with nothing - I ended up at my workplace after hours, a friend's monster 1" drive 900 dollar impact that took 2 people to safely use, 2 monster compressors that supply our factory with air, with the pressure cut-outs boosted, had 160 psi at the impact, hammered at that bolt for several minutes. That sucker was gonna come out, or I was gonna break something. No reason for this. I've talked to many service techs, at GM dealers and generic shops, not one of them ever reinstall the bolts this tight. Mike

[Jrs3800]

We have fought these bolts in the past... But usually a good Impact and Impact socket will bring the bolt to submission... we used a 3/4 Impact on one once... LOL