Hey Guys,
I'm replacing the Optispark in my 92 LT1 and having a hell of a time getting the crank pulley/damper off. I pulled the three bolts and it isn't budging. Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks.

You'll have to remove the bolt in the center and use a harmonic balancer puller to get it off. The puller will bolt to the three bolt holes and push against the center. Rent one at Autozone, if you don't want to buy one.

Will the rental puller fit in that tight space? If so, is there enough clearance from the front of the pulley to cross member to get the pulley and the sleeve out as a unit?

As far as clearance, its real tight, it should come off. The rental from Autozone will essentially be free, so its worth trying before you have to buy the Chevy prescribed puller or one similar. You will need a puller, no way around it.

Do you have a service manual for this car? If you don't I strongly suggest you invest in one. I think it may really give you some insight on this and other projects. John

You don't need a puller, if you are able to raise the car enough to get underneath of it.

To get the damper off, remove the three bolts and knock it off from below/behind. I use a long pry bar (jumbo Snap-On screwdriver) with the tip placed against the back of the damper as far inboard as possible (place the tip so that it's resting right alongside of the damper hub -- don't beat on the outer ring of the damper!), then bump the handle of the pry bar with a large rubber mallet. It may be a bit stubborn, but you should be able to get it to pop off this way.

Once it's off, rotate the crankshaft so that one wing of the 3-winged damper hub is at the 6-O'Clock position (this will orient the other two wings at around 10 and 2 O'Clock), and it will give you the clearance you'll need to pull the Opti straight forward off of the engine. Clean the hub and damper thoroughly of all rust, etc, and smear a VERY thin coat of anti-sieze on the mating surfaces as you reinstall it (not enough that it'll get slung up onto the belt, etc), and you'll probably have no trouble getting it off again next time. Be sure to orient the damper to the hub such that the alignment marks match up as you reinstall it.

Be well,

SJW

I don't think the standard puller is going to work. There's a special tool for it which is expensive.

I used a small two-arm puller.

There is a special Kent-Moore tool for this job, but it is indeed expensive, and unnecessary. If you do use an ordinary puller, be extremely careful that the tool does not damage the threads in the snout of the crankshaft. Take no chances with this, or you may well ruin a crank, or need to re-tap threads in its end. I've heard from quite a few guys who've made this painful mistake.

I had very good results with driving mine off from behind as described in my earlier reply, and I know that most of the guys I've had any dialog with who have removed one have done it the same way I did, so I'd suggest you at least try it first.

Whichever approach you choose, best of luck with it.

Be well,

SJW
[/i]

Thanks for the tips guys. I got it off. I took one of my smaller 3 jaw pullers, cut and modified it so I could get it in there. Thank god they put that loop in the hydraulic line on the steering rack. The puller screw went right under it.

FYI. My opti was totally rusted away and trashed inside! My 92 only has 16K on it and has never seen rain. No water pump leaks either. By the look of the inside of the opti it looked like the car was under water once!

Thanks

I would never (unless it's mad max time) beat on a dampener as this beats on the thrust bearing as well. I don't care if it "works" I can get you to work by beating on you... or I could be nice and fair. which one would you prefer? Aloha

Quote:

Sometimes a firm hand is what is needed.

I finally got my damper -- NOT THE HUB, just the outer, weighted wheel -- off first by taking the spark plugs out so my terrific wife could rotate the engine by hand. I then jacked up the car, crawled underneath and tapped on the balancer using a piece of hardwood. I would tap a couple of times, have my wife rotate the engine 90 degrees, tap a couple of times ... then repeat until it came off. Took about five minutes. This was needed to overcome 125,000 miles of rust! I never tapped very hard, the wood minimized the shock load on the damper and the three outer bolts were off, so very little force was transferred to the thrust bearing.

The hub itself was easy using a cheap ($19.95) puller from Autozone and three bolts from Home Depot -- and I also give my thanks for that power steering loop!