Front crank seal leak, or...? And harmonic damper issue?

[nutt7]

I took a little trip up a mountain today and noticed oil spatters down the bottom of the whole suburban and on the axle. The only wet area is around the front. It has been this way for a while, but now it's worse. I can't tell where it's coming from, but it doesn't seem to be the pan gasket. The harmonic balancer seems to be flinging it around. Also, I noticed the rubber damping material appears to be falling out of it. How much of an issue is this?

 

[diesel4me]

You need to DITCH that balancer ASAP!--it is ready to fly apart,and can also break the crankshaft due to the imbalance & vibrations..

I'd say you were lucky to make it home without a catastrophic failure,which could also take out the radiator and A/C condensor,and anything else the balancer hits when it comes apart....

Seeing you have to replace the timing cover seal,it might be a good time to keep going and if the timing chain appears sloppy,to replace it and the gears at the same time,your already halfway "there"..if it has high mileage they are likely due..

 

[nutt7]

Got me worried now! I replaced that seal a few years ago. Maybe the balancer is giving a slight wobble now, distorting the seal. I don't remember if I took out the timing cover.

 

[nutt7]

Replaced the harmonic balancer and seal. The old balancer had grooves worn in the shaft from the seal. It'll leak again since my timing cover is off center a touch. Not the "right" way but I'm trying to camp before the six months of rain hits. When I do do it right (yes I said it), I plan to hack up this old balancer to use as a centering tool for the timing cover. Here are some pics:
Chunking balancer:


Balancer shaft:


Makeshift seal press. It consists of an inner bearing race, a bike sprocket, a nut, and the original crank pulley hardware. It worked nicely!

 

[diesel4me]

The new seal may not touch in the same exact spot as the previous one,so maybe you'll be lucky and not have a leak there still..
Looks like you got rid of that balancer just in time !..