Installed bhj , same deal

89tird

Registered User
Just finished Installing the bhj balancer, new longer bolt, ASP crank and water pump pulleys and the engine still shakes at idle :(. I installed the balancer because my stock one was wobbleing So i thought it was making the engine vibrate, when I pulled it out it looked like it had rub marks inside like if it was moving around..

the bhj barely wobbles compared to stock, I have MP tensioner springs and the tensioner for the crank pulley stills moves a bit. the car runs great above idle but at idle vibrates alot, it has new motor mounts too.

vacuum was at 19 at idle in park before the balancer now at 17 :confused:.

The only problem I know it has is a leaky exhaust manifold gasket would this be making the car idle like crap ?? thanks
 
Just finished Installing the bhj balancer, new longer bolt, ASP crank and water pump pulleys and the engine still shakes at idle :(. I installed the balancer because my stock one was wobbleing So i thought it was making the engine vibrate, when I pulled it out it looked like it had rub marks inside like if it was moving around..

the bhj barely wobbles compared to stock, I have MP tensioner springs and the tensioner for the crank pulley stills moves a bit. the car runs great above idle but at idle vibrates alot, it has new motor mounts too.

vacuum was at 19 at idle in park before the balancer now at 17 :confused:.

The only problem I know it has is a leaky exhaust manifold gasket would this be making the car idle like crap ?? thanks

An exhaust manifold leak would cause the O2 sensors to think its running lean and add more fuel. Is it running rich? The fact that the crank pulley is wobbling would definately concern me as It isnt supposed to do that. Are you sure you installed it correctly.
 
The new balancer doesnt wobble as much as the stock balancer if you stay looking at it from the top theres a slight movement but not a wobble.

i pressed the balancer all the way back the ring doesnt rub on the crank sensor, the pulley could only go one way and its zero balanced, , thers a gap of 0.16 thousands of an inch between the pointer and the balancer. I think I did install it correctly !?

Im not sure if its running rich but the exhaust pipes are a bit sooty. fuel pressure at idle is a 35-38 psi. plugs gapped at .54 which im going to gap down to .35, is there any way to prevent those damn manifolds from leaking ive changed the gaskets twice and they keep messing up.
 
Ive been trying to diagnose a similar problem with a Local 94 SC owner. He has a 5 speed and the Rear diff went bad - he took it to a shop and they replaced the Clutch which wasnt the problem - when they ended up replacing the rear end, the car had developed a Vibration / engine shaking at Idle when it warms up since everything that was done. He had them re-check the Clutch since thats what I was suspecting, but they said its okay. Ive checked for vacuum leaks, bad sensors, etc .. havent found anything yet. He wanted to replace his balancer, so I took a look at it before he spent the $500+ on parts and it was spinning straight.
Still trying to figure this one out, but my money is on the clutch / flywheel / pressure plate since that was tampered with before the vibration appeared. It ripped the PS lines, and he had to replace the motor mounts, etc .. still shakes at idle when warmed up. Is your Tbird a 5 speed or automatic ???

- Dan
 
Vacuum leak? Thats where I would start. Check the IC tubes. Maybe you bumped them while working on the balancer.
 
If you say it has a KNOWN exhaust leak, id fix that first, so you can rule it out or see if that fixes the problem. Then let me know. ;)

I dont know if your "vibration" is the same one I'm trying to figure out - the engine shakes at idle, seems like the shaking is more towards the rear, not so much the front of the engine if that makes any difference. Since the shop did drop the transmission to replace the clutch, they could have caused an exhast leak also ... thanks for the heads up, Ill talk to the local guy again and see if hes still having the problem.

- Dan
 
Put copper rtv on both sides of the exhaust manifold gasket to prevent a leak. Let it dry overnight before starting the engine.
 
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