BHJ or O.E.M

I've looked at BHJ's website and they list 2 different balancers for the 89-93 SC the cheaper of the two FO-IB3.8V6/SCE seems to be an oem replacement and costs $475.00. The other balancer they have is FO-IB3.8V6-6 this one retails for $520.00 the difference between the two that I can tell is that one is SFI 18.1 Certified and the other is not. I can get one from Ford for $489.02 from my local dealership but he said it would take a couple days but I am in no hurry. I have read a lot about people having issues with the BHJ balancers that is why I bought the Ford unit for my other SC years ago. Has BHJ resolved their problems or should I buy the Ford unit?

My take on the difference in the two is just one is certified. At work we can build a UL certified unit or a Standard unit the only difference is a UL sticker.

The SFI balancer is a completely different balancer.

Last I checked the OE balancers have been discontinued for quite some time. Ask your Ford man to order one and see how long it takes to get one.

Also, goto Spinning Wheels to get your BHJ, it's about $100 less than going direct to BHJ. And Victor will give you the longer bolt that you need which you won't get anywhere else.

I don't think either of BHJ's balancers are "stock replacement" parts though. They don't have the aluminum hub like the OEM balancers - they're all-steel.

Anyone here would highly recommend BHJ over stock...I think that's pretty safe to say!

XR7 Dave said:

The SFI balancer is a completely different balancer.

Last I checked the OE balancers have been discontinued for quite some time. Ask your Ford man to order one and see how long it takes to get one.

Also, goto Spinning Wheels to get your BHJ, it's about $100 less than going direct to BHJ. And Victor will give you the longer bolt that you need which you won't get anywhere else.

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Thanks for the replies. I'll call Victor and get one from him. The Ford guy told me they are discontinued but he located one in Wisconsin he could have here by Wednesday.

Jake, make sure you do a search to find any issues to expect with the BHJ installation. It's a good balancer, but some of the versions have problems. For instance, on mine, (SFI version bought about 3-4 years ago) the tapped bolt holes for the crank pulley were not deep enough. I didn't realize this until my aluminum pulley started to wobble after about 1000miles!!! This is a common issue that others have had too. Make sure you tap the holes deeper so that your crank pulley bolts do not bottom out just before clamping down. It's close enough that you would miss it if you didn't know what to expect.

i bought a used original lasted almost a year then i bought a bhj about 3 years ago for my 89 5 speed , no problems fitting , although it weighs about 6 pounds more it does rev slower but is bullit proof . now there is a dorman out for cheaper but never tried it

am

i went with a oem replacement complete assembly from a.m. auto on the net for 219.00 free shipping so far so good perfect fit although it was made in china . just couldnt swing the $$$ for the bhj. it seemed the best option for poor people..

The only issue that I have had with my BHJ was that the holes for the pulley where not tapped the whole way. I had to go and get a tap and die set to finish them off but that was around 5 years ago. Other than that I have really not had any issues, matter of fact its on its second engine right now.