Failure to fully seat harmonic balancer will result in gear failure!
If the Harmonic Balancer does not fully touch and compress the crankshaft gear, it will wobble back and forth and eventually break at the Key Way! 99% of factory and aftermarket gears fail due to improper assembly.
Some Tech Notes:
Fords Torque Specs for the Bolt are for a new crankshaft, balancer and bolt! Fords specs do NOT take into account burrs on your used crankshaft caused by original installation and removal!!! These burs cause the Harmonic Balancer to require more torque to overcome the rough surface as the Harmonic balancer is re-installed. JUST BECAUSE THE TORQUE WRENCH CLICKED DOES NOT MEAN THE CRANKSHAFT GEAR HAS BEEN CAPTURED!!
Ways to avoid this common installation mistake:
Always use a New Bolt
Use ARP Assembly Lube on the Bolt threads and between the head of the bolt and integrated washer (this reduces friction for a proper bolt reading)
If your bolt does not thread in smoothly by hand you must figure out why, usually running a tap through the crankshaft will correct this (use MMR tap#T1120)
Use engine oil to lubricate the balancer bore and the crankshaft snout (this reduces friction during install helping the balancer slide on easily to fully capture the crank gear)
How can I verify the crank gear is fully captured/seated?
Making sure the crankshaft gear is fully seated and captured by the balancer comes down to experience, if the balancer was hard to get back on, it is very likely that the torque needed to secure the crank gear was not reached – even if the torque wrench clicked!! If the oil pan is off, you can verify that the balancer is touching the crank gear, this is a good start, BUT, you must understand that touching the crank gear is NOT good enough, it must also apply enough pressure to the crank gear to hold it in place.
Supercharger Note:
Aftermarket superchargers place extreme load upon the crankshaft snout. Bent and Broken Coyote Crankshaft snouts are common. Crank gear failures attributed to the addition of a Supercharger are common. Just because your crankshaft snout is still intact does not mean it is not bent or cracked. A bent or cracked crankshaft cannot keep the crank gear in place – again, allowing it to wobble and break! If you are unsure have the crankshaft magnafluxed, or use the purpose built Ford Racing Crankshaft M-6303-M52B designed specifically for supercharged applications utilizing a larger bolt and stronger snout design.
WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED ON ANY CRANKSHAFT GEAR THAT HAS FAILED DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION. GEAR MUST BE RETURNED TO MMR FOR WARRANTY CONSIDERATION, FAILURE TO RETURN A GEAR FOR WARRANTY CONSIDERATION RELIEVES MMR OF ALL WARRANTY OBLIGATIONS. MMR is not responsible for any “down time”, storage fees, rental cars, shop fees or other fees associated with a warranty claim regardless of the cause of failure. Customer is responsible financially for removing the item and shipping to and from MMR for service or warranty consideration/repair regardless of cause of failure. MMR staff may discuss your warranty via phone or email including possible causes & whether your suspected problem is covered, this is not a final determination however, the final determination will not be made until the item is returned to MMR for inspection.