Harmonic Balancer fell off, need advice

JDSwan87

JDSwan87

Black Swamp Thing
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Location
Michigan near Toledo
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 5 speed Lagoon Blue Metallic(sold); 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon auto
A friends harmonic balancer fell off his ALH. Old harmonic balancer is gone, happened on highway.

Based on the pics, did the engine slip time?

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EDIT: The bolt was found in his driveway. The failure occurred on the highway, loud racket, battery light came on, then 2 miles later flashing GP light.
 
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Mongler98

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
THIS HAPPEND TO ME IN MY AHU
a rock or something, maybe one of the bolts that popped out got in between the belt and the HB. the cause was the bolts backing off. either way, i had to take them off with an easy out on the side of the road before i had class EXAMS. still have the pictures. i was 3 hours away from home, paid a local mechanic at the gas station i pulled into $40 to use his jack, i happen to have ALL my grab bag auto tools like for another reason completely, helping out a friend do work on his car. Happend at idle, just randomly at a red light, see the dent? yea.... that was great because there was an ACe hardware store next to the mechanic gas station i was at.
your timing is fine. no impact on timing.
get new bolts, grade 8 if you have to get them at a local store like lowes ... blue loctite and TORQUE them evenly and properly.
you clearly have 2 of them sheared off. i only have 1 shear off because all the other 3 backed out enough for it to wobble. use a reverse turn easy out bolt extractor, go slow, do not force, finger to light wrist pressure only. watch some videos on how to do it before you try otherwise if you snapp off that tool in the hole you drill it is harder and impossible to drill out again, then your going to have to weld on to it with a nut. so dont make it worse. easy fix if you can get the bolts out. good luck.
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J

JETaah

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
mi 48836
TDI
96 B4V, 2005 BEW Beetle, 2005 Jetta Wagon
The balancer falling off won't automatically throw the engine out of time.
The timing is between the crank pulley and the cam.

Bad things happen when the serp belt get caught up behind the timing belt cover by getting shredded in the incident. That will usually cause the lower timing belt to bulge and take on debris. Pull off the lower cover to see if all is well and while you are at it, check the timing.
 
jmodge

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
Mongler98 said:
THIS HAPPEND TO ME IN MY AHU
a rock or something, maybe one of the bolts that popped out got in between the belt and the HB. the cause was the bolts backing off. either way, i had to take them off with an easy out on the side of the road before i had class EXAMS. still have the pictures. i was 3 hours away from home, paid a local mechanic at the gas station i pulled into $40 to use his jack, i happen to have ALL my grab bag auto tools like for another reason completely, helping out a friend do work on his car. Happend at idle, just randomly at a red light, see the dent? yea.... that was great because there was an ACe hardware store next to the mechanic gas station i was at.
your timing is fine. no impact on timing.
get new bolts, grade 8 if you have to get them at a local store like lowes ... blue loctite and TORQUE them evenly and properly.
you clearly have 2 of them sheared off. i only have 1 shear off because all the other 3 backed out enough for it to wobble. use a reverse turn easy out bolt extractor, go slow, do not force, finger to light wrist pressure only. watch some videos on how to do it before you try otherwise if you snapp off that tool in the hole you drill it is harder and impossible to drill out again, then your going to have to weld on to it with a nut. so dont make it worse. easy fix if you can get the bolts out. good luck.
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
Click to expand...
OMG! Nevermind the car, how in the world did you fix that head?
 
jmodge

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
Mongler98 said:
THIS HAPPEND TO ME IN MY AHU
a rock or something, maybe one of the bolts that popped out got in between the belt and the HB. the cause was the bolts backing off. either way, i had to take them off with an easy out on the side of the road before i had class EXAMS. still have the pictures. i was 3 hours away from home, paid a local mechanic at the gas station i pulled into $40 to use his jack, i happen to have ALL my grab bag auto tools like for another reason completely, helping out a friend do work on his car. Happend at idle, just randomly at a red light, see the dent? yea.... that was great because there was an ACe hardware store next to the mechanic gas station i was at.
your timing is fine. no impact on timing.
get new bolts, grade 8 if you have to get them at a local store like lowes ... blue loctite and TORQUE them evenly and properly.
you clearly have 2 of them sheared off. i only have 1 shear off because all the other 3 backed out enough for it to wobble. use a reverse turn easy out bolt extractor, go slow, do not force, finger to light wrist pressure only. watch some videos on how to do it before you try otherwise if you snapp off that tool in the hole you drill it is harder and impossible to drill out again, then your going to have to weld on to it with a nut. so dont make it worse. easy fix if you can get the bolts out. good luck.
[/IMG]
[/IMG]
Click to expand...
OMG! Nevermind the car, how in the world did you fix that head?
 
turbocharged798

turbocharged798

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2009
Location
Ellenville, NY
TDI
99.5 black ALH Jetta;09 Gasser Jetta
I would use grade 10 bolts minimum and watch the length as they are oddball and if too long and you will destroy the front main seal.
 
JDSwan87

JDSwan87

Black Swamp Thing
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Location
Michigan near Toledo
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 5 speed Lagoon Blue Metallic(sold); 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon auto
UPDATE: The serpentine belt is damage free, so it didn't get sucked into the TB path. There IS 2 broken bolts we have to get out. I have left hand drills, easy outs and patience. I have instructed my friend to spray the snapped bolt remnants with Kroil daily. Borrowing a car hauler middle of the week and we'll tow it to my place for work.

The joy of owning older vehicles!
 
JDSwan87

JDSwan87

Black Swamp Thing
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Location
Michigan near Toledo
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 5 speed Lagoon Blue Metallic(sold); 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon auto
UPDATE: Good used harmonic balancer installed (provided by a member here, thanks). New bolts installed, torqued to 10nm+ 1/4 turn. Doing an oil change too, then hopefully back in the road.
 
T

Ty1erG

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
Location
North Dakota
TDI
2003 ALH 1.9 Jetta
This happened to me yesterday, how were you able to reinstall the HB? I can't seem to get it slipped onto the crank with the TB tensioned
 
C

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB
Timing belt is on the crank sprocket, the Harmonic balancer is then bolted to the crank shaft sprocket.
Are you thing the accessory drive belt?
That needs to be put on after you get the HB bolted on to crank shaft sprocket
 
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