The harmonic balancer is bolted to the front of the engine’s crankshaft. It has two primary parts; the first is a heavy machined inner cast piece and the second is an outer cast piece that drives the serpentine belt. These are joined together with a thick rubber ring.
Replacement is fairly simple given the proper tools, though access isn’t always easy. The serpentine belt needs to be removed first and then, the center bolt that holds the balancer in place. Some harmonic balancers can be simply removed at that point, but many require a specific puller to remove.
Cost of Harmonic Balancer Replacement
On average for most vehicles, it can cost about $200 to replace a harmonic balancer.
The cost of replacing the harmonic balancer varies mainly due to the type and model of the vehicle and the type and brand of parts used. To illustrate, below are some specific estimated costs for some common vehicles using a labor rate of $100 per hour:
For a 2009 Toyota 4Runner with a 4.7-liter engine, the estimated labor time is around 0.9 of an hour. A factory replacement part costs about $261 and a Dayco part costs about $111. The total harmonic balancer replacement cost would be around $251 using OE parts and about $201 using aftermarket parts.
For a 2014 Jeep Wrangler with a 3.6-liter engine, the estimated labor time is around 0.7 of an hour. A factory replacement part costs about $84 and a Dayco part costs about $46. The total cost to complete the job would be around $154 using OE parts and about $116 using aftermarket parts.
For a 2000 Ford Expedition with a 5.4-liter engine, the estimated labor time is around 1.4 hours. A factory replacement part costs about $313 and an ATP part costs about $45. The total cost to complete the job would be around $453 using OE parts and about $185 using aftermarket parts.
For a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta with a 2.0-liter engine, the estimated labor time is around 1 hour. A factory replacement part costs about $277 and an Uro part costs about $49. The total cost to complete the job would be around $377 using factory parts and about $149 using aftermarket parts.
What Does Harmonic Balancer Do?
The main role of the harmonic balancer is to absorb and dampen the crankshaft vibrations. All the various periodic forces of piston movement and cylinders firing can resonate along the length of the crankshaft. This can result in amplified harmonic vibrations at different engine RPMs and loads; the harmonic balancer absorbs and minimizes these.
The second role of the harmonic balancer is to transfer the engine’s rotating force to the drive belt in order to run the engine accessories. The outer casting that drives the belt is connected to the inner casting that is driven by the crank by a rubber dampening ring.
The main way that a harmonic balancer fails is when the rubber ring deteriorates or separates; allowing the two cast parts to partially or fully detach from each other. That can reduce the dampening effect and cause problems with the belt alignment.
Other Related Parts That Might Be Recommended
Probably the most common additional service recommendation would be to replace the front crank seal which seals against oil leaks where the crankshaft projects through the timing cover. If there are any signs that the crank seal may be leaking, the time to replace it would be when the harmonic balancer is already removed. The additional labor is usually just a couple of tenths of an hour then and the part cost is relatively small.
PRO TIP – Even if there aren’t any signs of front crank seal issues, it’s still a reasonable thing to replace while it is accessible as a matter of preventative maintenance.
On the other side of that, the harmonic balancer has a machined surface that the front crank seal bears against. When a front crank seal itself is being replaced for an oil leak the harmonic balancer should be inspected and replaced if necessary. Sometimes the seal can wear a groove in the balancer’s sealing surface if it’s run in less than ideal conditions or in a gritty environment, and any imperfection there can prevent effective sealing and cause a leak.
Another part that might be recommended for replacement is the serpentine belt. If a harmonic balancer is being replaced for a belt alignment problem, that may have damaged the belt.
PRO TIP – If the belt isn’t damaged but there is any other reason to replace the belt while it is off, or if it may be due for age or mileage, it is most economical to do when it is already off and no additional labor charge would be necessary.
One other symptom sometimes is that if the harmonic belt tensioner’s rubber ring begins to fail, that can cause the main belt drive to run in a less than perfect circle which would cause the belt tensioner to constantly work to adjust the belt circuit run. This constant working can lead to a failure of the belt tensioner pivot point.
Sometimes, a failed belt tensioner can be caused by a harmonic balancer issue. It is worth taking a look at the condition of the belt tensioner when a harmonic balancer needs replaced.
FAQ
Usually there would be belt noise on starting the engine. Other things cause that more commonly, but that’s one symptom where the harmonic balancer should be checked.
Possibly, but the risk is that it could throw the serpentine belt off, which usually drives the water pump and power steering pump. In which case it would be difficult to drive and the engine would overheat fairly soon after.
On most engines, it takes a little over an hour.
ONE HOUR?
I HAVE A 1999 CORVETTE AND I’VE BEEN TOLD THAT WOULD OR COULD TAKE 4 HOURS.
IS THAT TRUE?
The four hours sounds fair on that model Corvette. Those a a bit unique in that they have a transverse leaf spring front suspension, where the leaf spring passes right in front of the harmonic balancer. In order to replace the balancer you have to move the spring out of the way, which is easiest to do by dropping the whole front subframe and suspension assembly down out of the way. It’s not especially hard to do with the right equipment. Without looking it up, I think the book time is about five hours.
That’s probably the very top of the range of times the job takes across any car on the US market. Most just take an hour or so and don’t involve much work.