ok here is what is goin on, the car started to slowly lose power over a 6 month period, even started to sound like it was knocking, took to 3 dif gargage and was told it was just getting old and was and escort(i took this very offensely, lol) but the car just rolled to 100,000 miles and i have always taken great care of it. well one day in traffic it stalled and watched the harmonic ballancer shoot out and roll down the street, that sucked, well after i got her home and got lookin at it i found what the problem was this whole time, the bolt on the HB(harmonic ballancer) had loosened up and was allowing the pully to move slighly back and forth, well over the course of 6-8 months it finnaly wore the keyway key out, and stripped the crank treads out, allowing the pully to pass me in traffic, lol. so now i don't know what to do for the life of me, got a new HB and Key but it also wore the keyway slot on the crank out, it alows the keyway key to move alittle, so i know it will cause the same thing again over time. ok here are the questions:
1. can i replace the crank with out fully removing the engine from the car?(i have done some heads and rod bearings so i am able to do it if it can be done.)
2. what kind of tap would i use to tap out the crank tread, being it's hardened steal.
3. could i drill a hole in the HB into the crank directly next to the bolt holding it on, and tap and tread that bolt so the pully can't move?
4. i will be replacing the water pump and timing belt before putting this back together, so know it's the wrong way to do it, could i weld the pully on? i know the crank is hardened steal and the pully is not so they are def dislike metals,so welding the pully right to the crank is not an option, but what if i got a piece of hardened steal treaded bolt and cut the head off , put it on the crank tread bolt hole, weld into place and then put a nut on the treads instead of the bolt that will not hold in the treads any more?
5. any other ideas????

thank you guys so much for even looking at this, anything will be helpfull i hate to junk this car a get a new motor for a darn simple little thing like this. sorry for my spelling and typing errors i have been up for 36 hours at work.

 

Well,,

No doubt the best way to repair a bad balancer/crank would be to replace all the worn parts, and a crank replacementwould be a much easier done with the engine removed over an 'in frame' attempt, taking into account all the components that would have to be pulled.. Welding the balancer isn't a repair I'd trust and would most likely cause the seal to fail.. If this were on my personal car,,, I'd either try and rough cut/die grind for a larger key way, or drill the crank/balancer installed and in place, and then drive a hardened round pin in it's place, or tap the now cut hole and lock the balancer in place with long set screw/hard bolttrimmed ect.. Since work clearance would be tight, the balancer could be die ground off the car, and the crank done second for a 'best' match fit.. Threading the crank nose shouldn't be a huge deal.. If the balancer to crank 'fit' has been worn as well, it may need to be peened to tighten the tolernace so it doesn't come loose or stress the bolt/pin/key..

 

I like the idea of drilling a hole thru balance and crank snout then driving a roll pin in it's place. I would do this with the most minimal pin you can get and also leave at least the old key way in place. I would just worry that it may cause a slight to moderate imbalance problem? I agree that it would be easier to do with engine removed, but there is the option of going to harbor freight and buying an overhead engine brace that will support engine and transmission overhead allowing for you to remove the whole engine cradle and access easier.

 

ok, i will try putting a pin in it, and maybe retaping the crank or goin like 10mil deeper? any one seen this crank out of the car and know if i have 10 mill of clearance to go deaper with or not? don't want to punch though the other side.....thanks again for all the help!!!!! you guys rock!

 

I would've suggested JB weld or regular welding and reshaping the keyway. The threaded hole - maybe a helicoil?

 

If the pin you insert is too small and not heat treated it will shear and you'll blow the motor when the balance rotates wrong on the shaft.