Harmonic Balancer Heads Up!

Hi everybody, I just want to share an experience I had not too long ago with my '00 4cyl. I noticed an annoying knocking noise that was coming from the engine compartment that would come and go at random. I noticed that my harmonic balancer (crankshaft pulley) was a little wobbly. I took it to the dealer because at this point I had only had the truck for about a month. Of course they looked and said don't worry about it. I kept hearing the noise and said "f--k this, I'll fix it myself" I went in and took off the pulley and low and behold, the center bolt had worked its way out of the crankshaft about 2 mm, and then froze solid. Anyone who has ever taken a look at the key that stops the pulley from rotating freely knows that there isn't much key there and 2 mm of play destroyed the keyway on the pulley, giving it about 1/2 inch of free movement in either direction. So, a new balancer, new centerbolt, and 70 bucks later, not to mention removing the radiator, ac condensor, belts, fan and front grill, everything is cool again. Lesson here: if your crankshaft pulley is wobbly, don't ignore it. Sorry this is so long winded.

You are lucky it didn't damage the nose of the crankshaft, a common problem with erly Miata's. Hope you made sure the center bolt is torqued to specifications and it's a good idea to use Loctite on the bolt threads. Thanks for the tip I'll make sure to check mine every few months. Clifton