Wobbly crank pulley

[Racerlinn]

In addition to a leaky seal, I have also discovered that the main crankshaft pulley on my '97 3.3L Grand Caravan has a bit of a wobble to it while the engine is running.
It is a visible (though not extremely great) side-to-side wobble as you look down upon it from the top of the motor. None of the other pullies on the motor have any kind of wobble. I have not had time yet to pull the pully off to fix the seal, but now I am concerned that I have a different issue as well.
Is this wobble normal? I can't say I have ever noticed this before on any other cars.

Plus, why the heck did the make a pully out of cast iron???? This things a monster.

[ivymike1031]

you're probably looking at the TV (torsional vibration) damper. There's an outer ring, with a carefully selected inertia, connected to an inner hub via a ring of rubber. If the rubber deteriorates or tears, the outer ring (and sometimes the pulley surfaces, if they're integrated into the outer ring) will start to come off. Yes, it's important to replace that vibration damper if it's coming apart.

[hybridsol]

Originally posted by ivymike1031
you're probably looking at the TV (torsional vibration) damper. There's an outer ring, with a carefully selected inertia, connected to an inner hub via a ring of rubber. If the rubber deteriorates or tears, the outer ring (and sometimes the pulley surfaces, if they're integrated into the outer ring) will start to come off. Yes, it's important to replace that vibration damper if it's coming apart.

he's right. TV can be controlled by a vibration damper which is also called a harmonic damper or a (harmonic balancer). The main purpose of a "harmonic balancer" is to control harmonic vibration, not necessarily to balance the engine's rotating assembly at high speeds it could still snap get a viscous damper or something stronger than rubber depends on how how much you drive on an inerstate or a fast moving road.

[nzyd07]

I have a 1997 eclispe GST. My alternator belt poped off today. I put it back on and now my harmonic balancer is wobbling and making all sorts of racket. Can you point me to some directions on how to remove all the stuff to get to it? Can I just tighten it up or do I need to replace it? If I have to replace it, do I need some special tools to adjust it. In my youth I worked on GTO's and the 389 is a little different; it just had a big bolt that need lots of torque. Is it safe to drive? What happens if it falls off? Will it cause internal engine damage of just screw up the belts?

Any help it greatly appreciated!!

Bob