After a few months vacation, I am finally back into working on my 1972 Cutlass 455. After the thrilling adventure of having the anti-freeze and oil mix together, replacing the timing gears, water pump, etc., I starting the thing up for the first time in almost a year. And to my great suprise, it started up on the first crank and ran like a champ, even better than it did before. After my happy dance, I started going over everything I had put together and noticed that my harmonic balancer seemed to be wobbling. I had some trouble taking it off, and putting it on, especally when I took a chip out of the face of it while over tightening the bolts. But after talking to all the knowlegable guys on here, I was assured it was ok. Now I have not driven it, or even tried to set the timing, but it idled VERY smoothly for over 10 mins. Could this "wobble" just be my imagination? Or maybe because of the chip I took out? When I put it back on, it seemed pretty fool proof....I say that now! The only other thing I can think of was when I was torquing it down. I believe it needs to be torqued to 80-100 fp, somthing like that, but my torque wrench didn't go up that high, so I just maxed it out, and let it go. If anybody has any advice, please help! I am itching to get this thing out on the road, but I don't want my balancer flying out from under my hood!

 

One of two problems. Either you don't have the balancer all the way on (in which case oil would probably be spewing from the front seal) or the balancer outer ring has come loose from the hub. If so, it's time for a new balancer.

 

And do you see the pulley moving or just the outer ring?