2002 4R Crankshaft Pulley Issues (maybe balancer?)

[Gen3mrd]

Hello,
I'm not much of a car guy and know very little, but have enjoyed this forum for information and ideas.

Today my 2002 was making banging / grinding noises as it warmed up. I looked and saw the fan was hitting something and stopped the engine. I was able to pull this piece from what I have learned is the crankshaft pulley, but not sure if it is the pulley itself or the balancer or what. I drove the car around the block and it seems fine, but i don't think I ever went of 20 MPH. I don't feel an bolts for the two holes and this was loose inside the pulley, i.e. it wasn't a snug fit from the outside either, there was enough room for it to pitch forward and hit the fan.





How bad is this? I had a tune-up and timing belt changed about 6 months back and have had no issues. But wanted some unbiassed opinions before bringing her in.

Thanks,
Mike

2002 4Runner SR5
86,500mi

 

[MOYotas]

Time for a new harmonic balancer (crank shaft pulley).

 

[LittleCaesar]

Hi Mike,

Not to be the bearer of bad news but you will need a new or used harmonic balancer (dampener), a keyway and most likely a new crank bolt. My guess is time and weather has gotten to the old one or insufficient torque to the crank bolt.

A read:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/90239-harmonic-balancer-broke.html

 

[TheDurk]

Hello,
I'm not much of a car guy and know very little, but have enjoyed this forum for information and ideas.

Today my 2002 was making banging / grinding noises as it warmed up. I looked and saw the fan was hitting something and stopped the engine. I was able to pull this piece from what I have learned is the crankshaft pulley, but not sure if it is the pulley itself or the balancer or what. I drove the car around the block and it seems fine, but i don't think I ever went of 20 MPH. I don't feel an bolts for the two holes and this was loose inside the pulley, i.e. it wasn't a snug fit from the outside either, there was enough room for it to pitch forward and hit the fan.

View attachment 280083

View attachment 280084

How bad is this? I had a tune-up and timing belt changed about 6 months back and have had no issues. But wanted some unbiassed opinions before bringing her in.

Thanks,
Mike

2002 4Runner SR5
86,500mi

Bolded is a red flag here. Something killed that HB, mileage is not enough for it to wear out. I have 180k on mine. Another vote for insufficient crank bolt torque. You could have a damaged crank nose or at least a wallowed out keyway, which is not good.

I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Gen3mrd]

Thanks for the feedback, doesn't sound good at all and from the other thread referenced it sounds like the work I had done for the timing belt was done incorrectly. I can't say that with any certainty ofcourse, but I would figure if this was normal wear and tear they would have caught it when doing the timing belt. It has just snowed and I've been using the 4WD quite a bit, but the amount of play this had leads me to believe it's been an issue for a while and I didn't notice until the fan started hitting it.

I'm surprised this didn't manifest itself somehow prior to the failure. The car seemed to be driving great after the tune-up and timing belt change. Had the muffler done about a year ago and the rear bearings when I had the timing belt done, so it's been the quietest it's ever been.

I'm reluctant to bring it back to where I had the work done, even if they take some responsibility and agree to fix it, do I really want the same folks working on my truck again???

Terrified of bringing her into the dealer for anything, but sounds like maybe that would be best for this particular issue, thoughts?

Also, is it accurate to say that wherever I bring it I should have it towed?

Thanks again for all the help, I appreciate it.

Mike

P.S. - Just read TheDurks "Frame Swap" thread, quite a piece of work, kudos!

 

[nissanh]

The best is to take it back to the guy who fixed it and KEEPING an eye on what he is doing. Since you spent close to a year in this forum, I am sure you are aware of trucks, especially 5vzfe engines. Call and tell them what happened. See what they say. If the crank thread is damaged, you want them to correct it as it can cost a lot if a simple fix is not going to work.

 

[amalik]

I have a question. Are you still in warranty on the repair from 6 months back?

 

[Gen3mrd]

Re: warranty. I don't know, not sure if the place I brought it to has a standard warranty for service, but I paid 8/21 so if they do and it's < 6 month I suppose so. Just a little wary of bringing it back, it's a place that has been around for decades and has a really good reputation, but not really sure what to say to these guys.

Do I expect them to fix all of this for free and fess up to being an issue with the service?

I'll call on Tuesday and see what they say, I guess this is going to cost me either way but if I go back to the original place maybe it will be cheaper? I'd rather just know it was right, but bringing it back to the dealer doesn't guarantee that either.

 

[alumarine]

To answer your other question.
Don't drive it.