How long can you drive your car with a bad harmonic balancer?

Answer 1

That's an odd question, first who told you the harmonic balancer was bad? Balancers are mounted on the crankshaft at the factory, and it is actually just a weight attached to the end of the crankshaft to offest the firing of the pistons producing a smoother running motor. Harmonic balancers do not go bad, EVER, unless they are removed and damaged during engine repair (unlikely, very unlikely). They can be re-installed incorrectly after major engine repair, or simply left off due to negligence on some cars after major engine repair but I have never heard of a balancer going bad, as it is not a part that can actually fail.

Harmonic balancer is a fancy word for weight, however if it has been removed or severely damaged due to impact I would strongly suggest having it fixed immeadetly as the unbalance can actually warp the crankshaft at high speeds and destroy your engine. Hate to keep driving this point home but harmonic balancers do not go bad, you should seek out another mechanic to check out your car, if I were still a mechanic I would only have told someone that if I was trying to rip them off due to their lack of automotive knowledge, or get them away from my shop because they were annoying or a problematic customer. (sorry)

Answer 2

Not very long ! Change it or rebuild the motor depending if it's the crank shift bent or the balancer but school-bus has a 2 piece balancer that frequently go bad . Most cars would be a bent crankshaft take it off and start it and watch the shaft if it's wobbling then a balancer won't help you ....