So yeah.... I have been stuck at the tail end of the head gasket job on my 97 B2300. I have been working every day, so I haven't been able to get to this until today. The harmonic balancer seems to be stuck and I can't get it off. Regular 3 jaw pullers won't work (tried 4, rented one from the parts store that didn't work either) and tapping it from the back side while rotating the engine isn't helping either. The pullers keep slipping off because the of the pulley's front ridge being slightly larger in diameter than the rest of the balancer.

Is there some kind of special puller that I don't know about? I don't want to be too rough with it as it seems no one carries this particular balancer if I happen to break it.

Side question..... I was told that the crank/cam seals will also work on the oil pump as they are the same size. True? I happen to have 3 seals and wouldn't mind changing the oil pump seal as a precaution. (note this is a later 2.3 with a timing belt driven oil pump)

 

With PB Blaster and lots and lots and lots and lots of careful tapping on the backside, it finally came off. And I know why it was so hard... it's never been removed. The timing belt appears to be original as well as the tensioner! The belt's teeth were very worn compared to the new one and it had tons of cracks.

After a quick cleanup of the balancer's center hole, it should go on and come off just fine the next time. I'm gonna use a thin layer of anti-seize on it.

 

I like the anti-seize idea.