Crank Pulley
#1
10-15-2018 | 04:18 PM
Thread Starter
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1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 42
Likes: 3
From: Shuswap, BC
Crank Pulley
2003 MCS 6MT
136,000 Kms (~84,500 miles)
It's a basic daily commuter car, but I have a MCS instead of a Honda because the MCS is fun to drive. And sometimes I need to pass.
I haven't done any performance mods to the car - only fixing the maintenance things the PO couldn't be bothered with.
It seems like maybe my crank pulley is on the way out.
I believe that because:
136,000 Kms (~84,500 miles)
It's a basic daily commuter car, but I have a MCS instead of a Honda because the MCS is fun to drive. And sometimes I need to pass.
I haven't done any performance mods to the car - only fixing the maintenance things the PO couldn't be bothered with.
It seems like maybe my crank pulley is on the way out.
I believe that because:
(a) it's the original and they are known to fail
(b) I can ever so slightly sometimes get tiny whiffs of hot rubber after I park in the garage. (No.. "hot rubber" is not my girlfriend's stripper name, but maybe it should be)
I'm thinking it would be in my best interest to replace that (and the front seal) before I get any codes and am forced to do it in a hurry. I always prefer to do this kind of work when I have time, rather than when I have to so I can get to work.
So the questions are:
Solid or dampened - Pros / cons? I really have no idea about this...
Is an overdrive pulley worth it, or better to go with a smaller SC pulley? I could dig out a pencil and calculator, but experience trumps math.. when you hate math. IE - How does a 15% SC pulley compare to a 2% crank pulley?
(b) I can ever so slightly sometimes get tiny whiffs of hot rubber after I park in the garage. (No.. "hot rubber" is not my girlfriend's stripper name, but maybe it should be)
I'm thinking it would be in my best interest to replace that (and the front seal) before I get any codes and am forced to do it in a hurry. I always prefer to do this kind of work when I have time, rather than when I have to so I can get to work.
So the questions are:
Solid or dampened - Pros / cons? I really have no idea about this...
Is an overdrive pulley worth it, or better to go with a smaller SC pulley? I could dig out a pencil and calculator, but experience trumps math.. when you hate math. IE - How does a 15% SC pulley compare to a 2% crank pulley?
Last edited by Dannorth; 01-25-2019 at 10:06 AM. Reason: typo fix
#2
10-16-2018 | 05:12 PM
1st Gear
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 41
Likes: 2
From: Cincinnati
Hey Dannorth,
Just get the 2% ATI Superdamper and call it good. 1) Solid may cause vibrations that some say could cause harm over time, 2) A smaller supercharger pulley is very noticeable. The 2% crank is somewhat noticeable. No math or science, just my subjective impression having got the 15% pulley about 30,000 miles before the crank pulley gave out and was replaced with the ATI 2%.
Motor on!
Just get the 2% ATI Superdamper and call it good. 1) Solid may cause vibrations that some say could cause harm over time, 2) A smaller supercharger pulley is very noticeable. The 2% crank is somewhat noticeable. No math or science, just my subjective impression having got the 15% pulley about 30,000 miles before the crank pulley gave out and was replaced with the ATI 2%.
Motor on!
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Dannorth (10-17-2018)
#3
11-08-2018 | 11:47 AM
Thread Starter
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1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 42
Likes: 3
From: Shuswap, BC
Hey Dannorth,
Just get the 2% ATI Superdamper and call it good. 1) Solid may cause vibrations that some say could cause harm over time, 2) A smaller supercharger pulley is very noticeable. The 2% crank is somewhat noticeable. No math or science, just my subjective impression having got the 15% pulley about 30,000 miles before the crank pulley gave out and was replaced with the ATI 2%.
Motor on!
Just get the 2% ATI Superdamper and call it good. 1) Solid may cause vibrations that some say could cause harm over time, 2) A smaller supercharger pulley is very noticeable. The 2% crank is somewhat noticeable. No math or science, just my subjective impression having got the 15% pulley about 30,000 miles before the crank pulley gave out and was replaced with the ATI 2%.
Motor on!
2nd choice? Or a secret place to get pulley's cheap(er)?
#4
11-14-2018 | 08:25 AM
Get a lightweight aluminum pulley. I'm running a 0% Alta pulley (sorta wish I went 2% now) on a car with 117k miles that I plan to beat and keep forever. Yes the factory puller is a harmonic balancer, yes everyone will tell you that the engineers designed the car that way for a reason (but for some reason the same people have no issues installing power adders), yes you might be taking a mild risk. Almost any information you see shared related to this will be anecdotal, including my own:
I put around 100k miles on my VR6 with a lightweight aluminum pulley, ~80k on the street and ~20k on the track and it never caused an issue.
I've had a lightweight pulley on my 300zx for ~30k miles without issue.
It's your car, do what you want. Is the ATI pulley safer? Probably. Will I ever encounter a problem related to the pulley? Probably not. Was it worth it to me to put on a ~$90 pulley instead of a ~$300 pulley for something that would probably never cause an issue? Absolutely. I'd rather put my money into sticky tires or cam swaps.
I put around 100k miles on my VR6 with a lightweight aluminum pulley, ~80k on the street and ~20k on the track and it never caused an issue.
I've had a lightweight pulley on my 300zx for ~30k miles without issue.
It's your car, do what you want. Is the ATI pulley safer? Probably. Will I ever encounter a problem related to the pulley? Probably not. Was it worth it to me to put on a ~$90 pulley instead of a ~$300 pulley for something that would probably never cause an issue? Absolutely. I'd rather put my money into sticky tires or cam swaps.
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Dannorth (11-14-2018)
#5
11-14-2018 | 09:27 AM
6th Gear
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,113
Likes: 75
From: New Brunswick, CANADA
I got this as a replacement:
I'm in Canada too and found the cost of the ATI too rich for my blood. Haven't installed it yet: it's on my to-do list over the winter while my MINI is in storage.
I'm in Canada too and found the cost of the ATI too rich for my blood. Haven't installed it yet: it's on my to-do list over the winter while my MINI is in storage.
The following users liked this post:
Dannorth (11-14-2018)
#6
01-25-2019 | 10:05 AM
Thread Starter
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1st Gear
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 42
Likes: 3
From: Shuswap, BC
Well, I broke down and bought the 2% ATI Superdamper. Sure wasn't cheap, but I felt good about it for the prospective performance boost and peace of mind.
Then, once I had the car on the jacks, the wheel off and the liner out, I learned something: There is more than one kind of stock damper on these cars.
Naturally that wasn't the first thing that came to mind when I saw it; my first thought, given the rest of the experiences I've had with this car, was "Oh crap.. the previous owner probably replaced the original engine with a non-S block". But that didn't make sense because if he had, I'd have likely melted a piston or something by now with the combo of "high" compression plus boost on an otherwise stock system.
Nope, just turns out there is an early and a late pulley. And it seems the early one isn't prone to the problem of the late one. Mine was (is) 100% A-OK. Changed it anyway - wasn't like I was going to return the new one.
So for those curious - New 2% OD pulley fit perfectly. Used the old belt because it was still pretty much new, and it also fit perfectly. Early pulley has an itty-bitty bolt circle, and required M6x1 bolts for your balancer puller. I do believe there is a noticeable increase in power, but it's not a huge difference. As a passenger you probably wouldn't notice.
So to anyone with a bad late pulley, this early pulley is probably a good candidate for replacement if you don't want to shell out big money for a fancy one.
Then, once I had the car on the jacks, the wheel off and the liner out, I learned something: There is more than one kind of stock damper on these cars.
Naturally that wasn't the first thing that came to mind when I saw it; my first thought, given the rest of the experiences I've had with this car, was "Oh crap.. the previous owner probably replaced the original engine with a non-S block". But that didn't make sense because if he had, I'd have likely melted a piston or something by now with the combo of "high" compression plus boost on an otherwise stock system.
Nope, just turns out there is an early and a late pulley. And it seems the early one isn't prone to the problem of the late one. Mine was (is) 100% A-OK. Changed it anyway - wasn't like I was going to return the new one.
So for those curious - New 2% OD pulley fit perfectly. Used the old belt because it was still pretty much new, and it also fit perfectly. Early pulley has an itty-bitty bolt circle, and required M6x1 bolts for your balancer puller. I do believe there is a noticeable increase in power, but it's not a huge difference. As a passenger you probably wouldn't notice.
So to anyone with a bad late pulley, this early pulley is probably a good candidate for replacement if you don't want to shell out big money for a fancy one.
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