woodruff key

[ted88]

I recently bought an 88 festiva from a buddy and he told me I need to replace the woodruff key on the harmonic balancer, is this an easy task? can it be done with basic tools or will I need special stuff? I get new tags and plates for it this weekend and if possible would like to have it fixed. any help would be much appreciated.

[jbibb1]

It's not too bad a job but if you're going to go that far might as well replace the normal stuff, water pump, timing belt and front main seal. It may sound like a lot but it's just cheap insurance imo

[htchbck]

I'm curious as to the symptoms the car is showing that makes him suspect the woodruff key? Also, an 88 festiva (assuming the motor and pulleys are stock) does not have a harmonic balancer. The woodruff key is what locks the lower timing cog in place on the crankshaft. But, as jbibb said, its not too terrible of a job if you know your way around cars a bit. And it usually doesn't require any special tools, unless something is really messed up with the crank and cog.

[Festy46]

The Festiva crank doesn't use a woodruff key. A woodruff key looks like a fat coin that has been cut in half like half of a circle. The Festiva uses a piece of square key stock and tapered to make a dull point on one end.

[htchbck]

^^ True dat. I should have gotten more technical with my reply lol. At any rate, what makes your buddy suspect the key has gone bad?

[rmoltis]

Probably cause someone else told him so. J/k
Or at least that's what people usually tell me when I ask what's wrong with their car.
Someone told me that...
My mechanic says it might be...
Grandma said that...

I've never even heard of a woodruff key.
I should look it up.

[Flyin4stroke]

My b6t woodruff key wallerd out. It's not a good site. Makes the engine sound like it has a horrible tick. wrapped a mountain dew can around it till I could find another. Not b3 related.

[htchbck]

^^ Even the B3s can have crank nose failure. Just not as common as the engines with more power that get beat on harder. Wait until the Dickmeyer B3 performance stuff has been around for a couple of year, you will hear about a lot more B3 crank nose failures I think

[1990new]

Take a look at this for my experience with this issue:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/festiva/photos/album/971578798/pic/list

[ted88]

^^ True dat. I should have gotten more technical with my reply lol. At any rate, what makes your buddy suspect the key has gone bad?

he said the balancer wabbles a little.

[Movin]

Bolts that hold the pulley might be cracking the pulley, maybe the pulley is just bent a little? If the timing belt sprocket is loose you should replace that part and make sure the new(er) one fits tight. The key can be replaced if worn as well. Probably just a bent pulley.

[ted88]

Bolts that hold the pulley might be cracking the pulley, maybe the pulley is just bent a little? If the timing belt sprocket is loose you should replace that part and make sure the new(er) one fits tight. The key can be replaced if worn as well. Probably just a bent pulley.

thanks ill check that too.

[1990new]

Sorry about the Yahoo Festiva link. It was a link to photos of the crank snout and key failure and only members can see photos.

[ted88]

so looking closer at it I noticed that the timing cover was missing a bolt and the cover was also warped and the water pump pulley was digging into it, I removed the cover and started it up and the crank pulley no longer wobbled? cool right but I now have no top half of the timing cover. that was an easy fix

[MiltonHavoc]

How do you pull the timing cog out of a b3. In the yard I just cut the belt and yanked the cog. Is there a more gentle way?


Found a woodruff key on a 92 in the yard.
My crank pulley just recently backed itself out and the part that goes after the timing cog came off. Went to the yard to get a non AC pulley. It had a genuine woodruff. However, my Festiva had the square.
Out of curiosity: will the aspire crank stuff fit the festiva? i.e crank pully ,crank pulley bolt , timing cog?