What direction does the nut need to turn to remove the harmonic balancer?

Question

on my 1996 Dodge Ram P/U 5.9L engine.?

Answer 1

Chances are it will come off the opposite way of the revolution of the engine.
Ie: If it goes clockwise...take it off counter clockwise :-0

Answer 2

I have worked on jet engines, piston aircraft engines, automobile engines as well as a wide assortment of small engines and electric motors. I have developed a philosophy about the situation in which you have found yourself. While it may not be 100% guaranteed I can only recall two occasions when it failed me. It applies to any rotating mass held on with a single (that's important) center bolt. If it has multiple bolts the standard "right to tight, left to loose" applies. The masses I am speaking of include such things as rotary lawn mower blades, harmonic balancers, fans that screw onto the water pump shafts, flywheel magnetos and anything else that fits the general description.

It goes like this. First establish the direction the rotating mass turns when the engine is operating normally. Then turn the center bolt in that direction to loosen it. You must prevent the mass from turning or loosen it with impacts but the system works almost every time. The theory behind this conclusion is that the rotation of the mass and driving shaft will tend to tighten the bolt/nut when it is threaded as I described. If it is threaded the other way, the rotation tends to loosen the fastener.

Like I said, I have only had it fail me twice. BTW I started tinkering when I was about 12 or 13 and will be 59 in February. It has worked, literally, hundreds of times.

Good luck on your project. You do know you will need a quality puller even after the bolt is removed. That, too, is about 99.97% assured. If you are apprehensive about this theory, drop by your library and have a look at a Motors Manual, a Chilton’s or a Haynes for your particular vehicle. Any should have a section on removing the harmonic balancer. It will give you a heads-up on any nonstandard procedures. That would include left-handed threads on any bolts or nuts.

Answer 3

I agree with gimpalong.

Anyone who has assembled a portable fan out of the box knows that the locking nut screws on in an opposite direction to the rotation of the blades. It is basic Newtonian physics.

The rotational mass of the object would tend to "unscrew" the fastener if the fastener was not in opposition.

Answer 4

in the same direction the engine turns in when ruining

Answer 5

righty tighty lefty losey

Answer 6

CCW