98 4.3l rebuild The harmonic balancer will not go completely on. What might cause this? The timing gear went on with little effort.

 

I had to rent the puller/installer kit from Advanced Auto. I couldn't get mine on all the way either. Tapping it with a rubber mallet didn't work, plus I was risking hitting the radiator.

I rented the kit which is free (just put a deposit in) and it worked like a champ.

 

Yes, I did use to much force in my attempts to get the damn thing on with the tool. Now the tool is broken in the crank shaft. Does anyone know if the crank size changed from year to year?

 

That is bad news. I would remove the front end and see if I could use a nail punch to tap the broken bolt in reverse. If that didn't work, I'd drill it out. Replacing the crank is a serious undertaking. It's worth giving these other things a try first.

For future reference I think there is a torque spec for a balancer installer. I wouldn't imagine it would be much over 70 ft. lbs, which I think is the spec on the crank bolt itself. Also the shop manual mentions it's a good idea to grease the crank when installing the balancer.

Additionally, if you put enough torque on that to snap the installer bolt, if you get it off you may want to consider the $50 bucks for a new balancer.