Bruce: What John was referring to when he said that they had "walked" is that the outer ring and the inner ring on the harmonic balancer are coupled together with a rubber bond. After all these years, the rubber has (or will) deteriorated and the outer ring "Walks" around in relation to the inner ring that is bolted to the crank. To determine if the outer ring with the timing mark has "walked". Remove the number one spark plug and slowly turn the crank (with a wrench) until the piston is at the absolute top of the cylinder. This is best accomplished with what is known as a mechanical stop and a degree wheel on the crankshaft (or a dial indicator in the spark plug hole). When the piston is exactly at top dead center (TDC) the timing mark on the outer ring of the harmonic balancer should exactly line up with the zero mark on the pointer. John Mc Adams (In SoCal) -----Original Message----- From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bruce Naimy Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 10:17 AM To: 'John J. Hertog' Cc: zzChrysler 300 list Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] Timing Marks in general John and all, Should there not be a known relationship to the keyway on a harmonic balancer and the timing mark on the outer ring? I realize this would change from engine to engine, but if we had a guide for this situation we could avoid some frustrating moments. I have a 413 and a 440 in storage that I want to make run in the next year and this information if available would be most helpful as I'm sure it would be too many others. Thanks to any who might be able to supply this info. Bruce Naimy Walla Walla, WA -----Original Message----- From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John J. Hertog Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 10:13 AM To: Warren Anderson; Chrysler300; Matt Allyn Subject: [Chrysler300] Timing Marks in general Matt and all, A quick word re: harmonic balancers: do not trust the "reference" mark on yours - unless you have tested / calibrated it against TDC . I recently took "a pile" of used harmonic balancers I had accumulated over the years, when disassembling engines; and I checked them on an engine that was at TDC, on a stand. Out of about 10 balancers, only two were accurate to within 5 degrees . The others were all "out to lunch" - some by ten degrees, some by twenty degrees, some by a whole lot more. If your harmonic balancer is original and has not been rebuilt, there is more than a good chance that it's no longer accurate, and that the outer ring has "walked" . John Hertog Sag Harbor NY To send a message to this group, send an email to: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm Yahoo! Groups Links To send a message to this group, send an email to: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm Yahoo! Groups Links ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/8LmulB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To send a message to this group, send an email to: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Chrysler300-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/