i pulled my gsr's crank pulley off the car to do the water pump and timing belt over the weekend. its done for, it is so covered in rust, there is a chunk missing, and the rubber is all dry rotted. i cannot afford a brand new oem and i've had my eye on a few on ebay but they aren't that much better than what i got. i've always been hesitant to go aftermarket, especially lightweight, with the crank pulley. anyone have good luck with an aftermarket unit? i'll need to get something figured out before this upcoming weekend.

 

Crank pulley or damper?

 

crankshaft pulley, harmonic balancer, i've seen it called so many different things.

 

for reference, this is basically what mine looks like lol

94 01 Acura Integra GSR Crank Pulley Harmonic Balancer Engine Motor Vtec | eBay

 

Have you checked the local junkyards? They might have one pretty cheap.

 

there is only a handful of junkyards around me, they almost never have integras. and if they do, they are so trashed its not even worth looking at. usually due to rust

 

Dont go after market stay away from them unless its a balanced race engine or modified engine that needs extra damping, research what the crank pulley benefits are. Just search for any B series pulley in good condition. I see them for sale all the time around $40.

 

i seen that gsr and b18b have a different part number. why the difference between the two?

 

I'd imagine that some of the accessory drive pulleys are a bit smaller because the B18C revs higher.

 

Stick with an OEM crank pulley. The LS and GSR pullies are the same except for the size of the AC ring. I believe the solution is to run an LS AC belt?

 

A different sized belt won't change the speed, you'd need a larger AC pulley to match the increase in crank pulley size.

If I were OP, I'd build a DIY electrolytic rust removal setup out of a 5 gallon bucket, toss the pulley in there to clean it up, and use it as is until I could afford a new OEM one.

 

I found locally someone selling one that is in WAY better shape than mine. or at least it looks like it, i'm going to check it out tomorrow.

 

You really don't want to change your sizes if you can help it! Now there are tons of cheap aluminum pulleys available. Personally if you go this route id recommend looking for the highest quality! Now keep in mind, people do recommend having them balanced. However I have yet to find PROOF that these aftermarket pulleys can cause damage, inbalance, or other "harmonic" problems. From what I can tell, the rubber damper, is actually there for NOISE rather than "harmonics" in the engine. I had the same problem with my crank pulley, but fortunately had another engine to pull the crank off of. Bolted right up, no balance necessary. Some people believe if you go aluminum crank pulley, you should go lightweight flywheel, but again, no proof exists that this can cause a problem. Make sure you tighten your pulley properly! I believe on my car, its tighten to 130 ft lbs, loosen, then tighten to 140 ft lbs (dont quote me on that!) Either way its a 3 step process. Oil the threads (LIGHTLY) don't get any oil on the washer, and if you dont want to lose the "key" put a little silicone on it to keep it in place. This is a pulley I was looking at for my car. Maybe it will give you an idea of what you spend even if you go cheap! http://www.ebay.com/itm/261498460796?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT