How am I to line up the "timing tab" on my harmonic balancer?

Tiny
RELKEM
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  • 1997 FORD PROBE
I am replacing my harmonic balancer, and on the old one, there was a thin metal gear that presses into the back of the pulley, this is for the timing sensor (I believe it is called the timing tab). When I bought the new harmonic balancer, it did NOT come with the timing tab, so I am simply putting the old tab on the new balancer.
The timing tab looks like a bicycle gear, just with one tooth missing (I'm guessing this is to tell that it's made a full rotation), also, opposite the missing tooth is a manufactured hole in the metal (I'm guessing for a timing mark)
So my question is this: what position am I to install the timing tab on the new harmonic balancer? Should I line up the manufactured hole in the tab with the TDC notch on the balancer? Or should I align it a few degrees off?
If you do not know the answer, could you please give me a distinct resource for me to find the answer? Thanks for your time.
Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 AT 10:42 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
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I think you have the incorrect balancer. It should have te ring pressed on the balancer.

Have the parts house re check your part

Roy
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Thursday, August 9th, 2012 AT 12:13 AM
Tiny
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No, there's an o-ring in the balancer, but that's not what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the metal gear that's leaning on the pulley in the picture above. Everywhere that's I've shopped online just sells a pulley, no "mysterious gear".
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Thursday, August 9th, 2012 AT 12:17 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
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It is the toner ring for the crank sensor.
Roy
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Thursday, August 9th, 2012 AT 12:19 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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I agree that the ring should come together with the pulley. I have checked through our database, Ford and Mazda and could not find any reference to the installation for this.

At TDC, the missing tooth should be where the crank sensor is.

You mentioned setting it off by a few degrees, why did you ask this?
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Thursday, August 9th, 2012 AT 6:27 AM
Tiny
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KHLOW, I asked about setting it a few degrees off because while I've been looking for the answer to this question all over the internet, I've found a couple forums talking about offsetting a "timing tab" by a couple degrees. However, this was to a different car, and I'm not even sure that they were talking about the same part.
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Thursday, August 9th, 2012 AT 1:34 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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Ignition timing is computer controlled so I don't think there is any necessity to do that. What you need to do is to get the gear correct so that the sensor can tell the engine computer where TDC is.
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Thursday, August 9th, 2012 AT 2:23 PM

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