H. Balancer vs Crankshaft

[LSUMurse]

So, I went to adjust the timing on the truck and noticed the harmonic balancer wobbles. If your looking down at it to adjust the timing it wobbles back and forth left to right about an 1/8" (closer to and further away from the block). The truck idles OK. It's certainly not the smoothest idling vehicle I have ever been in (hence the timing adjustment) but it's also not the roughest. I asked the PO about it and he said he noticed it and his puller couldn't get it off. He said it didn't seem to be causing any issues, so he left it alone.

Here are my questions:
1) Is the cause more likely the balancer or the crankshaft or will it just be a guess until I pull the balancer and replace it? (It worries me that the crank might be bent or something since he couldn't get it off.)

2) Assuming I can get the balancer off, if it's not obvious the crank is bent or the balancer is twisted, is there any way to tell? (I'm guessing trying to run the engine without the balancer is a bad idea.)

3) If the crank is bent, is it worth it to go through the hassle to replace it or should I just get my hands on a donor 350 and rebuild it? (I currently have a stock 307 which the PO said the heads had recently been rebuilt due to a burnt valve on #4.)

[cdowns]

for a few years there were problems with those 307 engines doing that// i had two that the crank was worn to cause that wobbeling// one i fixed with a kit from the autoparts store it was a sleeve to go over the worn down part of the crank , dont know how it was for the longterm as i dunped that motor in a short time


today i'd just look at a build or replacement for that problem

[hjewell2]

Sounds like crankshaft end play. The sleeve kit is for the H/B that gets groved from the seal wear. But I could be wrong.

[cdowns]

back 30years ago there was a kit for the balancer problem because all the factory problems// doubt it still available tho

[yuccales]

That balancer might be getting ready to come apart, or someone may have used a puller on the OD of the balancer and broke the bonding of the two pieces.

[crazy longhorn]

I would doubt that you have issues with the crankshaft....I would swap the balancer, & see how it goes....crazyL

[Gumby]

could of not been put on all the way right the last time.