OUCH!!! NEVER WHANG A HARMONIC BALANCER!!!!!

A harmonic balancer should not need whanging with a hammer/chunk of wood! Ever!! They are made of two pieces of forged iron or steel, depending on the make. These two pieces of metal are bonded together with an elastometric rubber like compound that is used to dampen internal engine vibrations which are caused each time a spark plug fires and ignites the fuel charge. It also helps dampen any imbalance in the engine from itself through the fly wheel or flex plate. Whanging with a hammer can damage, first of aall break the bond between the two pieces of metal, then the the thrust bearing - you have only about .001 to .002 clearance there, and with a new or rebuilt engine, little or no oil film to withstand heavy axial blows and can possibly chip ir otherwise damage the bearing surface.

The first thing to do before installing a harmonic damper is to make sure you have a clean snout, no raised metal from an inadvertent ding on the end. If you do, dress it with a fine file then strop it with some long strips of 220 then 400 wet and dry paper and some lubricant to remove any file marks. Once it is clean and smooth, a bit of anti sieze will help, though a thin film of oil will work as well. The balancer - you need to check the bore - as it too may have a ding that needs to be cleaned and the engine end radiused just a wee bit - that sharp edge may be digging in to the surface of the snout and causing your problem. That 220/400 grit here will help as well.

But, please don't whang a harmonic balancer with a hammer