I have read all of the threads on 123 diesel harmonic balancer installation but I can not get it to line up correctly. I pulled the Mercedes 617 tech book out and they show the balancer geting put on first and then the dowel pins lined up and then the pins installed. Has anyone used emory cloth on the crankshaft and the inside of the balancer? This would make it move easy right?

can anyone help me on this? I am really frustrated

Exactly what issue are you having ? Are you using the original one that came off of it? Or a different one.
I have had these things wallow out the pins and mushroom the nose of the crank. I have always slid the balancer on and then tapped the pins in.

You REALLY need a professional's opinion on this procedure if you don't understand the FSM

(It Ain't your Fault,they translated the German into Farsi
and then had it cross-translated by Amazonian basin natives (who READ no
language AT ALL!) into Turkish so that Japanese telegraph operators could
use Morse Code to send the information to French ONLY literate scribes
writing the manual in Anglais for us.)

As fussy/finicky as the Crankshaft/Harmonic Balancer connection is
(and some of the Catastrophic end results from improper placement)
You want to do this "Right the First Time"!

I would not even Wave a piece of friction material at the area until it's O.K.ed
by a Mercedes Professional of some longstanding experience.

__________________
'84 300SD sold
124.128

I did the front main seal. The balancer is the original one. The balancer turns ever so slightly when you tighten the bolt to press it on dislocating the alignment holes. Then you can not get it to relocate even using a drift and hold the crankshaft in position. My thought was that you should be able to at least with a little force be able to rotate the balancer on the crankshaft to align the holes. I thought some emory cloth would work to help clean them but want to be sure.

I am consulting all of you pros

Do not use emory on it. It needs to be a tight fit. You might warm it up to 120 or so and see if it will slide on at that but I think that the one I did years ago I started it then inserted the dowels and just gently drifted it on till I could get the bolt and washer on. Save yourself a leaking seal and use Scotch bright on the seal surface to remove the polish so that it will seal. I learned that the hard way.

Good Luck
Robert

just as an update as I got to thinking about things...I got it figured out...If you ever have to do one of these harmonic balancers take some emory cloth to both surfaces, then lube both crank shaft and balancer. It will still be a tight fit but the difference is that you can work the balancer on with the bolt a little bit at a time and back off. If the balancer has moved you will be able to with a light drift action correct and position where you need the alignment at. Also I used white lithium greese on both sides of the three washers. This will reduce friction and the result will be that the balancer does not turn as much as you tighten the bolt. Pins went in no problem.

Good for you.