Help om617 harmonic balancer slipped!
 

I was using a jack stand to hold my new A\C compressor in place while putting the bolts in place and the whole thing fell agianst the harmonic balancer and it moved it clock ways about a half inch. Engine runs but definitely louder the it was. How bad did I screw up?
85 300SD 333,320 miles.

It seems unlikely such an incident would be able to make the harmonic balancer slip since it is attached with metal parts. If the outer balancer slipped against the inner parts the rubber was already bad. I don't really know what I am talking about but it seems logical. I'd drive it and see if it vibrates. If it doesn't I'd not worry about it.

More noise seems like it might be you listening harder after the little slip.

Could the timing chain have slipped?

"Clock ways" (clockwise?) as viewed from the front of the crankshaft, or from the rear?

If the direction of rotation was as viewed from the front, then the unintended rotation was in the "normal" direction. If the dampener outer ring was not displaced fore & aft (no torn rubber), then, as t wal suggests, the noise is likely psychosomatic.

I can't imagine how the weight of the AC compressor could turn the crankshaft, or even cause the outer ring of the damper to rotate relative to the inner ring. If it did, the rubber was probably shot anyway. If so, I don't know if there are any marks to tell you the original clocking, so you could re-glue it w/ epoxy or such. Regardless, it wouldn't make any noise at idle unless it was hitting something.

I am dealing with a similar issue. I was pressing the damper on my 1984 300D and noticed too late that the screwdriver I jammed to keep the crank from rotating started contacting the edge of the damper as I pulled it in. It looks like the outer plate pulled out slightly. I will try pushing it back straight and securing w/ epoxy. If it totally separates, it will likely make a racket, but I have another from a spare engine. BTW, it is tricky installing one. The 2 round "keys" must align the slots perfectly. The first time, I noticed metal shearing from one, so had to file it down and try again (w/ mirror to view). The keys must be a softer metal than the crankshaft.

What do you mean by "louder"? Based on description I can't see where you have damaged anything.

Yes, looking at the car head-on it moved clockwise.

The tic tic tic of the engine was louder. After i finished up with the A/C I got in the car and started it up. The Tic was so loud i shut it down right away. when i checked under the hood I fully expected to see a broken belt flopping around. I check for loose bolts and nut and took an inventory of all tools. I stared it up and let it run and it did get quieter but its still louder than its ever been.

Are your belts all tight? A loose belt on a diesel can be very loud and can sound like a mechanical rattle.

Do _NOT_ drive the car or run the engine until you get this fixed. The balancer should not move under the conditions you describe. If the engine is run you will damage more parts and have more to fix.

Why not turn the engine over by hand and look for what is hitting? It is a pain getting a socket on the crank bolt, so I usually use the power steering pulley bolt. Some say not to do that, but I can't see what it would damage. If the outer damper ring comes completely loose, I can't see it damaging anything. It can't come off over the crank pulleys, so would probably just rattle around like a hula-hoop.