So, I was having a trans and radiator flush done yesterday and noticed the balancer pulley on the crank was wobbling worse than a drunk hula girl. So, being that the car has 80k on it, it's a common issue with our G8's and I am getting ready to take a 25,000 ( not a misprint ) mile road trip this year with it, I figured I will replace the offending pulley with a Powerbond/SLP one (part #pbu1117-ss25) with new belts, bolt and such. I notice in reading posts that some do the front crank seal too. My questions are:
1. I think the part # is correct for a 2008 G8?
2. Crank seal? Yes? No? A big deal to replace? I have done the job on other motors, just not this one.
3. I will be in Phoenix, AZ and down in the Houston area in the next few weeks. Since I will be traveling and will have no tools, etc., does anyone have a recommendations for a reputable shop in either of those cities that can provide the pulley, other parts and do the install? If necessary, I can order the pulley, etc. to an address in Houston and have it installed at a shop there. I will also be in about 40 states this year, but prefer to get this done sooner than later.
4. I know the car is still within 100k powertrain warranty, but no sense in replacing junk with junk.
Any help will be appreciated. FYI, last year I took my G8 on a 23,000 mile road trip across 40 states from May till December. Coast to coast and gulf to Canada. It ran flawlessly.
Thanks in advance.