[thejevans]

This warning has to do with installer error and has no bearing on the quality of any pulleys.

With removing the crank pulley, you will find this little nugget of fun. This piece is what actually seals on the front case of the engine. The crank pulley simply bolts to the face where that o-ring keeps oil from protruding out the crank bolt hole. This piece also is what drives the oil pump.

The above quote is from the Perrin blog. The part shown in the picture may come out slightly when you remove your crank pulley. If it does, it can be quite challenging to put back. It took me a little over a hour just to get it seated right. There is a keyway on the back side of it that links to a key on the oil pump. There is very little play in this connection. They must line up perfectly, or the part will not seat correctly. Pay close attention to this piece; it should be flush with the crank case. If it does not seat correctly, there will be a wobble in your crank pulley, and you may get oil leaking out. Look at it while it's idling. Is it wobbling? Cut the engine off and fix it. Don't end up a horror story.

ALWAYS CHECK YOUR WORK BEFORE TEST DRIVING.

Here, @Gopherboy6956 explains the process and the problems, in detail. I'd like to give a huge shoutout to him for great pictures, and even a video!

Originally Posted by Gopherboy6956

So - check this - I just took off my pulley today, armed with my new O-Ring. Of course, the crankshaft pulley spacer (as it's actually called) came out. I sat there for what felt like forever trying to get it back in. I eventually gave up when the cold got me (~15f).

Now, what I think may be complicating this is there is really TWO parts of this that come into play here... One is that stupid key, and the second is a moveable ring on the inside of the crank tunnel.

See photos -

In this image, you can clearly see the key on the end of the crankshaft. (red arrow)
The Yellow call-outs and arrows point to the two side keys, WHICH are on a ring that rotates freely. So, you need to have both those items lined up to get it back in.



This is the backside of the crankshaft pulley spacer




So, If you only get it seated with the outside ring, it won't slide in flush as seen in this DIY:


Also - take note, as Perrin says if you don't get it flush in there, the pulley will wobble. When i put it back in this time after changing the o-ring, I did not have it flush and it did wobble for a few seconds.

Now, I'm not sure if this is going to be an issue for me yet, but it seems it could be easy to damage the spacer and/or crankshaft key.

This is what my spacer currently looks like which has me a bit concerned:

It looks like a bit was sheared off when the engine started and the pulley was wobbling.



And a closer look at my crankshaft might show a little damage too



This makes me a bit nervous - but I'm going to order a new spacer and maybe play with it some more before I do anything drastic.

So - Let this be a strong warning to all - MAKE SURE YOU GET THE SPACER FLUSH before you start the engine.

Originally Posted by Gopherboy6956

OK!

6 hours, a sore back, lots of curse words, loss of hope, and a 15F degree garage, I got it!

I was so frustrated, and actually just gave up. I was going to get the BRZ towed to the dealership tomorrow and bite the bullet. I figured they may take pity on me, so I went about putting both the intake and pulley back to stock.

I took the stock pulley, put the new o-ring in place, attached it to the Crankshaft pulley spacer, lined it up as close as I possibly could to where I knew the key was (I used a mirror and light to better see inside) and gave her hell.

Just as with the Perrin Pulley, it went in, but not all the way. So, i decided i'd bolt it down anyways, got it to 94ft/lbs, and started to put the stock intake back on.

After that, i gave it one more cautious start, and to my *fucking* surprise, it ran WITH NO WOBBLE, absolutely perfect.

So, I cursed with joy and sorrow for time spent, and decided to take one more shot at the Perrin pulley, now that I knew the spacer was seated correctly.

So, here is the part, that should be included in the DIY to keep that spacer seated:

When removing the stock pulley, wedge a socket extension (or two) into the bolt hole to keep pressure on the spacer in place. It would be much easier with a friend, but it's possible to keep pressure on the socket extension and pull off the stock pulley at the same time. I can take a shot of this just to make it easy to see tomorrow.

It worked like a charm, and here is my spacer completely in place.





And a reminder of when it is NOT in place:



Also, here is a quick clip of my Perrin Pulley after this project:

Hope this info helps someone.