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Harmonic Balancer


bernardi

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How critical is the balance of the harmonic balancer? It is my understanding that its primary purpose is to damp vibration or smooth the power impulses to the stuff driven off the crank up front.

I raise the question as it may be necessary to use the balancer from one engine on another. If the balance is critical, how can a shade tree mechanic handle it? There are a couple of good sized holes drilled into the circumference of the meaty part.

If new pistons and rings are installed, would the harmonic balancer be affected?

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Guest imported_PackardV8

Go ahead and use one from another engine. They are not difficult to change. The main purpose of the balancer is more shock absorber than balancer. It dampens the torsional wind up of the crank.

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Guest Albert

You have to think of the crankshaft not as a sold piece of steel but as a rubber band the twists and untwists with each power stroke, the harmonic balancer dampens this effect, the holes that are drilled in the outer edge of the balancer is for the static balance of the balancer, like wheel weights on the rims.

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Thank you, one and all. This is a wonderful place to learn. I'll not worry about swapping from one engine to another.

The drilled holes in the circumference are so big it didn't seem logical that they could be only for static balance. I should have hung it from a wire on the centerline of the bolt hole and observed if it hung level.

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Guest Randy Berger

As an aside to the harmonic balancer question (which everyone got right), my rubber disintegrated and I checked Steele's pri¢e and felt ill. I got the job done at under $100.00 by the Damper Doc (Dude?) in Redding, Calif. It has been installed for several years now with no problem. I was tempted to have it drilled and tapped so it could be pulled by a regular damper puller. I used a homemade one made out of angle iron.

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