What does a Fluidampr do?
Fluidampr is a torsional vibration damper. Its function is to provide durability by controlling destructive torsional vibration. A side benefit to vibration control is releasing lost torque and horsepower through greater efficiency. The outer housing mounts to the crankshaft.
What does a performance harmonic balancer do?
The function of the harmonic balancer is to reduce the amplitude of the torsional vibration peaks to an acceptable level. Most OEM harmonic dampers are not designed to cope with the rpm and BHP levels experienced in competition. That is why racers must consider a high-performance damper that is fit for purpose.
What is the difference between a harmonic balancer and a damper?
A harmonic balancer (sometimes called crankshaft damper, torsional damper, or vibration damper) is the same thing as a harmonic damper except that the balancer includes a counterweight to externally balance the rotating assembly.
How long does a fluid damper last?
That’s why regular viscous damper replacement in heavy-duty applications is critical to longer engine life. While recommended replacement intervals vary depending on engine manufacturer, the average is about 500,000 miles / 15,000 hours or at major overhauls and in-frame rebuilds.
What will a bad harmonic balancer do?
If the harmonic balancer gets too old or fails and can no longer properly absorb the harmonic vibrations, the engine will shake excessively. The shaking will become even more pronounced, and therefore dangerous to the engine at high speeds.
Can a car run without a harmonic balancer?
And because the belts that go around the crankshaft pulley run all of the car’s accessories, without the harmonic balancer you’d have no air conditioning, no power steering, no alternator and no water pump. And without it, you can do damage to the crankshaft and the engine bearings.
How do I know what harmonic balancer I need?
Start your engine and check the harmonic balancer to see if it wobbles while the engine is running. Take a flashlight and shine it directly onto the balancer to see if it goes in and out while rotating. If it wobbles, the harmonic balancer is bad. Turn off the ignition.
Can you run an engine without harmonic balancer?
How do you replace harmonic balancer?
Remove the hood, drain and remove the radiator, remove the belts, loosen the bolt into the balancer, replace part way, hook up a harmonic balance puller, tighten until balancer come free, remove puller, remove HB bolt, remove balancer. Check seals before replacing, if damaged, replace, check keyway, replace woodruff key if needed.
Is the harmonic balancer considered part of the engine?
The harmonic balancer is an engine component found on virtually all rotating internal combustion engines and plays an important role in protecting the engine from dangerous harmonic vibrations and potential damage.
What does a harmonic balancer do?
The crankshaft harmonic balancer is a device connected to the front of an engine’s crankshaft, usually built into the crankshaft pulley. Its purpose is to absorb and reduce harmonic vibrations from the engine as the crankshaft rotates, as harmonic vibrations at high engine speeds can cause accelerated wear and damage to the components.
How do I remove harmonic balancer?
Insert one bolt through each corner of the puller and into the balancer. Tighten each bolt with a wrench. Remove the harmonic balancer. To remove the balancer, turn the threaded rod which runs through the center of the puller in a clockwise direction with a wrench.