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Dang it, dang it, dang it!!!!! Harmonic balancer broken.

davesgmc

davesgmc

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Was doing some work on the deuce and happen to reach down and turn fan. Has quite a bit of play in it. Didn't think too much of it, but then after I thought about it all day long,,I better check that out. Put truck in gear, parking brake on, still has play. Crank engine over, still has play. Uh oh............
Go get boy, have him climb up on front wiggle fan back and forth, I climb ider, Lok through bell housing and no cramkshaft movement. Well,,,,dang it!
So I clear stuff from in front of shop, start her up and pull up to front if shop. Took about thirty minutes I had bumper off, radiator out and can stare right at balancer. The center bolt is actually loose. Git it off, took belts off, put a puller on balancer and I hear a part fall off as I pull it out.....broken balancer. Now I need a balancer and a front seal.
 

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cattlerepairman

cattlerepairman

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As the harmonic balancer gets old, the rubber hardens, it no longer absorbs/cushions energy pulses and knowledgeable people suspected (here on the forum) that this contributes to the "mysterious" crank shaft breakage that a few engines have been found to have. I have been thinking about replacing mine; if you find a source that has balancers that are relatively new production (as opposed to the same piece of rubber rock that is currently in there) please let us know!
 
davesgmc

davesgmc

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Got balancer on. New seal in. All back together. Surprised how smooth this thing runs now. Before at idle it would start to shake do bad I thought the steering wheel would fall off. Smooth as a new ford fusion now. Had to make a tool to press the balancer on. Putting the air compressor belt back on was the hardest part of the whole ordeal.
 
frank8003

frank8003

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Methinks that the harmonic balancer is an essential part of any engine and is almost always overlooked. Years ago I was reading all the posts of rods and things holing these multi-fuel engines and did research.
It is not just over revving an engine that failed the internals, it was the moment of imbalance exceeding specifications and not being damped as per design due to worn out balancers.
It is common and recommended to renew that part but does not get done to old military engines.
I wanted to write a definitive paper, essay, or treatise but I couldn't prove the link, so I didn't present the argument.
Still, those holed engines probably would not have occurred with an in-spec balancer.
 
V8srfun

V8srfun

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This thread brings a idea to mind. Being that there is no real supply of new dampers I wonder if the aftermarket would have interest in producing a upgraded damper. Fluidamper I believe will make custom setups but they can be a little costly.
 
JasonS

JasonS

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New dampers are still available for reasonable cost. There is a hand written note in one of my tractor manuals (using their version of the multifual) indicating that the damper is to be replaced if the camshaft breaks. It is very important for the entire rotating assembly.
 
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