FLUIDDAMPERS GOOD OR BAD

[nevdos]

Just wondering what some of you more experienced engine builders think of fluidampers? ive got one on small block 355, sees 7000 regularly. just wondering ,cause i hear lotsa bad about them , and then others have run them for years with no complaints. any input greatly appreciated.
thanks all

[andyf]

I've used them for years without any problems. GM Performance has used them on crate motors and carries them in their catalog so that tells you that the engineers there have some confidence in them. Mopar Performance also sells them.

[melsie68]

Had one on a crank that broke. I should say it wasn't a total failure. Just had violent shaking and vibration. Took the crank out and threw it in the shed. A couple years later I was going to use it in a truck motor and when they fluxed it, they saw it was cracked. I was pushing the limits of the crank but who knows- there are so many variables. It was a 3.48o stroke in a 360cid SBC regularly turning 7500. It ran a long time before the trouble. I know guys that have used them for years as well without troubles.

On another note: it is to my limited knowledge that Nascar teams use mainly ATI dampers. It is hard not to do what they do...

[jacksoni]

look here.always good idea do a search. most things hve been commented on before.

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... hlight=ati

[nevdos]

i guess im wondering if anyone here can directly attribute a direct failure to the balancer in any way?

[bigjoe1]

I took a 2500 dollar L A Billet crank out of the box, there was a bright yellow paper in there with it. It said " under NO circumstances should a fluid type balancer be used with the crankshaft". I have NEVER used one since. Enough said. JOE SHERMAN RACING

[modifiedracer]

When I was talking to Scat about there cranks. They told me not to put a fluid dampners on there crank. I know alot of guys use them.

[JuicedBu]

What ATI Superdampers made out of? They aren't filled with fluid right?

[EngineTech1]

ATI is the way to go if you are serious. They use elastomer rings that you can get with different durometer ratings depending on the application. They can also be rebuilt. Go to a NHRA event sometime and look what kind of dampers you see on the high end cars.

[highVE]

Fluid dampners blow A$$!!

Don't use them!! If their not in a controlled envirement, and they get cold, the fluid will crystalize and reak havack on the motor. I wouldn't pay $5 for one. Use an ATI and never think twice!

Mike Theroux
www.mikesportingservice.com

[Robert Kane]

Fluid dampners blow A$$!!

Mike, could you be a little more emphatic in making your point please? Lol.
I have primarily used ATI damper, but in a few engines where the customer supplied it have used a Fluidamper, and in one instance did have a cold weather vibration, and some premature front main wear. I didn't flux the crank because it wasn't being reused. I also recently read the disclaimer with a new crank regarding dampers. If I am not mistaken, I believe Reher-Morrison recommend using an ATI balance.

Robert

[nevdos]

i have a pro race sfi all steel balancer for a 400/350 with removable counterweight(unbolts out of center) if i remove this is there any any problem with those to anyones knowledge?thanks

[Barbapapa]

When I was talking to Scat about there cranks. They told me not to put a fluid dampners on there crank. I know alot of guys use them.

Moldex also recommends against fluid dampers. I wonder what these crank manufacturers have seen?

[RW TECH]

Copy/pasted from my earlier post:

Ford FRT (aka SVO or Motorsport) has a 3-bolt damper that comes with a removable weight. It's a decent piece and cost is fair.

Ford may have more offerings than the one I'm suggesting, but the one I have in mind is the P/N M-6316-C351. A few years ago I was able to participate in damper testing at Ford, and this piece performed well.

I've had a couple of these in a severe application for longer than I care to admit with zero problems.

ATI was good above 5K RPM (it was exceptional once it started to really work), but the SVO part seemed to do a little better at lower speed & was good up high too.

Viscous fluid type damper would not repeat (function of temperature), clutch-style dampers were horrible, and a popular elastometer damper (as received from the supplier-their recommendation) fell apart during testing.

Failed part was actually too light & did not have enough mass to do it's job. Ball bearing style seemed to do well in near steady state conditions but had traumas during RPM sweeps.

Speculations were that no failure would've occurred had the damper been properly matched to the application, which in this case was a typical short oval track engine.