LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

WTF harmonic balancer issues?

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Old 06-12-2012, 01:14 PM
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Yes. It's worth a shot to take the balancer to them to see if they can put it back together and spin it.
Old 06-12-2012, 02:09 PM
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If u reuse the stock hub heat that ****** up in an oven on 400deg for 20min then tap it into location on the crank snout..I did.. then, Check this.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...tall-tool.html
Instead of hardened threaded rod(that wasn't locally available) I used a lesser grade from a hardware store with it a combo of greased washers and I used two tall nuts to have the press load spread across more thread contact (forget what they call those nuts) . Worked great

Last edited by defaultexistence; 06-12-2012 at 02:15 PM.
Old 06-12-2012, 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by defaultexistence
If u reuse the stock hub heat that ****** up in an oven on 400deg for 20min then tap it into location on the crank snout..I did.. then, Check this.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-m...tall-tool.html
Instead of hardened threaded rod(that wasn't locally available) I used a lesser grade from a hardware store with it a combo of greased washers and I used two tall nuts to have the press load spread across more thread contact (forget what they call those nuts) . Worked great
Cool tip....hopefully the original builder will let me know if the old one was zero balanced soon and I can try this out. I'll be pissed if I miss my dyno appointment over a stinkin balancer taking a dump.
Old 06-12-2012, 03:50 PM
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That is about how it go's... Sorry I haven't gotten back to u via pm .. Been working on my probs .. Solomon is tightening me up on the shitty madz28 tune
Old 06-12-2012, 05:34 PM
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Originally Posted by SS RRR
The easiest thing to do is to get ahold of whoever built the engine. They should have given you a build sheet to tell you of such things. My only ideas are those holes aren't for the engine, but rather to zero balance the damper. If the builders followed stock balance protocol, the engine is indeed externally balanced in the rear via flywheel/flex plate and internally balanced up front along with using a zero balanced damper. People have argued by claiming the holes they see in their damper are indeed to balance the engine, and then state "... but I compared it to another damper and the holes are different." It's crap. Stock dampers need to be zero balanced and the holes will not be in exact locations from one to another. With all this mumbo/jumbo stated, I'd either call the engine builder. If no information can be divulged then I'd take the damper to a machine shop, have it spun to see if it is indeed zero balanced or not.
Is the crank keyed for your damper/balancer?
Seller replied to me.....unfortunately the balancer IS balanced to the engine/rotating assembly...I have a weird LT1 .. so I can't just bolt the stock one on.....have to get it balance matched by a machine shop to the failed balancer IF that is possible since the middle of the balancer free wheels and there's no rubber left at all....I'll call up my machine shop guy again and see what he has to say about all this. Nothing is easy with this car
Old 06-12-2012, 10:43 PM
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Buy an SFI LT1 balancer from jegs & they balanced the motor but I highly doubt they drilled holes in the balancer when they built the motor The place than manufactured the balancer drilled it lol Call JEGS that balancer will handle 10 or 12000rpm
Old 06-13-2012, 06:39 AM
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Originally Posted by warriorcustoms
Buy an SFI LT1 balancer from jegs & they balanced the motor but I highly doubt they drilled holes in the balancer when they built the motor The place than manufactured the balancer drilled it lol Call JEGS that balancer will handle 10 or 12000rpm
No...my LT1 was not "conventionally" balanced; the builder did not adhere to "stock balance protocol" ...it's BOTH internally and externally balanced BOTH FRONT AND REAR if that makes sense .....I realize the aftermarket balancer was originally zero balanced BUT per the seller: "I believe they're zero balanced like oem, that one had to have weight removed due to where the weight needed to be to actually balance it out" "The rotating assembly was balanced as one unit. The shop that balanced it needed to add mallory at the front counterweight of the crank, and offset it at the balancer (it was drilled to remove weight)."

That particular balancer could not even handle 6500 rpm...I have not been pushing the motor or racing it and the POS came apart. **** keeps getting more complicated...now I NEED a keyed balancer since it is not zero balanced so I guess I can't use the stock one....I'm fucked as far as making my dyno day Monday
Old 06-13-2012, 08:04 AM
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Originally Posted by SS RRR
If your balancer is an actual balncer then you cannot use the stock damper. The stock damper is zero balanced. You would need a balancer that is balanced the same as what you just took off. It needs to be keyed so it does not slide out of position.
Ok....if I'm understanding this all correctly I've got a new catch 22 about using the stock balancer/hub anymore, now that I know the (aftermarket) balancer is NOT zero balanced I can't go back to stock un-keyed balancer right? It's got to be balance matched AND keyed right? I have a headache now.

Would this work (once it's balance matched)? How do you know it's not made in China unless you spend big $$ on an ATI?
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...51605/10002/-1

Goddamn communists have tainted our nation's harmonic balancer supplies. Buy American!
Old 06-13-2012, 11:58 AM
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After doing some research on the internets....I'm not the only one whose Chinese Professional products POS balancer came apart :

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2254

http://www.realoldspower.com/phpBB2/...c.php?t=66536&

http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums...r-failure.html

On a somewhat positive note however, I just spoke with my machine shop guy about my problems....he recommend the Fluidampr balancer....he said the fluid automatically balances it's self so no drilling the balancer is required Only problem it's expensive as hell...but still cheaper than getting an ATI and paying to have it drilled/balance matched. What's a good sponsor or who is selling a Fluidampr?
Old 06-13-2012, 12:40 PM
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[QUOTE=ahritchie;16414595]..... I just spoke with my machine shop guy about my problems....he recommend the Fluidampr balancer....he said the fluid automatically balances it's self so no drilling the balancer is required .....QUOTE]
I have to call bullsh!t on that one. It really sounds to me like you're being led down paths by a crapshooter.
And IF the shop actually balanced that engine by removing weight from the damper, that guy should be kicked in the nuts. I still question whether you got the right answer on that one.
Old 06-13-2012, 12:56 PM
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[QUOTE=bowtienut;16414728]
Originally Posted by ahritchie
..... I just spoke with my machine shop guy about my problems....he recommend the Fluidampr balancer....he said the fluid automatically balances it's self so no drilling the balancer is required .....QUOTE]
I have to call bullsh!t on that one. It really sounds to me like you're being led down paths by a crapshooter.
And IF the shop actually balanced that engine by removing weight from the damper, that guy should be kicked in the nuts. I still question whether you got the right answer on that one.
How so? Please clarify. The machine shop guy I talked to did not build the motor...he's a local guy trying to help me fix the weirdo internal/external balance job the seller/buiilder of the shortblock did. He simply recommended the Fluidampr because it should not need any balance match as opposed to any other balancer that would since my balancer was drilled when they balanced the rotating assembly. Are you saying the seller/builder of the shortblock is full of it or the machine shop dude
Old 06-13-2012, 01:06 PM
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I wouldn't trust EITHER one of them!
A Fluidamper does NOT provide any balancing......that's just nonsense. It's a damper, not a balancer. You'd be just as well off putting a stock damper on it, or whatever you can get to fit the hub you have.
I would put a neutral balance damper on it and see if there's noticeable vibration. If not, you're good to go. Unlike an unbalance on the crank throw/counterweights themselves, any unbalance at the damper or at the flywheel is going to be more noticeable to YOU than it will be harmful to the engine. Think about it: with a weighted damper, you're actually putting a bending moment on the crank snout to counteract imbalance inside the motor, just so everything OUTSIDE the motor doesn't feel it.
Old 06-13-2012, 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by bowtienut
I wouldn't trust EITHER one of them!
A Fluidamper does NOT provide any balancing......that's just nonsense. It's a damper, not a balancer. You'd be just as well off putting a stock damper on it, or whatever you can get to fit the hub you have.
I would put a neutral balance damper on it and see if there's noticeable vibration. If not, you're good to go. Unlike an unbalance on the crank throw/counterweights themselves, any unbalance at the damper or at the flywheel is going to be more noticeable to YOU than it will be harmful to the engine. Think about it: with a weighted damper, you're actually putting a bending moment on the crank snout to counteract imbalance inside the motor, just so everything OUTSIDE the motor doesn't feel it.
Ok...you are right about the Fluidamper not being a balancer...it specifically states that on their website now that I take a closer look...guess I didn't understand the difference in a damper and balancer:

Damper Facts:

1.) Most stock dampers are actually tuned absorbers and do not work when the the engine is modified from the original set-up.

2.) The damper is not a balancer. It's job is to control torsional vibrations.

3.) The silicone inside a Fluidampr will not expire and is not effected by temperature change.

4.) An externally balanced assembly should be balanced with only the counterweight or stock damper installed.

I guess I will try going back to the stock balancer/hub and see if there's bad vibration and take it from there....this is such a clusterfuck it's not even funny.
Old 06-13-2012, 04:56 PM
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The remnants of the Professional Products damper:
Attached Thumbnails WTF harmonic balancer issues?-balancer.jpg  
Old 06-14-2012, 08:27 AM
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Default New plan of action

New plan:I decided to at least upgrade the damper a little bit over stock since the stock one is nearly 20 years old....I bought the JEGS unit...it will handle 12,500 RPM as added insurance in the event I over-rev it it is a 6 spd after all. Hopefully should be here by tomorrow and I can bolt it right up to the existing aftermarket hub with the dowl locator. So I won't have to fool with removing the hub and possibly striping the crank threads. Maybe I can make my dyno day after all
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...oductId=757291

If it doesn't shake the car apart from not being balance matched to the POS failed damper....I'm taking it to Alvin at PCM for less to beat the crap out of it for a couple days on the dyno and see what happens...

Both the machine shops I talked to seemed highly sceptical of being able to balance match the POS in pieces to a new one unfortunately.
Old 06-14-2012, 01:50 PM
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The jegs balancer better work lol My 396 is depending on it
Old 06-15-2012, 01:18 PM
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You get the new one from jegs yet
Old 06-15-2012, 01:35 PM
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At work now...it's been on the Fedex truck for delivery since 5:25 this morning lol....patiently waiting to go home and see if the sucker fits right (I think it will looking at your hub; mines identical). All this last minute trouble before dyno day Monday has me anxious/nervous/excited....hopefully everything falls into place before Monday. Pray to the LT1 gods lmao
Old 06-15-2012, 03:25 PM
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Chances are the Jegs is rebranded, based on price I would be concerned it is rebranded Professional Products. I have made no attempt to visually compare then though, never handled either and run stock myself.

Maybe the real lesson here is about just how bad it can be to buy a built engine or car from another enthusiast and just how badly MANY MANY shops do their job.

The engine should be done like stock or completely zero balance external as in no flexplate weight. Any shop that is going to drill a damper to balance one of these is incompetent. Let them work on 40 year old stuff, even that old stuff that was external at the front I believe used a weight so you could transfer it to a new damper should replacement be needed.

The way you have been told this was built and in a position like you are in now with a destroyed damper to try and match the only right way to do it would be to rip out the rotating assembly and rebalance.

I am not arguing with Pat, Pat might be right and the damper might not have been modified, I think either way the guy is an incompetent either by doing things wrong or informing you wrongly about how it was balanced.

Far as the keyed thing the stock crank is keyed, the stock damper hub is not. Far as I know all gen 1 and gen 2 cranks are keyed.
Old 06-15-2012, 04:41 PM
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Default Can't get it in the hole!

This car is going to fight me to death....the JEGS unit came and looks real nice; I weighed them on my bathroom scale for ***** and it was 1.5 lbs heavier. The freakin dowl locator on the PP hub is barely keeping the JEGS damper from seating on the hub Can I get my buddy to bring his drill over and slightly drill it out just a bit to make it fit? The dowl locator hole LOOKS identical but isn't to the failed PP POS. Here's some pics of what I'm working with....I scrached the paint and you can see how it barely does not fit:
Attached Thumbnails WTF harmonic balancer issues?-hub.jpg   WTF harmonic balancer issues?-tn.jpg  

Last edited by ahritchie; 06-15-2012 at 06:04 PM.


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