Harmonic Balancer Failure Reportings.

[adriver]

Taking a survey.
Who has had failure of a MOPAR OEM balancer with street use and not racing it.
Interested to hear how many people have actually had a failure with street use.
Let's say a vintage OEM one. Maybe 1969 or later.
What happened?

 

[brian6pac]

I never had a failed balancer

 

[jockeyshift]

On a 440 truck motor made a lot of noise but crank pulley stop any other damage.

 

[72Dart6pack]

As our cars get older the rate of failure on all parts will increase. They were never designed to last 50 + years.

 

[Marcohotrod]

driving stock dampers hard and fast since 1977-never a problem!

 

[abodyjoe]

Friend had a daily drive 73 or 74 charger with a 318 in it. The balancer went bad. He thought it was a knock but was the bad balancer hitting the timing cover

 

[moper]

The only balancer I ever had a problem with was brand new. In my younger years unless they showed signs of problems I never replaced them and never had a ring slip or anything bad happen. Now I do replace them (they're a lot older now than they were then...lol) but only with SFI approved ones.

 

[yellow rose]

I've had the rubber rot and the outer ring slip on the inner.


There is no reason to run a stock type damper like the OE one any more.

 

[Jim Lusk]

Never had a problem with one.

 

[Daves69]

Might have been on B-bodies or here recently. Someone posted a picture of a SB timing cover with a groove worn through it from the balancer.
Maybe extend the TDC mark down to the inner ring for a visual reference.
Neighbor has an '02 Lexus the balancer came apart on. A lot of squealing first then a bunch of clunking.

 

[Bulldozer]

My buddies and I have ran gaggles of SB and bb Mopar power plants and I have NEVER saw ONE that came apart

 

[adriver]

OK.
I've got a perfectly good appearing 1969 stock dampener.
But since the engine has been rebuilt, I've been scared into buying this.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-163383

Now watch the new one give me problems.
Probably made in China or something and I wasted money.
It's going on a 383, which of course, is a forged crank.
Seems to me they should alert people this one isn't for all 440s?
Then again, people should know that.

 

[brian6pac]

The problem I have with summit balancers are the #'s, there always upside down, wrong side! Anybody else have this problem?

 

[dartnabout]

I was pulling my trailer to bring a friends van home (1 hour away) Just as we are getting to his vehicle my 1997 Ram 2500 with the 360 started to vibrate. When we puled in I saw the damper was spinning freely. We got his van running and I had to call my nephew to come tow my truck home.