"Balanced" engine?

William Oliveri did pass the time by typing:

Any quality rebuild should be balanced.

heh. Harmonic Balancers can go out, but maby after 200,000 or so miles. All depends on the rubber damper. Generally when you rebuild the engine has enough miles on it that a small effort and cost up front will be easier than buggering with the ballancer later.

Corrct on both counts. Your engine has a questionable past, i would replace the damper if the rubber looks funny in any way. Keep us posted on your engine search findings, I may be replacing the same engine for a friend this summer.

-- Paul Calman, Hathaway Pines, California

Balancing isn't _necessary_ for a stock engine rebuild as long as good quality OEM or aftermarket parts are used. If you change the weight of any of the engine components (lighter pistons, heavier rods, etc.) then balancing becomes necessary. It definitely won't hurt to have the engine balanced, and it has its benefits. It can increase bearing, clutch and timing chain life, and obviously make the engine run with less vibration. If you do have it done, bring them your flywheel as well. They will do the whole rotating assembly.

On the balancer issue, the functioning piece of a balancer is the rubber ring between the inner and outer hubs. The flexibility of the rubber is what makes the thing work. Yours is what, 25 years old now? That rubber probably isn't very flexible anymore. In fact, find something that is made of rubber and it 25 years old, and see what condition it is in. Now add to the fact that this piece has been heated and cooled how many times? And how many different oils, gases, paints, solvents, etc. has it been exposed to over time? Also the rubber can start to lose its bond to the two metal pieces and lose its effectiveness as well.

Chris