Fluidampr

[GreenF350]

I went out wheeling this past weekend and ended up "blowing out" the front main seal, to the tune of about a drip every two seconds or so. I tore it apart and had a groove worn in the balancer sleeve and decided I might as well replace the whole thing. I'm interested to see if I notice any change with the way it feels (or runs, but I doubt it will run any different despite some hp claims). My question is does anyone know if the fluidampr has a replaceable wear ring like the factory balancer? I figure with all the offroad use in the mud that mine sees, the chance for wear on the balancer at the seal is pretty high, but 430 bucks for a balancer is pretty pricey. Although the factory one did make it to 203,000mi. Thanks for any info on this.
-Aaron

[66Bronco]

The only thing I have heard is that some people have had problems with breaking the timing gears on shutdown due to the inertial force of the rotational mass inside the damper itself. How true that is or how frequently it happens, I don't know, but I feel like it's definitely something you should be aware of.

[GreenF350]

Originally Posted by 66Bronco

The only thing I have heard is that some people have had problems with breaking the timing gears on shutdown due to the inertial force of the rotational mass inside the damper itself. How true that is or how frequently it happens, I don't know, but I feel like it's definitely something you should be aware of.

Hmm, that is definitely interesting. Ygat is the first time I have heard or seen anything about that. I wouldn't really think that would be the cause of the balancer though, since even if it did cause the crankshaft to turn longer after shutdown due to the mass it would just be the same as the engine running, although....I could see it possibly having an effect on shutdown since it is designed to minimize torsional vibrations. Maybe it stops the crank sooner? Either way, I already have it on order. I meant to mention that earlier. I was just sitting here thinking about that wear sleeve or potential lack thereof. Thanks for a heads up though on another potential problem. Better safe than sorry.
-Aaron

[GreenF350]

Well, balancer came in today...Went out to finish pulling out the old seal and installing it and I am getting my hind end kicked trying to get the seal out. Started nicking up the crankshaft a bit so I decided to pull the LPOP off to get the crankshaft out of the way...Unfortunately, now I don't have enough leverage to get it out. I think I am just going to try and get a new LPOP and be done with the hassle. Can't hurt to have a new one in there anyway. Sometimes I hate how simple jobs end up being a pain in the butt.
-Aaron