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Fluidampr....

Matt Bachand

Matt Bachand

Depends on the 6.5
Messages
5,330
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22
Location
Worcester, MA
Anyone running one of these and and comment about cost/effective?

Couldn't find any real - world posts on this site or other...
 
Have heard good and bad, kinda like timing gear set. posts I read, IIRC, most only recommended for manual tranny-dont remember why. Let me know if I can be of no help, any further.
 
I think the reason they are recommended for the manual trannys more is due to the fact that unless the TC is locked, an auto tranny is a fluid coupling, and thus absorbs some of the vibrations from rear dif etc. in a manual tranny those are shared with the engine. It may not really matter, but it kinda makes sense to me. I've heard they are great for an engine period. I know the Cummins guys who pull LOVE them, and say their engines quiet right down and are able to reach higher RPMs without flying apart.
 
matt, didn't you replace yours back in july or august??

secondly, I humbly apologize for speaking before searching:ban:, I was partially correct-according to what I found the fluid dampener is a good way to go because it "provides continuous protection from the 'shock' of the diesel explosions on the crank" -"A rubber damper is designed to control torsional vibration at a constant rpm such as a balance machine. A viscous damper is designed to control torsional vibration specifically for an engine crankshaft that undergoes torsional vibration."

however, there are several that directly attribute broken cranks on 6.5er's and dura's to fluid dampeners. :hijacked:the timing gear set is 'suspected' of being detrimental to the crank, as there is no give to absorb shock loads to crank and harmonic issues. I have read similar elsewhere and is really bad on manuals due to no dampening by torque convertor and bad use of clutch.(my opinion and about 8 other mechanical sites about gears, I stuck with chain as well as my timing does not have to be split second perfect)everything affects our crankshaft.
 
So to be nice to the crank, the "happiest crank" setup is timing chain and a fluidampr? I could see the gears not cushioning as well as chain. I do know that i will use a fluidampr when i get my truck on the road.
 
There was talk about how they would stand up in sub zero temps with the silicone fluid in them, the due to the internal friction they should warm up quicker than aged rubber on the stock ones. IIRC Dan Oddy at Fluidampr/ Vibratech said thats not a problem...

Mine is on its way over now from Heath Diesel, hopefully I'll get it on the same time as the ATT before the drive to Italy at Easter..

As Gerald said Big Bux even bigger as we have to pay 25% import tax & shipping,but if it saves me from any big repairs I can't do myself.....personally its worth it...

JM2C----cya


Edit: Text from Bill Heath------We use the Fluidamper deal to control torsional activity, even though Scat doesn't like them. If we ever break a shaft, we might reconsider, but for now we feel ok about this arrangement----ignorance is bliss.
 
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I've been going through my 6.5's replacing timing chain gears and fluidamper. We've noticed considerable differance/improvement in every vehicle but since it's been an all at one time thing and sometimes injectors & pump gears as well it's hard to determine exactly what is making the improvements
 
as the fluid dampener works to neutralize torsional vibrations across the board, every little vibration that can be controlled will yield more power. heath's price is a little below par for what I have seen. whatever heath's recommendation is I would go with, keep in mind,any out of the ordinary(different stall, high HP) upgrades in combination that affect's the crank could put one in a no-mans land for a bad outcome. did not find heath sells a timing gear setup, have read of harmonic problems with them, I would get his input b4 doing both.
 
I am getting a Fluidampr for my 6.5 when it gets built. I got one on my 383 stroker, only thing I changed, and it ran a lot smoother after that, at ALL RPM's. I was thoroughly impressed with it, very nice quality product guys.

I believe it says on their website that the fluid is unaffected by cold weather.
I remember seeing graphs of harmonics for different engines on their site as well.
I think they should make one of those graphs for the 6.5 to compare before and after.
 
At the older site, TurboVanMan put one on his 6.5 and said that he was amazed at how it smoothed the whole thing down to the point that he was incredulous that one device could help smooth the 6.5 THAT much. He said that he highly recommends it. I checked them out, and they are 400-500 bucks. There were some crank manufacturers who said they would not honor the warrantee on their cranks if the Fluidampr was installed, but when I PMed a Fluidampr engineer, they said that the crank manufacturer had heard hearsay that the Fluidampr was causal in crank failure, but when Fluidampr contacted them to have that hypothesis tested, the crank manufacturer refused to test it, and so it remains as a 'Hearsay black mark' on Fluidampr reputation.

I think that the engineering seems sound. Other sites have done articles (you know, the site you have to pay dues for) extolling the Fluidampr virtues, and finally Bill Heath has now put his stamp of approval on them.

I plan to save up and put one on both vehicles. My biggest concern is that I don't have any experience in installing them, and I think it would be difficult, as I would need to rent tools and such. I'd prefer to have someone who has done a bunch of these put it on for me. Maybe I'm just chicken.

-Rob :)
 
Shouldn't be any different than installing any other balancer and all tools should be in the loaner department at Autozone or equivalent.

  1. Remove serpentine belt.
  2. Likely need to remove fan shroud (upper and lower) 8mm socket (extension would be nice)
  3. Remove lower pulley from harmonic balancer, good time to replace this item also. 4 bolts 13mm or 15mm socket
  4. Remove Jesus bolt 15/16 or metric equivalent. If you don't have impact wrench need breaker bar. Also will need to remove access cover on bellhousing so someone can hold flywheel with BF screwdriver so crank doesn't turn.
  5. REMOVE BIG WASHER very important for next step, tried to pull balancer through washer one time, didn't work very good. :D:
  6. Attach harmonic balancer puller loaner tool
  7. Crank bolt with 3/4 socket until balancer comes off.
  8. Place new balancer on crankshaft.
  9. Tighten Jesus bolt and washer to 200 ft/lbs
  10. Put all the other crap back on.
 
Packratt, thanks for the installation instructions. If I do this, I would suggest replacing the oil seal while everything is out.

-Rob :)
 
packratt said:
Shouldn't be any different than installing any other balancer and all tools should be in the loaner department at Autozone or equivalent.

  1. Remove serpentine belt.
  2. Likely need to remove fan shroud (upper and lower) 8mm socket (extension would be nice)
  3. Remove lower pulley from harmonic balancer, good time to replace this item also. 4 bolts 13mm or 15mm socket
  4. Remove Jesus bolt 15/16 or metric equivalent. If you don't have impact wrench need breaker bar. Also will need to remove access cover on bellhousing so someone can hold flywheel with BF screwdriver so crank doesn't turn.
  5. REMOVE BIG WASHER very important for next step, tried to pull balancer through washer one time, didn't work very good. :D:
  6. Attach harmonic balancer puller loaner tool
  7. Crank bolt with 3/4 socket until balancer comes off.
  8. Place new balancer on crankshaft.
  9. Tighten Jesus bolt and washer to 200 ft/lbs
  10. Put all the other crap back on.
Click to expand...

I just installed mine last week, OK, maybe 2 weeks ago. The only thing I can add to Packratts concise instructions is that when you go to start the new unit on, tap it on with a rubber hammer at the most. Don't use any sharp impact or force. At this point spin the puller (minus the smaller outside bolts) on the Jesus washer to press the fluidampr onto the spindle or mount or whatever it is called. The Jesus bolt (??, who came up with this term? I thought He was a carpenter, not a mechanic....) isn't quite long enough to press it initially but once the dampr is on a ways the bolt will reach. Don't forget the Jesus washer!
I was able to remove all the bolts and re-install them without removing the tranny inspection cover by using an impact on the Jesus nut and/or holding the counterweight/fluidampr with one hand and torquing with the other. This may not work for everyone. Blocking the tranny would be easier for torque settings and/or working without an impact gun.
It really is a handsomely made product. Nice workmanship, I don't know if the machined timing marks on the outside edge are functional but they look cool. As for what it's supposed to do, the long term will have to wait but the engine sure sounds better. Kinda like having a nice stereo loudly tuned into some tinny AM station and then taking off all that annoying treble and mid-range noise. All you have left is rumbling lows.
Yes I know:nopics:but I did it after work, 13 hours of plowing in a blizzard. I didn't have a camera. Sorry guys!
 
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