Crankshaft damper

Function
By: Castalone, Paul M.

Objectives:
To know its functions and its parts.
To know the Causes of failures.
To know the difference of OEM parts to

Copykat parts

WHAT IS A DAMPER
PULLEY?

Dampers or Harmonic balancer

Aharmonicbalancer(alsocalledcrankpulley

damper,crankshaftdamper,torsionaldamper,
orvibrationdamper)isadeviceconnectedtothe
crankshaftofanenginetoreducetorsionalvibration
andservesasapulleyfordrivebelts.

FUNCTION OF DAMPER
The damper pulley is part of the belt drive system, which
operates accessories such as, air-conditioning, power-assisted
steering, alternator, etc. Its function is to dampen out the
vibrations in the crankshaft in the same way as a balancing
shaft. The damper pulley is technically complex, and cancels
out the torsional vibrations in the engine crankshaft. The
damper pulley is subject to wear and requires changing
periodically. If defective, it will fail to dampen the forces
generated by the modern high torque engine.

Where do you find Damper

Pulleys on an engine?
The damper pulley is fixed on the end of the

engine crankshaft near to the timing and

accessory pulleys.

TECHNICAL
DESCRIPTON
A damper pulley has 3 basic component parts:

- An inner metal hub, of steel, cast iron or aluminium, which is fixed to the
crankshaft.
- An outer grooved rim, where the belt runs
- A central ring of rubber between the two metal parts.

CAUSES OF FAILURES
The failure of a damper pulley can arise from contamination of the

rubber, for example by oil. This causes the rubber to swell up

causing a loss of the mechanical properties.
Additionally a foreign body could damage the damper pulley and
impair its function.
Seizure of a component part of the accessory chain (air
conditioning, power steering, alternator free wheel pulley)
could equally damage the damper pulley by overheating the belt.
The heat is conducted through damper pulley and the increase in
temperature affects the mechanical properties of the rubber.

VIBRATIONS
Every time the cylinders fire, torque is imparted to the

crankshaft. The crankshaft deflects under this torque, which

sets up vibrations when the torque is released. At certain
engine speeds the torques imparted by the cylinders are in sync
with the vibrations in the crankshaft, which results in a
phenomenon called resonance. This resonance causes stress
beyond what the crankshaft can withstand, resulting in
crankshaft failure.

RISKS FROM FAULTY

COPIES
Some copies are of very poor quality, mostly due to the low quality of

rubber used and can therefore, have a considerably reduced lifespan.

Some manufacturers have copied damper pulleys using a simplified

technique, resulting in lower manufacturing costs, but an inability to cope

with the primary function of a damper pulley. In other words, the rubber
insert that joins the hub to the outer rim, was replaced by a groove, in which
an O ring was fitted. With this arrangement, the damper pulley is effectively
a solid pulley, which does not meet the properties of the original product.
This type of modification usually leads to cracks, which continue until the
crankshaft ruptures.
We also find products with much higher weights than the original assembly,
or unbalanced parts, which in the short or long term will obviously have

OEM Part

Copy Part

Symptoms of a Bad or Failing

Crankshaft Harmonic
Balancer
Engine vibration
One of the first symptoms of a potential problem with the

harmonic balancer is engine vibration. The harmonic balancer

is specifically designed to absorb harmonic engine vibrations
as engine speeds rise. If the harmonic balancer gets too old or
fails and can no longer properly absorb the harmonic
vibrations, the engine will shake excessively. The shaking will
become even more pronounced, and therefore dangerous to the
engine at high speeds.

Effects of removal
Performance enthusiasts have been known to remove

harmonic balancers, usually when the balancer is attached to

the crank pulley, deciding that they aren't necessary and their
mass reduces the performance of the engine. However, this is
unproven and potentially very risky because the danger of
damage to the engine from the vibrations the damper is
intended to prevent is too high. [citation needed]
Certain cars, however, do not come equipped with an
external balancer on the crank pulley, and as such, can have
the pulley replaced with a performance oriented product
which counter-acts these resonance frequencies.