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In our engines, each time the air-fuel mixture inside of a cylinder bore is ignited, the combustion that occurs can create a torque spike. The severity of the torque spike will not only turn the crankshaft, it actually twists the crankshaft ahead of its normal rotation.
When the torque spikes and torsional vibration meet the internal engine parts, it can be destructive, taking out engine bearings and even the crankshaft itself. The engine damper is designed to balance and control the severe vibrations.
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We recently received our Fluidampr [3] and hardware kit for Project DeadSpool. This balancer will be used in a high-performance application and we will cover how it performs in a high-horsepower setting.
This new designed Fluidampr has many features. The outer housing has a new tapered design which allows the accessory drive belt to be removed and installed with the Fluidampr Performance Diesel damper in place.
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A half-inch thick torque plate mounts between the damper face and bolts to provide a wider and stronger clamping surface.
Another update is the integrated crankshaft position sensor tone wheel. The improved one-piece design replaces the factory tone wheel to provide more clamping force to the crankshaft mounting flange. It also retains the Fluidampr viscous damper technology that has made the 5.9-liter Cummins application one of their best selling dampers.
We spoke with Brian LeBarron, Marketing Coordinator of Fluidampr about the new product and he added, “Several of the Ultimate Callout Challenge [6] teams are still putting it through validation testing,” LeBarron said. “A half-inch thick torque plate with textured finish mounts between the damper face and bolts to provide a wider and stronger clamping surface.”
[7]The twisting action is called torsion vibration.
“The 5/8-inch hex head for barring the engine over was also added,” LeBarron continued. “New heat treated, high strength ARP [8] bolts and a diamond impregnated friction washer is also included.”
We’re ecstatic to see the improvements on our Ram project truck and stay tuned for more on this install. Be sure and check out Fluidampr’s website [3] for more information on all their products.