Discover how to detect early signs of harmonic balancer failure and learn how to resolve the issue and when to replace the balancer. View info!
Torsional vibration dampers are crankshaft pulleys with a rubber damping element between the two main metal parts. They were introduced to absorb vibration from the crankshaft and produce much smoother drive system operation and are found on most late models of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
Without their damping effect, the vibration would be transmitted through the accessory belt drive system and can lead to premature failure. It is also worth noting that as the timing belt is also attached to the crankshaft, a malfunctioning harmonic balancer would also have adverse implications for the synchronous belt drive system. So, replacement is required when the harmonic balancer is no longer able to provide reduction of vibrations due to wear.
Furthermore, when a torsional vibration damper has reached the end of its service life Gates recommends that all wear parts are replaced at the same time to ensure the best long-term solution.