<VV> Harmonic Balancer Y or N?

[J R Read_HML]

I have SEEN 2 broken cranks (not mine - both with solid pulleys)  and I've 
had 1 balancer (my car) scrape the paint off of an oil filter before I 
caught on to the problem.

I've only been driving Vairs for something less than 20 years (probably 18 
or so).  But, I do go a fair # of miles in them, somewhere in the 12 to 
15,000 range on Vairs (average) per year for me.

I'd rather saw an oil filter completely through (from a failed balancer) 
than break the crankshaft (from use of a solid pulley).  While it would be 
messy, the engine does not have to come apart in order to fix the problem. 
That is my take on it and I'm sticking with it.  Well...  I'd really rather 
not have EITHER of those things happen - but I can SEE the balancer when I 
cannot see the crankshaft.

Solid pulleys were only on lower HP cars from the factory.  I suspect that 
there is a reason for that.

Later, JR

'61 Rampside Standard 4/110
'65 Monza Convertible 4/140
'66 beater Coupe - "icemobile" 4/140

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron" <ronh at owt.com>
To: "Chris & Bill Strickland" <lechevrier at earthlink.net>; 
<virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 4:36 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> FC Engines - Harmonic Balancer or not?


> Yes, and the wheels might fall off and the engine may drop out, but having 
> Corvairs for twenty five years and having driven them coast to coast and 
> border to border, I've never had it happen and the same goes for damper 
> failures.  So why waste a second worrying about it?
> RonH
>