<VV> Re: Harmonic Balancer or not?

[John Kepler]

My  
mechanic had replaced a rotted balancer with the plain pulley, saying  
the balancer wasn't really necessary.  Apparently it wasn't . No problems.  

And a bad aircraft design flies just fine up to the point where the wings
fall off!

Ever looked at a NASCAR racing engine?  It's got the biggest Motha' harmonic
balancer they can find/make!  Now, ask yourself these questions....if it
didn't do something to A): Make the car go faster, or B):  Make the engine
live longer....think it'd still be there?  Think maybe those guys, as well
as the engineers at GM just MIGHT know a tad more what's needed and what you
can live without than your "flat-rater"?

BTW folks.....if the harmonic balancer wasn't doing anything, they wouldn't
break!

John