Re: harmonic balancers, helpful?

Posted by Mike Flanagan on December 17, 1997 at 22:33:17

In Reply to: harmonic balancers, helpful?
posted by Ed Rohmer on December 17, 1997 at 17:07:19

The harmonic balancer will have no effect on the operation of a Model A engine. This is my opinion for what that is worth. Were it not for the presence of the 65 lb flywheel, the "whipping" of the crankshaft, 180 degrees of rotation between power strokes all adding up to the normal vibration that is Model A a harmonic balancer might be beneficial.
The harmonic balancer is a steel ring, somewhat like a flywheel, mounted in rubber which is itself mounted to a flange on the end of the crank. The inertia in the ring combined with the flexibility of the rubber is supposed to absorb the uneven forces in an internal combustion engine. On engines with little or no flywheel they are very beneficial but that is obviously not the case with our little wonder. A case where a harmonic balancer is essential is the O470 Continental aircraft engine. This engine has an arrangement of counterbalancers on the crankshaft that actually move as the engine RPM increases. At certain RPM ranges when this gizmo is
in transition absent the harmonic balancer this contraption would self destruct. With it in concert it is a very efficient engine. The last one was going strong at 1538 hours when sold.
Most of the complaints from vibration are, again in my opinion, due to the little engine being pushed to hard. the roads are better now and people want to keep up with the traffic. In a stock Model A with conventional Ford gearing this is simply not practical. The fastest I drive is 47 indicated (45 actual) with all due consideration in kind to the drivers of the modern iron. Which is usually more than adequate.
When driving the Pacific Coast Highway in summer of '96 with about 30 cars backed up behind me and no place to pull off I learned the value of driving a Model A. When finally I did find a place to pull off and let 'em run they, to a person, waved as they went around. And they used all five fingers when they waved. One wonders how many fingers would have been waved had I been in the Lincoln?
God Speed Under 50.
The Model A Fool.
: In a stock coupe, stock engine without inserts or anything else not stock, will a harmonic balancer be of any help or cause any problems?Anyone tried this with problems? or does it really work? The man that rebuilt the engine says he hasn't see this used on these engines.

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