Well the weather was crappy today...another fine day on the wet coast...

So instead of yard work I decided to install my new Fluid damper. Took about an hour from start to finish. Haven't driven it yet but seems smoother at idle for sure.

I've had the damper for a couple weeks now and before I could install it I had to get some magnets for my Isspro magnetic tach set-up. I decided to use the cut outs on the new damper for the location of the magnets. I then ordered some rare earth magnets off e-bay. I double checked the polarity of the magnets that are on my original damper, so they would be the same.

Here a pic of the damper with the new magnets....

 

Here's the before pics....





And the size difference between the original and new damper....

 

I know a couple guys said they had to add a 1/8th spacer behind the fan to clear the new, bigger damper. Well I don't know why but I have about 1/4" clearance with no other mods.

I have a 89 non-IC motor with stock fan hub. I then have a new clutch and a 2nd gen fan. As you can see in the pics I have lots of room.

Here it is all done....

 

The added clearance came from the 2nd gen fan clutch having a longer nut on it. I've been wanting to get the upgraded fan and clutch as well. I understand the fan has a different pitch (more or less, I'm not sure).

The Fluidampr is a great and easy upgrade!! You'll soon find out that the motor will spin up easier/faster. I seem to recall mine idled slightly quieter compared to the stock damper. Maybe it was just my ears at the time, I don't know. I don't see a fan shroud, are you not running one? If you do have one, you could cut it in half for ease of removal and installation in the future without having to remove or install the fan simultaneously.

 

And then I had to figure out how I was going to re-mount the magnetic pick-up for the tach. I keep a bucket of misc small metal pieces and random brackets and stuff I pick up and save for future projects and what have you. Anyway digging through my bucket I found an old bracket from a sink I replaced. It worked perfect for mounting the bracket. Had tons of adjustment and everything works perfect.

 

Jimbo....I don't have a shroud on it right now since I have the bigger 2nd gen fan and the original Non-IC rad. So I will have to modify, or make a new shroud before summer gets here.

 

Here's a picture showing the nut on my stock fan clutch. You can see a clear difference between the two.



And the clearance with the 1/8" spacer.

 

I can see the difference you mentioned in the nut on the clutch. Glad I didn't have to mess around with making a spacer.

 

I was lucky enough to find a spacer lying around with an OD just small enough to fit between the bolts of the pulley. Of course, I had to hog out the center for the ID to slip over the stud but it worked and I'm happy with it.

 

Well took the truck out today and there is a noticeable improvement. The motor is much smoother and, I think a bit quieter too. I'm happy with it....

 

I have been wondering if these would make a large improvement. Which are the best brands to look at (don't know much about them), and what is the relative cost for one?

 

what is the improvement? I'm guessing smoother motor at all RPMs?

If you want faster spin up and have a manual transmission you should check your flywheel. There were two types - the one in the later cummins trucks (not sure of the date of the switchover possibly the I/C trucks) is much heavier and will make your motor rev up slower and shut down slower as well...

If you notice, most trucks with an auto shut down to a violent halt and often a "chirp" from the belt is heard. A later 92/93 stock 5 speed truck shuts down with a grumble/shudder but no chirp.

 

Well the motor seems smoother all the way through, from idle on up to 2500 rpm. But seems a lot smoother at higher rpms then before.

As for cost...I did a lot of research and the best price I could find was from Xtremediesel for $464, but then the day I ordered they had a 10% off all orders that day so I got it for $420!! I was very happy about that.

 

Fluidampr on my old 89 Non-IC motor....

https://web.archive.org/web/20171102...talled-289373/

 

With the larger diameter pully, won't that make your tach read low?