Ding, Ding, Ding... Dave gets the award... He is most likely right here... That piece you guys see there is the KEY not a piece that was just sitting there from the pulley... It was almost welded in there to the crank... The pulley, key and crank were all kinked and the chunk you see out of the pulley is where the key was being forced into... and the shavings were sittn in the oil pan and around the bearings.

 

I guess I'm not following, ya. The pulley has a slot and the crank has a key. The pulley should freely slide on to the crank and associated key and should bottom out. Reinstall the crank bolt and that's it. I don't know what you could screw up. The key and slot run the length of the pulley and with the pulley slide on, the key will be flush with the front the pulley. The picture shown is the face of the pulley, not the backside.

Interestingly, my UR pulley on my VQ30 slide on has if it were stock, but to get it off required a puller. The stock pulley slide on and off without a hitch. The fact that the UR pulley seized itself on the crank really bothered me because it was proof to me that the pulley was slowly wearing.

 

I understand the longevity benefits of the Fluidamper crank pulley, but I don't follow how the heavier mass can create power. I've had some interest in this one off and on for a while now, so any clarification would be appreciated. Is the potential power gain a result of the smoother operation?

Also, what's the impact on driving character with the Fluidamper CP? We know the lightened pullies allow faster revs in some situations. Is the Fluidamper heavier than the OEM one and how does that impact daily driving?

 

Here is a few pictures, When I have time I will explain more.

 

Oh you mean using the rev-up cams. Cool. I thought you devised a way to change the actual cam timing of the existing cams. ie.. degreeing.

But carry on brother! Post it up!

 

Dave how could adding something heavier possibly gain power?

 

A Fluidamper offers superior dampening compared to a elastomer ring damper because it can cancel out nearly all torisonal vibrations throughout the rpm range where as the stock design is only focused on reducing specific order torsional vibration.

A couple years back in Grassroots Motorsports (probably the best auto magazine out there ), did a dyno and 1/4 mile test on a SN95 Mustang Cobra with lightened UDPs and then the Fluidamper. The Fluidamper actually made a couple more hp even though it was just a single pulley (vs 3 UDP pullies) and the Fluidamper was about 1.5lbs heavier than the stock damper. How can this be? It's because the superior dampening allows the crank and the entire reciproating assembly to do it's job better. Without all the torisional vibration and bending, the valvetrain becomes more efficent and you end up getting a more efficent motor. That article was a real eye opener for me.

On the VQ, I don't know how the Fluidamper feels or if it gives a seat of the pants or dyno gain. As far as I know, Gee is the only person on this site that has it. Luckily he's a knowledgable and honest guy with a racing background and he'll tell you the truth and won't sugar coat it.

I believe the Fluidamper is about $320 from Summit. I plan on eventually getting one.

 

This has peaked my interest. I'm not interested in FI, but want more power. Please let us know as soon as possible about the cam timing. Does it only work on certain motors or all.

 

I would guess this might help if there were significant vibrations to be dampened. But Gee seems to be a real straight up dude with good knowledge. I'll sit back and see what happens.

 

Do not install the UD pullies on the VQ engine.
The Fluidamper was dynoed at the sports z plemum shoot out.
The fluidamper pulled 3 hp over the stock damper.
The torque was up to 266@5700 rpms,with 274 hp,@6175 rpms.
They never put this in the magazine.
The dyno runs made on my car were not done the way I felt they should be. The engine oil was not up to temp on the last three dyno pulls.
So much to talk about, When ,I installed my UD pullies, They were pulled off the next day, because they killed drivabilty. I lost flywheel mass and it killed my low end torque. flywheels store engery, the more you have the smother power you have. I feel my G wants more weight (flywheel) With that being said, knowing that the harmonics are so bad with the UD pullies, Why would you want them. Will post more later. UD pullies are just a bad investment.

 

Yep. The VQ might rev faster in neutral, but there is less moment of inertia. I noticed that with my UDP (5MT Maxima), the driveability was impacted on initial acceleration and smooth part throttle shifting was a problem.

 

Nissan Harmonic Balancer

Although the engine of an automobile is perhaps the most complicated one because of its composition of many different parts and components, it should not make it equally confusing for you to identify the problem when it is the cause of the problem of the vehicle. Sometimes, it makes it difficult to trace the culprit of the problem because most of the time the driver is not properly equipped about the many different parts that the engine is comprised with. And sometimes they would even aggravate the matter by attempting to fix the problem themselves hoping to stash the money safely into his wallet. However, the problem will lie into his lack of adeptness in automotive matters. Instead of fixing the said problem, the simple mishap would arise into a complex one so that when a mechanic checks the vehicle the cost of repairing will double up and would even mean replacement to some parts that are affected by the problem.

One of the most common cases that make the drivers alarmed is the negative results of the torsional vibration. Often, it leads to a serious problem because they would simply ignore the excessive engine noise that occurs in the crankshaft which causes all the trouble. If the excessive engine noise continually occurs, there would not be only a single major problem that is going to plague the engine but various others that are related to gear noise and coupling wear. If they are still not aware, torsional vibration is the worst enemy of the engine that eventually it would be the operation of the vehicle itself which is going to suffer ultimately.

Noise engine should never be neglected. It should be fixed right away if you don’t want to paralyze the performance of the vehicle. If it is the torsional vibration that is the main problem of your engine, check its harmonic balancer as this is most probably the one which suffered from damage. Faulty harmonic balancer will need replacement to continue effective dampening of the torsional vibration. Replacing damaged one will not make it tough for you as Nissan harmonic balancer is available widely in the market. Get assistance from an expert to install if you particularly don’t know much about automotive matters.

 

So let me get this straight: you poo poo a lighter cranks shaft, but praise a heavier fluid dampner??

You claim 1 creates torsion vibration and the other removes it.

You guys may know more about this stuff than I, but I'm not buying that argument at all.

I think every individual set up may require something different- and have different effects/ and your arguments are "piece meal" statements and not meant to answer the questions you are using them for. I am not a complete newbie as I have rebuilt and engine or two.

GEE - are you talking about NEW CAMS or you talking about TIMING. Sounds like new CAMs to me- which is pretty expensive -- though truly a good mod on pretty much any car. We look forward to your results.

 

I don't remember Gee saying anything about the weight of crank shafts. Anyways, the VQ crank is forged, decently light, and there's no disputing it's a very quality peice. You'd be a fool to replace it.

A heavier better balanced pulley will FAR exceed that of the stock pulley and makes the UR UDP look like a joke. We are not making this stuff up. I suggest you search the internet instead of taking UR and UDP owners words on the physics at hand.


I've said it numerous times and I'll say it again, there is absolutely nothing special about the VQ motor. It does not do anything special and when it comes to crank dampers, Nissan saw it fit to add one. Nissan racing teams see it fit to run fluidampers on their racing VQs, SR20s, and RB series motors.

 

Dave:
Ur right- i didnt mean crank shaft, i meant crank pulley.
So- a heavier balanced pulley will far exceed that of a stock pulley, but a lighter balanced pulley will cause torsion vibration. Hmm.

You can talk about the required balance between the crank and the crank pulley; and I cant argue because I dont have the info (and I wont make stuff up) .. but dont talk physics with me- ive got some input there.

my point regarding each set up is different was meant to state exactly that: for some higher HP set ups a heavier crank may actually help manage the tremendous torque better while a set up closer to stock may benefit from a lighter pulley.

NO SINGLE OPTION IS OPTIMAL FOR ALL BUILDS.

a heavier pulley will put additional strain on a crank when initially spinning up just like a lighter pulley will put less but will lack the inertia to sustain power. Each set up will effect the motor differently- and will be more or less important (have an effect) depending on the independent build or set up of that motor.

I appreciate your views expressed and do believe the information you have graciously provided merit. My concern is that generalizing or making over simplified statements may be misleading. We can agree to disagree as to whether a lighter balanced pulley is unhealthy for our motor or not.

I may start a post 2 years from now saying how my pulley wrecked my motor--- or not, but for now Im at 30k and running strong.. well, except for some belt noise! LOL

Thanks again for your thoughtful input