Editing Determining top dead center (section)
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===The damper=== First off, the large round hub attached to the front of the crankshaft is called a harmonic damper by some and a harmonic balancer or simply "balancer" or "damper" by others. If it is bolted to the crankshaft of an engine that is internally balanced, then it serves only the function of being a harmonic damper, dampening vibrations set up in the crankshaft as a result of the rod journal springing back and forth from the forces applied to it during operation. If it is bolted to the crankshaft of an engine that is externally balanced, then it serves the dual purpose of damper and balancer. Unless the engine has been unaltered and is "as built" by the manufacturer, you have no idea if the TDC notch on the ring matches the timing pointer attached to the block or front cover, even if the outer ring has not slipped at all. There are a multitude of different dampers and timing pointer locations on a small block Chevy. Refer to [[Timing Tabs and Damper TDC Lines SBC]] for more on them. Other engines can refer to a service manual. The whole reason for doing this operation in the first place is to be able to time the engine with a timing light and know '''''absolutely''''' that the timing is correct. The elastomeric material that connects the outer inertia ring of the harmonic damper/balancer to the inner hub of the damper/balancer which presses onto the snout of the crankshaft begins to break down over time due to ozone in the atmosphere and oil and fuel or other foreign materials which may find their way onto the material. When this happens, the outer ring may slip circumferentially in relation to the inner hub, rendering any attempt to time the engine with a timing light futile. Even though this operation you are about to do will bring the timing marks back to correct for the time being, there is no guarantee that the ring will not slip further after a while. You also have no idea if the timing pointer matched the inertia ring in the first place if the engine has been disassembled and reassembled by someone else in its lifetime. If you want to bulletproof the operation, then start with a new or rebuilt damper and use the correct timing pointer for that damper.
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