Detroit 12.7 Damper

I found my series 60 manual 2000 the other day and it said at major overhaul. So I think that there's not really a way to tell if it's bad or not. Mite as well get one. And keep the vibes out.

 

And there is the conundrum, how do you tell if one is bad? You can't! It is a sealed unit and you cannot tell if the silicone inside has hardened and the damper is not doing the job as it should. The only true way to tell if one has gone bad, is that you start getting engine problems because of it. And that is not the time to find out you should have probably changed the damper. But many that have a lot more experience with this kind of thing that all of us here do, recommend changing it out at around 500,000. Even those that are not trying to sell dampers. While it may be questionable if someone who has a vested interest in selling you something recommends it, it puts the picture more in focus when those that are not in the business of selling dampers recommends the same thing.

Since a damper is relatively inexpensive compared to major engine problems, I have no problem changing them out at 500,000 miles. Some argue that doing oil changes at 10,000 miles is "cheap insurance" (though I do not fall into that camp), I use that same idea when it comes to dampers. Changing it out at 500K is cheap insurance compared to forking out major bucks to repair the engine.

 

The Vibratech is a good damper. The stock OEM are ok, but I have not been convinced they are the quality of the Vibratech.