On car propshaft balancing

[MD]

If you have ever been driven to desperation with a propshaft balancing problem you will know where I am coming from. Transaxle set ups are especially vulnerable to out-of-balance problems. Some people skate through with never having and issue but a good number don't.

Now, I am aware of the hose clamp methods of on car balancing which works up to a point but I would like to get a bit more techno if we can.

A little bird has told me that there is on car balancing equipment around that uses the the same technique as the on car wheel balancing method. However despite extensive Googling I have come up with a fat zip.

Anybody come across this anywhere?

[Beatle]

Technically, you could use a professional balancer of the type used to balance aircraft propellors, helicopter rotors, drive shafts etc.  But, you would have to have access to the (expensive) gear, or alternatively, pay for professional services.

I've tried to use an old Chadwick Helmuth 8500C balancer on an Alfetta driveshaft in the car, and given time I think it would work satisfactorily, but there is so much 'noise' around the propshaft that getting it perfect would be difficult.  A vibe could be in the any item spinning at the same RPM.  Engine, flywheel, front shaft, rear shaft, clutch etc.  Could be a bad bearing, bad coupling.......

If you did have the equipment though, and with experience on a few different cars, I reckon you'd soon work out what type of vibe is attributable to what component and that would enable a much faster solution to the problem.

BTW, those CH balancers are brilliant for balancing ceiling fans 

[Darryl]

I've tried to use an old Chadwick Helmuth 8500C balancer

BTW, those CH balancers are brilliant for balancing ceiling fans 

Yep best use for them.... I used to repair em.... (balancers, not fans). Not the worlds most sophisticated bit of kit - I wonder what is around now - in theory it really wouldn't take much to do a lot better at filtering/averaging out noise etc using a modern digital approach (still need the transducers though).

[MD]

Perhaps I am putting the cart before the horse but my logic tells me that if you could do the on car balance, I susepect it could factor in elements that contribute to the out of balance problem such as clutch & flywheel assemblies, the shaft(s) themselves and their components,angularities etc that would not be present when the propshaft is simply balanced on its own.

Hence the pursuit of this info and combined with some laser based aligning tools for transaxles especially would improve things immensely.

Keep digging guys..

[Darryl]

I've tried to use an old Chadwick Helmuth 8500C balancer

Not the worlds most sophisticated bit of kit

just re-reading that - I should make it clear that the lack of sophistication comment does not imply a lack of function/effectiveness - only a feeling that there is surely something more modern that applies the same basic techniques to other applications (aside from ceiling fans).