Ok, for all the 5 speed guys:

1)What year is your car?
2)Does your tranny have that big counterweight bolted to the tailshaft?

 

1) '88
2) No clue

 

i would like to help u out, but i dont understand...

i have a 92 5speed

 

How hard is this to understand??
Some V6 5 speeds have a large counterweight/ vibration dampner bolted to the back of the tailshaft.....some don't. I want to know which ones have it and which ones don't.............................................

 

'92

Whats the purpose of the coun ter wight??

 

My guess is to reduce vibration.

Right now I don't know whether or not to use it. I have a T5 from an '85 2.8 and a T5 from an '88-'89 2.8. The '85 had the dampner; the '88-'89 did NOT have the dampner.

 

Different "weight" usage with the balances on the specific engine year flywheels.

I believe that'll account for the "weight" on tranny.
I do know my 1975 Vega had that weight. That engine shook alot!
Many early Citations had it, too. Same story.
Wasn't it discovered that some 2.8's have different balances on the flywheel?

 

I certainly don't see any harm in using the driveshaft with the dampner. The 3" aluminum driveshaft (LS1 I believe) has one just to help out in high speed vibration that is commonly found with the smaller 2 1/2" aluminum and steel driveshafts.

I know I have read somewhere about certain 5 speed V6's needing this dampner because of some specific vibration pertaining to the manual but not the automatic transmissions but I can't tell you any more than that.

 

I think the dampener would have been used until 87 or 88. After that the 2.8 was internally balanced. If you are going to a 3.4, I wouldn't use it.

 

Guys, He has already stated twice that he is talking about a dampner after the TAILSHAFT. He is not talking about the flex plate or flywheel counterweights.

 

I'm aware of that. I am saying that the counterweight may have been used on the earlier models (pre-87) due to the differences in the externally/internally balanced engines.

 

My 86 2.8 litre sport coupe has the vibration damper on it... and my black 86 z28 does not have it.... i dont know how GM determined when to use it. By the way the 86 z28 has a world class t6 and the 86 2.8 has a Non world class.. dont think it makes a difference

 

I have a 1987 Camaro 2.8L Sport Coupe and a 1989 Camaro 2.8L RS:

1987 Camaro SC:
Counterweight? Yes.

1989 Camaro RS:
Counterweight? No.

 

i do not have a counter weight...

 

yep I got that big counter weight. I think it helps to keep the trans from flopping around during shifts. When you shift hard the tail of the trans wants to lift, i just assume it makes it harder to lift. so it doe not lift as high and in return does not come crashing down as hard.

 

The weight is there to counteract the excessive vibration of certain engine harmonics at certain RPMS/Road conditions.
That is why the "specific engine balancing system" detail is important to know.
I figured after the Vega & those well known engine vibration/harmonics issues, GM would have figured it out without the weights on trannys again.

 

Ok, it seems that the dampner is directly linked to the engine being internally/externally balanced.

All the early ones have it and the later ones don't. Guess I won't be using it.....which is good i guess...that thing is frieking heavy.