ok i have heard of people buying balancers other than the bhj can any one recomend one that is as good as the bhj or that doesnt cost 400$
As far as I know, you have 3 choices.
Stock Ford Part - around $170, pulley (and balance check) not included.
http://www.trademotion.com/partloca...bird&year=1990&catalogid=1&displayCatalogid=0
BHJ Balancer - around $360, pulley (and balance check) not included.
http://spinningwheels-sc.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=32
Dorman part - around $230, pulley included, balance check not included.
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1268603
I have fortunately not needed any of these parts so far. My opinion at this point is at follows:
Paying to get the balancing of balancer and pulley done by a machine shop may seem annoying, but it's pretty important. Even if a company guarantees that their balancer is zero-balanced, they haven't seen your pulley. So there is no guarantee that the assembly is zero-balanced.
In a perfect world, with sufficient cash in my wallet, I would get the BHJ damper. I might even go so far as to get an aluminum crank pulley to reduce rotating mass. Then I could go and get them balanced together. In reality, however, I don't have $800 to spend on this.
If I trusted Dorman quality, I would get their damper and pulley. But I don't. Their parts seem to work, but just long enough for you to sell the car. I have seen multiple parts with problems come out of that place. So I am happy to buy their window cranks, and spark plug wire clips. But I hesitate to buy their critical engine and suspension parts.
The Ford balancer has lasted 15 years for most people. If I could be guaranteed that it would last 15 years for $170, I would buy it in a heartbeat! Unfortunately, I can't be sure that the quality of this part is equal to the quality of the part they installed on the car. (This can vary a lot in certain cases. The replacement doesn't have to live through a 3-year or longer warranty.) But even with that caveat, this is not a bad price at all.
Or, there is an option that is cheaper still. This business can rebuild your damper and provide a 3-year warranty for about $140. I would strongly consider this.
http://www.damperdoctor.com/Merchan...Code=DD&Product_Code=FOR3.8&Category_Code=FOR