Last weekend my wife called me while I was at the track saying the '90 SSE was making a rattling noise at idle. She made it home without incident and it'* been parked since. I finally got around to looking at it tonight, and after eliminating the alternator as the source of the noise, finally figured out it'* the harmonic damper.

You may recall from last year that this is actually a '91 Park Avenue L27 that I swapped in (it'* running much better now, thanks for asking; I guess it had some internal rust to wear away. . .). Two questions: 1) Will it hurt anything to continue driving it until I can get a new one? I'm assuming it would be best not to, but. . .; and 2) I searched, but couldn't come up with a source for a cheaper part than the chain stores. I thought someone had linked an eBay source, but it didn't come up.

Thanks.

I don't think it'll hurt anything. I suppose it could put some extra wear on the belt tensioner, because of some extra vibration.

It would be best to go ahead and fix it. I drove mine @100 miles clanking like the world was coming to an end. Not a good idea. If it knocks the crank sensor out of adjustment, it will be that much more work. And if it ruins it, it'* that much more $$$. I've known people to drive one several hundred miles like that. But is it worth the risk?
Mine is a VIN C and it cost me $95. I didn't shop around, I bought the first one I found. I didn't need a holder tool, I used a pneumatic impact wrench. I didn't need a puller either. Just tap it gently with a hammer and it should pop right off.
Might be a good time to change the belt since it will be coming off anyway.

Less than a hundred miles is what I was thinking. My wife & I are going to a conference today in the north part of town, then I was going to replace it this evening. About $103 + tax at Checker.

Don't worry about the belt. I keep a close enough eye on things to know its condition.

Thanks for the feedback. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to break the crank by driving it today.

I figured out the configuration of the damper when the LN3 died last year. Took the damper with it, made the operation clear.

It will be replaced. The store didn't have the part, should be received from the warehouse tomorrow.

Yeesh, big wad of rubber on that silly thing. I sure hope mine doesn't go at all!!

This one was probably brought to an early death by the rough way it ran when I first got it running.

There was a screw-up with the warehouse order, came in a couple of days late, but finally arrived. Would have been a quick job but the SSE has an engine oil cooler, and the line fitting of the filter/cooler adapter housing sticks out in front of the damper. Removing that, the filter housing to front cover gasket broke into pieces, so I had to get a front cover gasket kit in order to get that one gasket.

The crank sensor adjustment was fine, so it'* back together and running fine & quiet again.