It's not difficult to change the damper after you've done it a few times At least once in the relationship with your car you should avoid shortcuts. Remove the radiator shroud, fan, belt and tensioner pulley to get to the damper. If the tensioner arm doesn't pivot smoothly and/or clicks as it pivots, replace it. If the tensioner arm wobbles or doesn't hold the pulley in the same plane as the other belt pulleys, replace it. If the tensioner pulley doesn't spin smoothly and/or makes any noise when spinning, replace it. If the tensioner pulley wobbles, replace it. While you're in there, if the vacuum pump doesn't have 4 screws holding the front cover, consider that it might be the type with open cam follower bearings, a poor design with the potential to fail with catastrophic effect. If you think you'll be working on the front of the engine in the future, consider the 2-piece radiator shroud which can be removed without removing the fan. It's the only shroud the dealer sells for your car. List price was a reasonable $70 3-4 years ago.

The process takes an hour's typing to explain 10 minutes of work. Check the archives for tips or ask and I'll find the time to type.

Sixto
87 300D