Nissan Repair: 94 altima gxe manual trans. cv halfshaft issue, cv driveshaft, vibration damper

Question
I am trying to replace both my front cv halfshafts on my 94 nissan altima (manual transmission, w/o abs and w/ non locking diff. )because the joints are clicking on both sides..well i bought the part and when i went to replace it i noticed the halfshaft on there has the vibration damper on it and the new one didnt so i didnt replace it and got my money back. A local tech told me that the vibration damper is not necessary and i could of put the one on there without it but what was the reason it was there andwhat will happen if i put one on there that doesnt have it...thanks!

Answer
Davina,

The mass on the CV driveshaft is for both anti-vibration as well as to aid in reduction in torque steer.  The driveshafts are different lengths and the short one drives first and the long one torsionally loads and then unloads.  Check this out when you take off by lightly holding the wheel and see how the car darts to the left and then back to the right.  Even with the mass the car still has torque steer.  But, the thing you would be interested in is the reduction in vibration.  I would get one with the mass attached.