balance shafts

[dave c]

Has anyone took the balance shaft and turned it down on a lathe , removed the other bal shaft, and had good luck with the results?

 

[babell2]

Just a couple questions. Why would you want to do that? Is there an advantage to leaving one in?

 

[dave c]

I have read where you can eliminate the chance for the bal shaft belt to break causing major trouble, also it frees up some HP

 

[babell2]

That would be Balance shaft elimination. I have done this with my engine rebuild. You don't have to do lathe work to get it done. I just cut mine off with a hack saw and welded up the hole. Other people have got a tap and tapped the hole deeper and blocked the passage with a longer bolt. Drive out the bearings for the front shaft and reinstall them with the oil holes blocked and its done. check the VFAQ @ http://www.vfaq.com/mods/balance-shafts.html

 

[dave c]

I am leaving the bal shaft on the oil pump, it helps to support the pump at Higher rpms, I cut the weight off the shaft , so all it does is spin.

 

[babell2]

When you disassemble the pump look at the shaft. There is a 3/8" or longer shaft left in the inner housing to support the pump gears. I feel the extra length of shaft would whip and possibly cause more problems than it was worth. A simple cut and plug gives more bearing surface than the outer case uses. Just my $.02

 

[RamenPride]

Another mod some people have been doing (being more paranoid than even me) for very high revving engines is a modified rear balance shaft. They basically chuck the rear shaft in a lathe and cut the balance weight off of the shaft. The advantage to doing this is that the oilpump shaft is fully supported in the oilpump case and farther back in the block. Personally, I don't think this is necessary for the average DSMer, but if you plan on winding your engine above 8000rpm, it might be something to consider.

 

[SRiz]

i bought a stubby shaft and accidentally stripped a screw on the oil pump...(the one that the rear balence shaft connects too) just wondering on a 2g is there a way to get the shaft in with out takeing off the oil pump?

 

[kicker91laser]

i bought a stubby shaft and accidentally stripped a screw on the oil pump...(the one that the rear balence shaft connects too) just wondering on a 2g is there a way to get the shaft in with out takeing off the oil pump?

Not if you balance shaft is still in there.

 

[SRiz]

so is this quote wrong??? apparently 2gs are different than 1gs... any 2gs do rear balence removal w/o removing oil pump? heres quote

For the rear balance shaft it only shows you how to remove the shaft from the oil pump, which is very different on a 2g than the 1g shown in the vfaq (theres no need to remove oil pump from cover to remove balance shaft and install the stub, you just have to unscrew the cap on the oil pump side and loosen the bolt holding the shaft, then replace with stub and bolt back on the put cap back on also).

 

[CyberEye]

Just go to a mitsu dealership and buy the stubby shaft, save yourselft the hassle of turning it down on a lathe, or cutting it up with a hacksaw, it's under 20 bucks. Take the front one out, put new bearing in and put in the colt plug. Take the rear one out, put new bearing in and replace with stubby shaft.

 

[SRiz]

i have subby.. i just need to know if you HAVE to take apart the oil pump on a 2g to get to stock rear balence shaft?

 

[CyberEye]

i have subby.. i just need to know if you HAVE to take apart the oil pump on a 2g to get to stock rear balence shaft?

I got lazy/decided to save my sanity and let a shop do mine

 

[sjgYFZ200]

Just snip the belt off the front balancing shaft and call it a day. I guarntee you people on here will disagree, but its completely fine. I left them both in, just cut the front belt off so there is no chance of it snapping and taking out the T belt.

 

[SRiz]

the previous owner tried that and it spun the rear bearing and almost complety went though my block i wouldnt suggest it!

 

[kicker91laser]

Just snip the belt off the front balancing shaft and call it a day. I guarntee you people on here will disagree, but its completely fine. I left them both in, just cut the front belt off so there is no chance of it snapping and taking out the T belt.

Do not do this

 

[CyberEye]

Do a search, you'll find more people agreeing with cutting the belt then disagreeing. While I recommend doing it the right way, cutting the belt can be a TEMPORARY fix untill you have time/money to do it properly.
Hell, when I had mine done, the belt was already broken in half and was just laying down there. Bloody lucky it decided not to take out the T-belt

 

[thegreatms]

you'll find more people agreeing with cutting the belt then disagreeing.

Not so sure about that. I think more people would disagree; i sure wouldn't only cut the belt.

 

[boostedinaz]

There are two balance shafts for a reason, they work inconjunction to reduce vibration. If you were to cut just one it will cause more vibration than if they both worked or were both removed. This isnt recommended, but if half ass is method people like so be it.

Here is a thread about the cut down shaft and how one was made.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183505

I have tried to find a company that already makes them for a few bucks, but I have had no luck. I know they exist becasue i saw the site, but now I cant find so if someone knows toss the info my way please. As far as the stub shaft VS the milled shaft I would go with the milled shaft. There is alot of stress put on the gears in the oil pump and if they arent supported they can wear prematurly or fail. I sure wouldnt want my oil pump to fail and cash out my new motor. On the flip side I think that at most power levels and RPM range that a majority of DSMers run through I think a stub shaft would be ok, but the milled shaft would be better.

 

[SRiz]

it says in the VFAQ to "Pack the gears and space in the rear cover with grease " so do I just put some vasoline inbetween the gears and between pump and front oil cover??to prime it right?

 

[kicker91laser]

it says in the VFAQ to "Pack the gears and space in the rear cover with grease " so do I just put some vasoline inbetween the gears and between pump and front oil cover??to prime it right?

Yep, use vasoline, that way it will heat up and melt, some "grease" like the vfaq says has a very high temp rating and will not melt. I have done this with vasoline and it works very good

 

[DSMJim]

Here is a thread about the cut down shaft and how one was made.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183505

Thanks for posting up that link for me. Here are the pics if your too lazy to click on it however.

Here is what I did.

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The other balance shaft is gone as you can see the new turned down one is there to support the oil pump. It now weighs next to nothing vs. how it used to be. I bought a stubby shaft and opted to do this in the end honestly.

 

[kicker91laser]

Thats a good idea, the only downside is that you still have that bearing that is put at risk to lock up. Then again, taking the counter-balance off of the shaft probably almost eliminates that problem.