I would replace gaskets and do the timing components. Most people do balance shaft delete. As for reliability the motor your getting have you heard it run? A used motor is only as good as the word from the guy you buy it from. There is to many unknown factors. But ask if he can a do compression check and while he is doing gaskets check internals as best as possible.

I don't know what mechanic you took it to but up in Plainwell Force Engineering Tyler does a really nice job there. Just a friendly shout out.

I would replace the gaskets and timing belts and related components at the very least. The balance shaft delete is on you, the engine will never be as vibration free with them gone but if you plan to rev it past 7k rpm then its best to rid yourself of them for reliability reasons.

Remove them it's one less thing to break some still run them but I don't.

I would delete the balance shafts. Nothing worse then the balance shaft belt breaking and going through the timing belt.

If your engine runs fine, I would not bother eliminating the balance shafts. I would only even consider the BSE if I was rebuilding the motor. There is a large amount of work to perform the BSE. You will find a difference of opinion on this matter. Many delete it to get rid of one more belt. If you are good at routine maintenance and the proper installation procedure for the timing and balance shaft belts with quality replacements, there is little fear of it snapping. There are no real performance gains from doing this job.

Here is a good read:
http://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/keep-your-balance-shafts

I had one snap once didn't do any other damage but I wasn't going to chance it especially when after market valves are in the mix and pulling a head.

What's far more important, is using OEM or gates kevlar belts.

I don't mean to sound pretentious, but if someone else is doing the work for you then, you should just stay stock as possible.

Just buy a top end gasket set and dayco (OEM) or gates timing and balance shaft belts from rock auto. Gates water pumps have worked fine for me, but many swear by OEM.

Dayco bels were'nt stock on the Dsm's, Mitsuboshi belts came stock, when the OEM belt was out of stock the only belt that they used to allow to be used while under warranty was Gates, that is telling.

if its staying mostly stock, id keep the BS's. if you plan on putting some nuts to it, i may recommend getting an AMS style shaft to support the oil pump more (this is heavily debated, but im a supporter of, well, more support). this can actually be done cheap by turning down a stock BS to a straight shaft (what i did, cost me $25)

once replaced and done correctly, BS's should be good for a long time, especially if you don't have any oil leaks to deteriorate the belt.

I would definitely replace all the timing belt components and anything else that looks like it might need to be replaced in the near future now that the motor is out. As for the BSE I removed mine but then again I was doing a complete rebuild. If you could remove it I would but that is just personal preference.

I did a balance shaft delete on mine. Deleting it just gives you one less thing that could break. That's how I look at it atleast.

If it's a daily driver keep the balance shafts.

Gasket kit 3G lifters kiggly HLA oil pressure regulator delete the balance shafs with a oem Mitsubishi kit

I daily drive mine without balance shafts. I don't see how you lose reliability if you remove them. My car is still stock and the feel of the vibrations never changed after the delete.

I'll always delete mine after the stupid belt destroyed my motor. All my parts where fresh and oem belts. Mine shredded somehow and knocked the timing off. Granted I was pushing over 350hp and racing a lot. Mine broke on the track right as I was shifting into 3rd. If your stock you shouldn't worry about it. But anyone pushing the car and Hp I would consider deleting. I also didn't notice any vibration change.

If given the opportunity you should delete the balance shafts. I don't give a shit what anybody says, there's literally zero reason to keep them.

^^^^
That's what I've always thought. I assumed it was a given to get rid of them if your motor was already out. Some say that vibration is a reprucussion, but I've never felt it. Even if you do feel it every once in a while isn't it worth having the peace of mind that you won't have to take your motor out to fix something you don't need and should've done away with the first time????

Keep the belt if you're planning to keep the car under 300whp.

I prefer to keep them and keep my car original. I always plan to run my t25 and I've put 12k miles on her this year.

To me deleting the belts makes sense if you have to pull the motor. If I'm pulling it out I'm also going through it with a comb. But if it's a stockish car I prefer balance shaft belt replaced and installed.

I've seen three motors with high miles lose the balance shaft bearings those thing spin very high rpms more then motor the bearings go out. Now that u read people say yes or no and what jacks trans has to say. If you do it its ok do it right with oem no ebay garbage. If you keep them change out bearings on bs if there stock .

K....noob here....especially on the mechanical side of these DSM's....i can do wear and tare and conversions but this whole BS delete or not to delete has got my paranoia up and brain boggled....

I have a 97 420a....is the BS Belt still a concern? I also only have this car as a showcar project, very minimal driving, not looking to EVER make big power....with that being said i dont want to blow the motor and sink money into a rebuild or end up putting a 4g into it....this is kinda contradictory but id rather do a delete/rebuild on the 420a and ensure im not gonna F the motor up completely which would leave me with a large garage art floor model....anyone got a detailed explaination of how its done or atleast how involved it is?

Thanks in advance

You'll never have to worry because the 420A doesn't have balance shafts.

luv2rallye said:

You'll never have to worry because the 420A doesn't have balance shafts.

Click to expand...

Whew, thanks ....probably doesnt put out enough power

This debate has been hashed out to death over the years, and the "muddy physics" put out there a few years back only served to set the discussion back.

--Removing Balance Shafts Risk: Increasing vibration. You can either have it be completely unnoticeable to VERY annoying. Most times it is unnoticeable to slightly noticed. On rare occasions it can be severe. It all depends on the condition/balancing of the particular engine you're working on. Softer mounts will absorb some of the felt vibrations.

--Keeping Balance Shafts Risk: Destroying your engine. These cars have been long known to seize the balance shafts alarmingly often, and taking the timing belt out with them. This is in cars anywhere from stock and daily driven, to higher power/higher revving cars.

--Many In-Line 4 cylinders came/come without them. Including the 4G61T in the turbo Mirages, etc. which is where the factory oil pump shaft we use today comes from.

--The GSC, etc., oil pump shaft helps support the load, but this mostly saves people from themselves when they over-tighten the timing belt. I've never killed a factory stub-shaft/oil pump in the 25 years of owning these cars, and I can't remember at this point how many I've owned, much less how many others I've deleted the shafts from. I'm sure someone has, but you need to remove the people who have done so by setting the initial belt tension too high. This is usually indicated by stories of people saying "I only had XXX miles on my setup, never abused it, and my *factory* oil pump stub shaft seized in the oil pump".

--If you're having them re-seal the engine, including the oil pan and front cover, then you're already 75% of the way to removing them.

No one can make this decision for you. You have to independently weigh the factors above and then pick your poison.