B Timing Belt

[espinelli]

hey guys, would any of you know if there would be any problems if i were to run my car without the balancer belt? (secondary timing belt).

basically, is it a problem if only one balancer(oil pump) is spinning and not the other?

i plan on removing the balancers with the $50 kit. but I'd like to save that project for the winter.

 

[Lucky13]

Not a good idea.....with only one balance shaft spinning you'll get a lot of vibration. Remove them both, or leave them alone.

 

[espinelli]

i thought the same thing....reason I ask is because my motor was running like this for some time. not sure how long though. here's what happened, i bought a new head with 15-20# springs over stock, stainless valves, port work etc. and was planning on replacing the pulleys, belts, tensioner and water pump while replacing the head.

after i started taking apart the top half of the motor and timing covers i noticed that the B-Timing belt was broken which btw looked like it was sitting behind the main belt for a awhile. yeah I couldn't believe it either. scary what could have happened if that belt would have tangled itself with the main belt.

at any rate, i'm hesitant to install the secondary timing belt because i'm afraid this will happen again. the main sprocket which the belt sits behind seems very sharp and has a rather odd shape (by design)

obviously the right thing to do would be to remove both balance shafts and install the eliminator kit. but again, i would rather save that project for the winter. are there any risks if i only have one balance shaft running? would this really cause excessive vibration? keep in mind that i didn't feel any vibration when i was driving my car not knowing i had a busted b timing belt.

 

[espinelli]

any other takers?