Hey everyone,
I couldn't help but read on this forum that a few members advise removing the harmonic balancer belt and balance shaft from the engine, in order to decrease the rotating mass. And/or if the belt breaks, to not worry about replacing it.
I strongly caution you against doing this. The belt and shaft were intentionally placed in the block by Mitsubishi engineers, because of the very nature of four-cylinder engines.
It is difficult to produce a self-balanced 4-cylinder engine. Mitsubishi knew this, and placed the balance shaft there to prevent the gradual internal engine damage that would result without it. While your Galant may run just fine for several tens of thousands of miles without the shaft, prolonged unbalance will almost guarantee a warped/bent crankshaft and bent connecting rods. These problems will continue to get worse and worse the more you drive it, eventually causing catastrophic engine damage and failure.
In addition to shortening your engine lifespan, removing the balance shaft is hard on your engine mounts.
I was told by an ASE certified mechanic that engine destruction could occur after about 50,000 miles of unbalanced driving.
If someone can prove me wrong on this (if you've driven at least that far without it), let me know! This is just what I've been told about it. Be safe and take good care of your Galants everyone!
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