Balance Shaft Removal Quest...

[seth98esT]

back in high school my bs belt failed on the way to school. i didn't even know what an oil filter was back then so i didn't know anything was seriously wrong. my school was just around the corner so i decided to push forward and try to make it. i did, and let me tell you, the vibration was horrible. it just felt really really really gnarly.
but keep in mind, that's with a broken balance shaft belt. the balance shaft is still there so i'm sure with a properly done balance shaft removal the vibration probably isn't as bad as it was for me.
just to finish up the story, i got the car towed, but the tow truck driver could only access the back of school, so i turned the car on and drove to the back. half way there the car stalled and shut off for good. bam. busted timing belt due to busted balance shaft belt.
it was dumb, yeah, but i didn't know anything.

The vibration was horrible because you had one balance shaft spinning and one dead in the water :P

The elimantion removes both shafts, the vibration is very tolerable.

[DOHCstunr]

The vibration was horrible because you had one balance shaft spinning and one dead in the water :P

The elimantion removes both shafts, the vibration is very tolerable.

yeah having only one spinning shaft actually increass vibration.
the two workign together eliminates it,
or no balance shafts just leaves you with what little viration there is.

yeah the vibration isnt' anythign liek warped rotors or a bad motor mount.
its a very very high frequency vibration.
think about yoru girlfriends dildo. high frequency vibrations like that, but without any shaking, or self gratification.

i shit you not,
after a few days of driving it.
you will forget all about it.

the vibration is so very minimal.

you will only feel it at idle and between 3200 and 3800 rpms. you will only feel it in the steering wheel, and it will be so very tolerable.

you Will notice quicker revs.
you WILL notice a lighter throttle(meaning the engine revs free-er)
you will notice better throttle responce
timing belts changes will be much easier, and take less time.
you will have more oil pressure

do it.
i've done it
cali has done it
seth has doen it
brian has done it
sabzi has done it
do you hear us complaining?

[seth98esT]

Come to think of it, when riding in your car John, I didnt notice any vibration at all. Only in mine because I have the prothane motor mount inserts.

I miss my car so much. Right now Im driving my roomies 2000 Jetta VR6, this thing is a turd! It revs so so so slow! My car felt extremely smooth compared to this car. The clutch also engages weird ... and there are no cup holders .... and the seats dont hold you at all. But at least the check engine light is on, makes me feel like I am at home

[bmxmike]

What all is involved in removing the balance shaft? Can you do it while the engine is still in the car or is it easier to remove the engine?

[bronxbombr]

SBR has the balance shaft removal kit

[seth98esT]

You can do it with the engine in the car, thats how I did mine. There are a lot of steps in doing it, may as well wait untill you have to change the timing belt though as you will have to take off the belt and the timing belt cover and everything else to remove the shafts.

http://www.vfaq.com/mods/balance-shafts.html

[Cali]

i thought about it long and hard before doing mine... i read all kinds of opinions, thoughts, etc..

defitnetly don't regret it. yes, there is some increased vibrations but like seth and DOCHstunr said, it's a very high frequency type of vibration and it's mostly at idle.

oddly enough, for me at least, i dont feel any vibrations even between 3k-4k. it's only at idle. maybe this has to do with the fact i have a stroker but i would have imagined it would have been worse?

after a few days you really get used to it and dont mind. from what i've read i wouldn't buy the kits most shops sell. get the genuine parts from Mitsu, especially the shaft stubby. (most shop kits don't have have the oiling grove on them). just go in with the parts numbers (they're floating around online) and order them comes out about the same or cheaper.

i am interested to see what the long term affects will be but i feel for the more involved enthusiast it's defitnetly something worth doing, ESPECIALLY if the motor is out already; makes it a whole lot easier.

[DOHCstunr]

word cali.

slowboy sells the oem parts. my stubby came in a mitsu baggie with the part # and everything.
only cost 12 bucks.

in addition to what i said earlier. its just like how your exhaust makes vibrations.
if you have a loud muffler, you will notice that your rearview mirror will blur.
and at certain throttle postitions the harmonics of the muffler cause high frequency vibrations in cabin.
same deal form the b/s delete.

[microgalant]

do it.
i've done it
cali has done it
seth has doen it
brian has done it
sabzi has done it
do you hear us complaining?

I've done it also,well it vibrate,but not a big deal, but this week i'm getting my engine mounts inserts.to help keep teh engine stiffer.
I know two guys here that their 4g63 engine was fucked up by the balance shaft that broke
The balance shaft belt of my car has broke twice,and slice the crank sensor wire.so i eliminate it.best thing to do!

[evil-G-nius]

Yeah I am not complaining either! If you adjust the idle settings as well, you can virtually eliminate the vibration. Thats what I did and as everyone has said...very very tolerable. No one will be disappointed in doing this. If you are...stop modding your car now! lol

[DOHCstunr]

the cool thing is...
8g guys can do this too

[manybrews]

I hate it.
'nuff said.

[bronxbombr]

I see lots of pros and cons on this, I better chill out and weigh my options again

[4-G-rim]

You can go on all day getting opinions of the pros and cons of removing your balance shafts from anyone who has done or anyone who doesn't want to do it. I did research and got opinions from those that have done it before I made a decision if I should or not.

The balance shafts are removed on the JDM "RS" 4G63 in my Galant VR4 and from everyone here who has posted their personal experiences with eliminated BS's its very tolerable and most cases unnoticable. I only really notice it is during idle and lower RPM's ...but I also have to take into consideration that my motor mounts a poly filled and I have a lumpy idle. Once I get the motor going it runs butter smooth I feel no noticable vibrations at all. One thing you do notice is that the motor is a bit more free spirited revving through its powerband...due most likely to less rotating mass it has to spin.

I am removing the balance shafts on the new motor I am building for -G-rim...the personal experiences of eliminating them has convinced me to.

-Its tolerable
-You eliminate the possibility of a BS belt failure
-Its inexpensive
-MANY have done it with no documented failures

So yeah...I recommened to do it.

[bronxbombr]

I'm still thinking.

[manybrews]

the amplitude of the vibration increases 5 fold.
the engine is not internally balanced, so it vibrates a bit more than most 4 cylinders without shafts.
I can hear/feel the vibrations just standing next to a car with them missing.

so my 2 cents is that they are the best thing to ever happen to engines. keeping in mind that nearly everyone now uses balance shafts somewhere in their engine lines.. most 4 cylinders, many 6 cylinders... hell, even some 10 cylinders. My yamaha motorcycle had one!
Mitsu pioneered the balance shaft in 1971... and they dont fail unless neglected (like any internal engine part).


there.. Ive said what I wanted to say.

[bronxbombr]

and yes you have said it.

[4-G-rim]

the amplitude of the vibration increases 5 fold.
the engine is not internally balanced, so it vibrates a bit more than most 4 cylinders without shafts.
I can hear/feel the vibrations just standing next to a car with them missing.

so my 2 cents is that they are the best thing to ever happen to engines. keeping in mind that nearly everyone now uses balance shafts somewhere in their engine lines.. most 4 cylinders, many 6 cylinders... hell, even some 10 cylinders. My yamaha motorcycle had one!
Mitsu pioneered the balance shaft in 1971... and they dont fail unless neglected (like any internal engine part).
there.. Ive said what I wanted to say.

We are not all against you Manybrews 8-) ...I personally understand and agree to your point. Its just those that choose to remove them is because of the benefit of what it does and 99% of those that eliminate their BS don't mind sacraficing the benefits of why the balance shafts were there in the 1st place. With them on or eliminated...I am not biased either way, its just personal preference.

[bronxbombr]

i see both the pros and cons, its really up to the driver. Maybe a poll is in order.

[bmxmike]

Well i drove two cars today (both galants) one with the balance and one without. Really you cant even feel the vibration i noticed once that the mirror started to vibrate, but it didnt do it very hard. The car without the shafts seemed to pick up a lil bit faster off the line i mean it wasnt dramatic, but you could feel it right after driving the other.