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Re: balance shaft question Posted by bryan [Email]  (#542)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from bryan) on Wed, 21 Nov 2001 21:57:15
In Reply to: balance shaft question, kim, Wed, 21 Nov 2001 19:15:25 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
most likely you're safe! the balance shaft failures you hear about are usually associated with earlier (92 and previous) 2.3's.
Assuming your car is of reasonable mileage and has had good maintenance, namely regular oil changes, you should have little to fear. If it's history is somewhat suspect, you're probably still OK assuming you have been taking of it since possession.
I don't really know if there is a way to tell externally, you would think that a chain/gear combo that is about to fail would make some noticeable noise, but that seems counter to reports posted of what it's like when the chains let go and swing thru the front of your engine (now THAT I bet you can hear).
I have a 1992 9KT that failed a head gasket at 115K, and while the head was off I figured I would do the timing and balance chains to put my mind at ease, since I too had gathered that it was/is a weak link in the engine. The car I bought at 107K was pretty badly abused and not maintained particularly well, so I was expecting the worst when taking it apart. In reality, the timing components were worn but with good oil looked like they could have gone at least another 75K, and of the balance drive components only the crank gear was noticeably worn, and it also had some considerable life in it as well.
If you know the history of the car and it's good, then I wouldn't worry about balance chain failures. Just make sure to keep your oil fresh and full. Townsend recommends on the 2.0's at least to keep the oil slightly overfilled, i.e. juuuuust past the 'full' mark on the dipstick, this will provide for better oiling of the timing components in general. Don't recall specifically if they say the same thing for 2.3's, but IMO it's a good thing to follow for all DOHC 16V engines.
posted by 64.156.2...
, Wed, 21 Nov 2001 21:57:15 <-- Viewing This Message
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