Great video, Ed. I got my upper balance shaft one tooth off using the step-by-step instructions at Pelican Parts (which is otherwise good), and got a really harsh vibration from the engine. Your trick in purposely setting the shafts one tooth off is the gold in your video. I hope I can get it done right this time.
recently had an incident where after much worry found out that the big thump after driving was not in fact the timing belt but the balance belt getting dislodged, previous owner id just bought the car from didnt tighten the bolt to 155 ft/lbs and the bolt threw out and shot the balance crank gear and the one infront of it but left the timing intact and now i know how to fix it :)
Another brillieant video Brent! What is the procedure for torqueing the balance shaft bolts? How do you hold the shaft/sprocket while tightening the bolt?
We use Loctite 574 on the bolt and the Arnworx tool to hold the sprocket. This video is ancient now but I would eventually like to redo it with better lighting, in the new show with a newly rebuilt engine. I would then go into more details. Thanks!
Good job! you should share your channel with the PCA web sight. You show the average guy how to do a Good Repair, not a hack fix.Keep the 924/944 rollin.
Great video! Just a couple questions. I just finished my timing belt/balance shaft belt job on my 83 944, and when I started up it had a supercharger sound to it. I believe it may be my balance shaft belt being too tight. What do you think?
If you installed a continental belt with the grooves in the teeth they are extremely loud belts. Even if you have those at the correct tension they will sound like a supercharger. The gates belts are the old type of belt made from older materials but much quieter. I hope that helps!
Thanks for getting back to me! I dont have grooves in the teeth of my belt, so it must be too tight. I was just wondering if i need to put it back to tdc and put a flywheel lock back on if im just retensioning the belt? Thanks again.
Shouldn’t need to set it to tdc again. You can just loosen the tensioner a tad. The belt will still make some noise but those belts shouldn’t be so loud you hear them inside with the windows up. I have the conti belt on my car and I can hear it with windows up and radio on…
Good stuff. We just changed the belts on our '87. It has the auto tensioner that I really couldn't find any good videos on but it's pretty self explanatory and read up on it at Clarks garage forum. I can turn the waterpump pulley by hand with some force so should be good, will check it again after a few miles. We left the plastic belt covers off to inspect from time-time, any problem with this?
Great video! I've never heard that about over-tightened balance shaft belts breaking the housing, but on these cars nothing would surprise me. There seems to be no end to the number of 'gotchas' in these cars.
Thanks! Yeah, google balance-shaft housing failure and look at some of the carnage. You'll notice that it usually blows out at bearings because the belt is pulling too tight on the nose of the shaft which causes the housing to explode. At least that's what I can gather from the cars I've seen with this type of failure.
Great videos, I have my 1982 944lux since last year and your tutorials really fill the gaps between the manual and the ·"real how to do it". I am trying to replace my belts, and I cannot get them to align with the factory marks for TDC... when the upper and lower balance belt shaft sprokets are aligned, the camshaft is 5 teeth out (someone marked a dot with white paint at that place...). The question is: shall I restore to factory marks or leave it as it is (as it has been running fine)? thanks
Yup, you'll have to use the factory marks! Always disregard other people's marks and remove them so no one else can use them! These cars will not run properly if the timing is even a tiny bit off. So the timing must always be checked with your own eyes to verify that the factory marks line up. As for the balance-shafts, it just takes some finesse to get them right, but when done right their marks will line up when the cam and engine point to their marks. Five teeth off are too much and can be annoying at higher rpm. I hope that helps!
@@edredas thanks so much for the feedback! I tend to change "like for like" on the assumption that if it didn't break before ot was ok(ish) butbwith your videos was clear that should not be the case at all! Cheers
On the preload for the idler on the upper run of the belt, how do you know it's 1.0mm as opposed to 0.1mm? It depends upon which way you look at it, yes?
I think either would be fine honestly. According to the diagram in the workshop manual it has a range in which it touches the belt with 1mm tension being the max.
@@edredas I just found some text separate from the diagram that clarifies that anything from 0 to 1.0mm is fine. For what this roller does, I wonder why it needs to be adjustable at all. The one for the camshaft belt isn't.
@edredas I watched the video a couple of more times to see what position you had the tensioner and I had mine turned too far out once I put the tensioner in the same position as you show in the vid I was able to get the correct gap. Thanks for the help
It’s pretty much the same idea as the eccentric. You’ll still want a gauge to make sure it isn’t setting the tension too tight. It’s easy to back the tension off with the auto tensioner. Just press on the lower part of the belt just below the cam sprocket and you’ll see the arm move down and if you lock it down you’ll see that it loosens the tension. Sometimes you only need to press on it the slightest amount to set the tension correctly. I hope that helps!
HI, Love your videos, keep them coming!! I have a 1984 944, and when installing my balance shaft belt just like you show in the video, my lower shaft is about a quarter tooth off the mark? Is this consider in time? If I just look at it, all looks good, but if I put my head in there and look at it straight on it is a little off the mark? If I move it a tooth either way it is way off the mark, could I have a bad belt? Thanks so much for all you do!
If its way off when moving the tooth back and forth then its correct. You have to look at it straight on so it might just look a tad off due to the angle when it really isn't. I hope that helps!
There's no need for the flywheel lock if you are just replacing your belts. Many times the flywheel lock will just move the flywheel off the timing mark when it engages. So the only time you really need the flywheel lock is when removing the crank bolt to replace the front main seal. I hope that helps!
Yep, I've tried a few anaerobic gasket makers over the years and while they all have their pros/cons, I keep coming back to 574. Here's a link to a video I made on resealing the balance shaft covers. I hope that helps! ruclips.net/video/ZGzHBeBjy_I/видео.html
The balance-shaft belt makes a very noticeable whining noise even when tensioned and installed correctly. However, it is much louder when the belt is tensioned too tight or the idler is misadjusted. I hope that helps!
Hey edredas i had a question on the front engine reseal kit pelican parts sell part # 10-0507-099-M260 . I am going to be doing timing and balance shaft on my 1984 944 na and upgrading to the new water pump the car seen better days after taking off the timing cover it is pretty dirty from leaking oil i just want to make sure once everything off i have all the rubber seals and what ever else should be replace. I know i will be replacing the oil pump drive sleeve as well since thats not included in that kit.
Sounds like you've got it! Just make sure you change those oil cooler seals and you should be ready to go as long as you don't spot any other leaks! I hope that helps
hey edredas got another question when i bought the car the previous owner claiming it would start to get hot. instead of just putting a thermostat and trying to trouble shoot i am doing everything timing belt balance shaft and upgrading to the new waterpump. as i wait on parts to come in the mail i just finish setting the engine to TDC and i was watching your timing belt replacement video you was turning the waterpump by hand checking for how tight the belt was well i tried turning the old waterpump that still on the car with the old belt still on and it would not move you think that could be the problem with the over heating issue
Notice when you tension the belt with the 27mm spanner you are turning clockwise, this is against usual automotive practice as the tension puts an 'undoing' force on the nut. Can you confirm what the manual says please?
Yes! It is specifically stated in the Porsche workshop manual to turn the balance-shaft tensioner clockwise! (See section 13-9) "9. Turn tensioning roller clockwise to increase tension. Turn anti-clockwise to slacken. Tighten hex nut to 45 Nm (33 ftlb)". Otherwise the belt will have too much clearance between the lower balance-shaft and the belt will hit the water pump. Thanks!
No problem! Always glad to help! It has been my experience that a tensioner always turns which ever direction it will place more area of the belt on the roller its next to... so in this case, the balance-shaft tensioner turns clockwise as to place more teeth on the lower balance shaft, while the timing belt tensioner turns 'anti-clockwise' which wraps more belt around the water pump. I hope that makes sense! I've seen tensioners on other cars with the same idea and have never come loose. I haven't really thought about them coming loose due to that until now. Thanks!
@@Jerrand Awesome! Thanks! Yeah, it was sad to hear about his passing. I remember reading his site way back when I bought my first 924S way back in 2002...
You stated verbally 1mm, I went ahead with that and set mine for 1mm, but upon video review, the print you held up shows 0.1mm, which is basically nothing, just barely touching, so I'm considering backing it off.
Ah, I see what you're saying and I should have went a little more into detail. The pre-load is measured at the top balance-shaft and is not the clearance between the belt and the idler. If you look at the diagram that I hold up you will see that raising the idler lifts the upper run of belt up from .1 like you mentioned, to 1mm at the sprocket. The text included with the illustration in the workshop manual says that it should be 1mm so that would have the roller just grazing the belt.
Thanks for your reply, on the print it looks like the 0.1mm gap lines are translated down to the idler area leading me to believe that is where they intend the measurement to be taken. In any case I currently have a 1mm arc in the belt at the idler, the engine currently runs quiet without any belt wine, should I leave it alone or back the 1mm pretension off to 0.1mm?
Yeah, the instructions are a little confusing. Basically, if you don't place the idler against the belt then the pre-load will be zero. In the instructions is says to have a pre-load of 1mm which would mean having the idler barely grazing the belt which supports the belt and raises it about 1mm up at the balance shaft... later on it says that any pre-load on the upper balance-shaft from .1mm to 1mm is acceptable... so the illustration is showing the acceptable pre-load range at the shaft. If you have a bow in the belt of 1mm then its likely too much pre-tension. I hope that helps!
I think by the late 80's sales were slumping. They had to do away with the 924 and all the other low-end models. By 1989 pretty much all the cars were fully loaded top models, perhaps due to the cheaper Japanese competition. Many of those cars were a fraction of the price with more power and amenities. I'm sure Black Monday didn't help much either causing prices to skyrocket due to the poor exchange rate. By the 1990's most of the Japanese sports cars had ended production as well, probably due to market saturation. So I think the only way they could keep going was with something fresh like the Boxster. I think today there is a strong sports car market that wasn't there in the 1990's. The AE86 is doing well and even the Supra is coming back as an example, so there could be a room for a 944 successor but those guys were pretty vocal about it. I don't think you'll see that kind of demand from the people for a new 944...
Essential classic T&T. Thx for making this whole series.
Great video, Ed. I got my upper balance shaft one tooth off using the step-by-step instructions at Pelican Parts (which is otherwise good), and got a really harsh vibration from the engine. Your trick in purposely setting the shafts one tooth off is the gold in your video. I hope I can get it done right this time.
Going to be doing both the timing belt, water pump and balance shaft belt next week. this is hugely helpful
That will help me so much! I could not find any better explainations! Thank you buddy :)
recently had an incident where after much worry found out that the big thump after driving was not in fact the timing belt but the balance belt getting dislodged, previous owner id just bought the car from didnt tighten the bolt to 155 ft/lbs and the bolt threw out and shot the balance crank gear and the one infront of it but left the timing intact and now i know how to fix it :)
Another brillieant video Brent! What is the procedure for torqueing the balance shaft bolts? How do you hold the shaft/sprocket while tightening the bolt?
We use Loctite 574 on the bolt and the Arnworx tool to hold the sprocket. This video is ancient now but I would eventually like to redo it with better lighting, in the new show with a newly rebuilt engine. I would then go into more details. Thanks!
Great detail. Will make this job much easier for me with less head scratching. Super job👍
Thanks! Good luck with your project!
Thanks for this! Wish I'd watched it before I replaced my balance shaft belt. Now to go back in and do it right!
Good job! you should share your channel with the PCA web sight. You show the average guy how to do a Good Repair, not a hack fix.Keep the 924/944 rollin.
I agree, a PCA link would be a great idea for both your channel and the PCA members!!
Great video! Just a couple questions. I just finished my timing belt/balance shaft belt job on my 83 944, and when I started up it had a supercharger sound to it. I believe it may be my balance shaft belt being too tight. What do you think?
If you installed a continental belt with the grooves in the teeth they are extremely loud belts. Even if you have those at the correct tension they will sound like a supercharger. The gates belts are the old type of belt made from older materials but much quieter. I hope that helps!
Thanks for getting back to me! I dont have grooves in the teeth of my belt, so it must be too tight. I was just wondering if i need to put it back to tdc and put a flywheel lock back on if im just retensioning the belt? Thanks again.
Shouldn’t need to set it to tdc again. You can just loosen the tensioner a tad. The belt will still make some noise but those belts shouldn’t be so loud you hear them inside with the windows up. I have the conti belt on my car and I can hear it with windows up and radio on…
Thanks for making these videos. They are super helpful!
No problem! Thanks for watching!
this video perfectly explains what to do and hopefully when i do mine i can do it as well!
Thanks! Good luck!
Good stuff. We just changed the belts on our '87. It has the auto tensioner that I really couldn't find any good videos on but it's pretty self explanatory and read up on it at Clarks garage forum. I can turn the waterpump pulley by hand with some force so should be good, will check it again after a few miles. We left the plastic belt covers off to inspect from time-time, any problem with this?
Shouldn't be an issue. Just make sure nothing gets down in there!
Great video! I've never heard that about over-tightened balance shaft belts breaking the housing, but on these cars nothing would surprise me. There seems to be no end to the number of 'gotchas' in these cars.
Thanks! Yeah, google balance-shaft housing failure and look at some of the carnage. You'll notice that it usually blows out at bearings because the belt is pulling too tight on the nose of the shaft which causes the housing to explode. At least that's what I can gather from the cars I've seen with this type of failure.
Great videos, I have my 1982 944lux since last year and your tutorials really fill the gaps between the manual and the ·"real how to do it". I am trying to replace my belts, and I cannot get them to align with the factory marks for TDC... when the upper and lower balance belt shaft sprokets are aligned, the camshaft is 5 teeth out (someone marked a dot with white paint at that place...). The question is: shall I restore to factory marks or leave it as it is (as it has been running fine)? thanks
Yup, you'll have to use the factory marks! Always disregard other people's marks and remove them so no one else can use them! These cars will not run properly if the timing is even a tiny bit off. So the timing must always be checked with your own eyes to verify that the factory marks line up. As for the balance-shafts, it just takes some finesse to get them right, but when done right their marks will line up when the cam and engine point to their marks. Five teeth off are too much and can be annoying at higher rpm. I hope that helps!
@@edredas thanks so much for the feedback! I tend to change "like for like" on the assumption that if it didn't break before ot was ok(ish) butbwith your videos was clear that should not be the case at all! Cheers
On the preload for the idler on the upper run of the belt, how do you know it's 1.0mm as opposed to 0.1mm? It depends upon which way you look at it, yes?
I think either would be fine honestly. According to the diagram in the workshop manual it has a range in which it touches the belt with 1mm tension being the max.
@@edredas I just found some text separate from the diagram that clarifies that anything from 0 to 1.0mm is fine. For what this roller does, I wonder why it needs to be adjustable at all. The one for the camshaft belt isn't.
what happens if i have the 1mm offset but have more than 0.5mm clearance under the roller?
The belt can lift off the lower balance belt at high speed and potentially cause the shaft to jump out of time.
@edredas I watched the video a couple of more times to see what position you had the tensioner and I had mine turned too far out once I put the tensioner in the same position as you show in the vid I was able to get the correct gap. Thanks for the help
Did you ever publish any tips for setting tension with the spring tensioner?
It’s pretty much the same idea as the eccentric. You’ll still want a gauge to make sure it isn’t setting the tension too tight. It’s easy to back the tension off with the auto tensioner. Just press on the lower part of the belt just below the cam sprocket and you’ll see the arm move down and if you lock it down you’ll see that it loosens the tension. Sometimes you only need to press on it the slightest amount to set the tension correctly. I hope that helps!
@@edredas yep - what I did - thank you.
HI, Love your videos, keep them coming!! I have a 1984 944, and when installing my balance shaft belt just like you show in the video, my lower shaft is about a quarter tooth off the mark? Is this consider in time? If I just look at it, all looks good, but if I put my head in there and look at it straight on it is a little off the mark? If I move it a tooth either way it is way off the mark, could I have a bad belt? Thanks so much for all you do!
If its way off when moving the tooth back and forth then its correct. You have to look at it straight on so it might just look a tad off due to the angle when it really isn't. I hope that helps!
@@edredas Thanks
Did you use the flywheel lock?
There's no need for the flywheel lock if you are just replacing your belts. Many times the flywheel lock will just move the flywheel off the timing mark when it engages. So the only time you really need the flywheel lock is when removing the crank bolt to replace the front main seal. I hope that helps!
I have an oil leak on my lower balance shaft, what gasket material would you use?
Loctite 574? Only want to do this once!!
Yep, I've tried a few anaerobic gasket makers over the years and while they all have their pros/cons, I keep coming back to 574. Here's a link to a video I made on resealing the balance shaft covers. I hope that helps! ruclips.net/video/ZGzHBeBjy_I/видео.html
at 2:29 it says to use "Loctite 574" on the balance shaft bolt, from reading, Loctite 574 is a sealant not a bolt thread locker... ?? Can you clarify?
If this is not right will you get a whining noise?
The balance-shaft belt makes a very noticeable whining noise even when tensioned and installed correctly. However, it is much louder when the belt is tensioned too tight or the idler is misadjusted. I hope that helps!
@@edredas If come down to Charlotte can you take a look at my 86 944?
Sure, just give me heads up. Thanks!
Superb
This was helpful ty
Hey edredas i had a question on the front engine reseal kit pelican parts sell part # 10-0507-099-M260 . I am going to be doing timing and balance shaft on my 1984 944 na and upgrading to the new water pump the car seen better days after taking off the timing cover it is pretty dirty from leaking oil i just want to make sure once everything off i have all the rubber seals and what ever else should be replace. I know i will be replacing the oil pump drive sleeve as well since thats not included in that kit.
Sounds like you've got it! Just make sure you change those oil cooler seals and you should be ready to go as long as you don't spot any other leaks! I hope that helps
Thanks i'll add the Oil cooler seal kit to my list
hey edredas got another question when i bought the car the previous owner claiming it would start to get hot. instead of just putting a thermostat and trying to trouble shoot i am doing everything timing belt balance shaft and upgrading to the new waterpump. as i wait on parts to come in the mail i just finish setting the engine to TDC and i was watching your timing belt replacement video you was turning the waterpump by hand checking for how tight the belt was well i tried turning the old waterpump that still on the car with the old belt still on and it would not move you think that could be the problem with the over heating issue
Could be! You'll need to check once you get the belt off, but if the water pump is seized the engine will over heat very quickly!
Notice when you tension the belt with the 27mm spanner you are turning clockwise, this is against usual automotive practice as the tension puts an 'undoing' force on the nut. Can you confirm what the manual says please?
Yes! It is specifically stated in the Porsche workshop manual to turn the balance-shaft tensioner clockwise! (See section 13-9) "9. Turn tensioning roller clockwise to increase tension. Turn anti-clockwise to slacken. Tighten hex nut to 45 Nm (33 ftlb)". Otherwise the belt will have too much clearance between the lower balance-shaft and the belt will hit the water pump. Thanks!
@@edredas thank you for clarifying this important information so quickly 😃
No problem! Always glad to help! It has been my experience that a tensioner always turns which ever direction it will place more area of the belt on the roller its next to... so in this case, the balance-shaft tensioner turns clockwise as to place more teeth on the lower balance shaft, while the timing belt tensioner turns 'anti-clockwise' which wraps more belt around the water pump. I hope that makes sense! I've seen tensioners on other cars with the same idea and have never come loose. I haven't really thought about them coming loose due to that until now. Thanks!
Where are you from @edredas???
I'm near Charlotte, NC
@@edredas That's very cool man, I live in Charlotte! Do you have a shop or work at home?
@@Jerrand Cool! I've got a small shop in the backyard. I hope to get a larger shop soon, though.
@@edredas very cool man, the community needs people like you, specially after Clark passed away!!! Im going to add you on facebook!
@@Jerrand Awesome! Thanks! Yeah, it was sad to hear about his passing. I remember reading his site way back when I bought my first 924S way back in 2002...
The Balance shaft idler pretension under the belt is .1mm (.004") not 1mm (.040") as you state, huge difference.
What I stated is straight from the factory workshop manual
You stated verbally 1mm, I went ahead with that and set mine for 1mm, but upon video review, the print you held up shows 0.1mm, which is basically nothing, just barely touching, so I'm considering backing it off.
Ah, I see what you're saying and I should have went a little more into detail. The pre-load is measured at the top balance-shaft and is not the clearance between the belt and the idler. If you look at the diagram that I hold up you will see that raising the idler lifts the upper run of belt up from .1 like you mentioned, to 1mm at the sprocket. The text included with the illustration in the workshop manual says that it should be 1mm so that would have the roller just grazing the belt.
Thanks for your reply, on the print it looks like the 0.1mm gap lines are translated down to the idler area leading me to believe that is where they intend the measurement to be taken. In any case I currently have a 1mm arc in the belt at the idler, the engine currently runs quiet without any belt wine, should I leave it alone or back the 1mm pretension off to 0.1mm?
Yeah, the instructions are a little confusing. Basically, if you don't place the idler against the belt then the pre-load will be zero. In the instructions is says to have a pre-load of 1mm which would mean having the idler barely grazing the belt which supports the belt and raises it about 1mm up at the balance shaft... later on it says that any pre-load on the upper balance-shaft from .1mm to 1mm is acceptable... so the illustration is showing the acceptable pre-load range at the shaft. If you have a bow in the belt of 1mm then its likely too much pre-tension. I hope that helps!
I don't know thy Porsche didn t do a revolution of the 924 and the 944 especially the 944 should have been updated In 2000 and beyond
a
I think by the late 80's sales were slumping. They had to do away with the 924 and all the other low-end models. By 1989 pretty much all the cars were fully loaded top models, perhaps due to the cheaper Japanese competition. Many of those cars were a fraction of the price with more power and amenities. I'm sure Black Monday didn't help much either causing prices to skyrocket due to the poor exchange rate. By the 1990's most of the Japanese sports cars had ended production as well, probably due to market saturation. So I think the only way they could keep going was with something fresh like the Boxster. I think today there is a strong sports car market that wasn't there in the 1990's. The AE86 is doing well and even the Supra is coming back as an example, so there could be a room for a 944 successor but those guys were pretty vocal about it. I don't think you'll see that kind of demand from the people for a new 944...
Porsche 968