When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
They do. Most often at the rear of the housings. My upper balance shaft has been leaking for a few years, but it’s a Turbo, so I ashamedly put up wit it versus the amount of work required to replace the small o-ring to blame for the leak.
They do. Most often at the rear of the housings. My upper balance shaft has been leaking for a few years, but it’s a Turbo, so I ashamedly put up wit it versus the amount of work required to replace the small o-ring to blame for the leak.
Hmm, interesting. Mine's a turbo too so I don't want to have to get back in this far anytime soon. Can those rear o-ring be replaced without removing the entire housing?
I'm reluctant to remove the entire housing because it's one more sealing surface that I have to get exactly right or have a new leak. Clark's Garage recommends leaving them alone unless they leak, but maybe that's just because of the amount of work to get to them in the car.
Work for today will include replacing front of engine races and seals on the crank, cam, and balance shafts. Here's why you probably want to replace your races as well as the seal. The scoring, though barely noticeable to your fingernail, is where the old seal rode, so even a new seal could leak:
Oil pump gear. Interesting that this one from Paragon has a different gear profile. Same dimensions and slides right in place. Old one also scored:
The oil pickup tube seal was in terrible shape, making me think it was incorrect (just a little more evidence that this motor may have been rebuilt in the past). Old one and the new one installed:
While we're poking holes in your productivity... Oil cooler seals?
Well I haven’t tackled the oil cooler and hoses yet, but I know one of my major leaks was coming from one or both of the hoses. I plan to reseal the oil filter housing, new hoses, and I’m sure oil cooler seals.
Back to the balance shaft housings, is it routine to replace the balance shaft bearings, or can I inspect them and then decide?
Great work! I did this same thing to mine in 2016-2017 and it was such a rewarding and fun experience. Your motor will look awesome when it's all complete.
A little update here. I've decided to do the balance shaft o-rings so I've got the lower cover off at this point. You can see my new Loctite 574, which is a flange sealant. From what I understand, it is only for metal to metal surfaces, so people use it for engine case halves like a 911 or air-cooled VW motor. $22 for that little tube on Amazon.
You can also see in the photo that the oil pan is back on with a new gasket. After reading much about it, I decided to install it dry in an effort to keep it from squishing out the sides as I torqued it. I also carefully cleaned the mating surfaces and the rubber gasket with rubbing alcohol. Took for ever to tighten the bolts in multiple stages because you have to keep coming back around again as gasket compresses. Snugged first, then 6 Nm and then 8 Nm.
I've also decided to reseal the oil filter housing, so I have a kit from 944online on its way. More to come...
Progress is slow at the moment, but I've been accumulating more parts so I can go into full on assembly mode. Now that I have my balance shafts out, I keep looking at the shaft bearings. There are some light wear marks and I'm wondering if I should replace or use as is. They aren't exactly cheap (unlike everything else, haha!).
03-14-2019, 11:40 AM
