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Hey there, was poking around in the engine bay of my early 944 today, currently have the intake manifold off and trying to track down an oil leak. I was inspecting the seals on the AOS, I had done them a few months ago but I might just do them again to be on the safe side. I did notice this odd thing pretty close to the AOS. It rattles when I touch it and can move in and out slightly, I have no idea what it could be. Can oil leak from here? Should this part be able to rattle around and move?
Hey there, was poking around in the engine bay of my early 944 today, currently have the intake manifold off and trying to track down an oil leak. I was inspecting the seals on the AOS, I had done them a few months ago but I might just do them again to be on the safe side. I did notice this odd thing pretty close to the AOS. It rattles when I touch it and can move in and out slightly, I have no idea what it could be. Can oil leak from here? Should this part be able to rattle around and move?
That is the balance shaft housings end plug. It has a o-ring that will leak when old. The plug can move a little so thats why it rattles. New oring, no rattle/leak.
Well that was quick! Thanks a lot for that, when this leaks does it normally result in the type of leak I've got?
It will leak in that area yes. AOS seals can also be the issue. Clean the area well and dust it down with babypowder. Let the engine run and look for leaks. The powder will help make it visable. Mr Michael Mount tought me that powder trick, works well.
The o ring to replace is about a dollar. The time to replace is about 8 hours, if you remove the belts, the belt covers, the balance shaft bracket, the balance shaft cover and the plug.
A quick fix is a smear of RTV around the plug after cleaning up the oily residue. Stops leaks quick!
If you have the version that has a separate cap for the rear balance shaft bearing you could probably skip messing with the belts, though it would make cleaning the area pretty tough. Cleaning the sealing surfaces seems to be more than half the work in many cases.
wait! There’s a version that allows the rear seal of the balance shaft cover to be removed without having to remove the WHOLE cover? Really? Mind blown. Right there.
Ah bugger, was hoping to get away with not having to do all the extra work. I'm wondering why that seal is even there, does anyone know the purpose? If no oil is supposed to get through, why is the housing not just a closed bit of cast iron?
Ah bugger, was hoping to get away with not having to do all the extra work. I'm wondering why that seal is even there, does anyone know the purpose? If no oil is supposed to get through, why is the housing not just a closed bit of cast iron?
It is because they align bore the bearing surfaces with the balance shaft housing in place, and you need a hole at either end to do that.
Update for those interested - I was able to get the balance shaft cover off without taking off all the belts; lucky me! I already had the intake manifold off to do the gaskets on that anyway. Was nice and simple replacing the O-Ring which was leaking.
Nice! Next hurdle will be assembling without the front o-ring being upset. The specified sealant for the housing is Loctite 574. Possibly add a non hardening sealant at the front corners.
08-09-2023, 07:34 AM
What is this and should it rattle?
