CCCP

I am in the middle of my engine rebuild for my 85.5 na and have run into a problem. When I go to install the bearing housing for the lower balance shaft, right before it makes contact with the block, the shaft just about seizes. I can no longer spin it by hand and need to use pliers. It seems that the housing not keeping the shaft cnetered in both bearings. Has anyone run into a similar problem?

theedge

Do you have the bolts in? The lower one is really mental. If you play around with the torque on all four bolts, youll eventually find a balance between them so to speak where itll spin.

CCCP

I've been trying to give each bolt a quarter turn to slowly and evenly push the housing back against the block, still no dice. The problem is I can't make contact with the housing and block by pushing on it with my hands. So I've been using the bolts to do it. Not going so hot though.

theedge

Ok stop then, where isnt it making contact? Is it pinching the ORing? Have you rubbed some fresh oil or assembly lube on the ORing, shaft bearings (both) and the thin mylar seals? The housing should slip in without much effort, you shouldnt have to use the bolts to force the housing in.

CCCP

All seals are oiled, all bearings are lubed, I can easily push it in till there's a mm left before contact, at that point the housing will spin in place easily, just isn't easy to push further by hand. And the O-ring looks fine when I take the housing off for inspection, doesn't appear to be pinching.

ibkevin

+1

JimV8

You need to use a larger hammer.

xsboost90

are the shafts mixed up?

Perry 951

Early and late bearings are different... are you sure you have the correct bearings? I was sent the wrong set in error when I did my rebuild.

CCCP

Bearings are correct, I am reusing the old ones.

RedlineMan

Hey;

EVERYTHING has to be right for them to work, particularly the bottom one. As mentioned, the bearings must be right, the caps have to be the original ones for that engine, and they have to be on in the right direction, and the brace to the front housing/PS bracket must be torqued in proper sequence.

When you tighten everything, and then have to turn the shaft with pliers, take it back apart and inspect the bearings. You should see a wear pattern where it is binding. Study that to get some clues as to where it is binding.

I have hand fit bearings in engines where the original caps and covers were not available. I used the process I just mentioned to tell me where to relieve the back of the bearings until they fit properly. I used 00 steel wool to re-pollish the bearing after each relief so as to get a fresh mark each time I retried the fit.

PorscheDoc

I had the lower balance shaft binding up on me on my rebuild. It was fine until I would go to install the PS/front balance shaft housing, and once that was on, the shaft would seize. Turns out I had the L bracket that mounts to the front 4 bolts on the lower balance shaft cover, too far forward. Once the housing was almost seated, it would hit the L bracket, **** it off to the side a little and seize the shaft. Once I moved the L bracket back about a mm, the problem went away.

CCCP

Thank you very much. I now remember that I intalled that bracket as far forward as it would go. This has to be my problem exactly. Should all be fixed tomorow.

PorscheDoc

Yup, if you have it shoved forward, thats going to be a problem That should take care of it

RedlineMan

Yes;

Like I said, this bracket must be done in the proper manner or it throws everything off. If you tighten down the front housing without tightening down the rear bracket, and everything is fine, then you have found your problem.

I install the front housing first, then put on the rear bracket. By loosening and retightening the bracket bolts a couple of times, it usually seeks a perfect aligment, each time walking further into its proper niche.