rhkwon

Guys, my mechanic says that there is some slight weeping from the balance shaft box. What is it and where would it be? He says not to worry about it since it's not a big deal right now.

My question is where is it and if the oil starts to drip, would it get onto any belts and destroy them? Is it a big job to do? Can/should you do it when the timing belt is done?

Thanks

rhkwon

Can somebody tell me where the balance shaft "box" is?

rhkwon

Bump. Nobody? How about if this occurs on a 944?

John_AZ

I am guessing the mechanic was referring to the balance shaft housing on the drivers side top or the passenger side lower.

The rear seal may leak or the housing bolts may leak out of the bolt holes. The repair is very time consuming. The usual side to leak is the passenger side by the exhaust manifold.

Clean the area around the leak. If it is the bolt holes you could just try to slow the leak with a little Permatex copper silicone sealer. If it is the rear seal on the housing, again, to slow the leak clean very carefully and put some silicone sealer completely around the rear seal on the outside.

GL
John_AZ

rhkwon

Thanks John. He mentioned something about it being easier to replace at the next timing belt change. From your answer, it seems fixing it would be more difficult/detailed than this?

John_AZ

If we eliminate the "balance shaft box" (housing), then the common leak is the balance shaft seals under the rollers and behind the belt guards. This is referred to as FOES-Front Of Engine Service. There is a seal kit available for the engine. Normally all the seals are replaced and not just the one that leaks.
The repair requires the front crank pullys to be removed to take the belt covers off.

The additional repair is the front crank seal & "O" ring replacement. The mechanic will inspect the oil pump sleeve (drive gear) and if there is a "groove" on the sleeve, it has to be replaced or it will eat the new seal. See: http://www.arnnworx.com/front_seals.htm

GL
John_AZ