kpfoten

Hello--

I have an '84 944 that I redid the balance shaft seals on. I used assembly lube on the bearing surfaces which all appeared good. The top balance shaft seems to spin much more freely than the bottom--I can't really spin the bottom by hand. I can feel more resistance in the bottom shaft when I spin it with a wrench compared to the top. I know everything is correct (covers, shafts, etc) for the location. I have no idea how these "felt" prior.

I guess my question is, is this normal? If they have different resistances and I re-assemble, do I risk breaking the balance shaft belt when running? This is a car I'm bringing back from the dead and found a broken balance shaft belt upon disassembly of everything.

It's been my first 944 and I've had a blast working on it thus far!

Thanks!

Kris

michaelmount123

Both shafts should spin freely by hand. Here's a couple of things to check:

1. Make sure both shafts are pulled all the way forward, otherwise they will bind on the key slot. They will be all the way forward once the key and pulleys are installed.
2. Make sure you have the bearing caps on correctly, i.e. correct end facing up. ('84 has the separate caps, right?)
3. How about the front bearings in the snouts? Are they servicable? Did you lube them?

kpfoten

Yes everything is lubed and appeared normal. I may risk it and slightly loosen cover bolts and see if I can adjust and retorque.

kpfoten

Update—when I back off on the bolts and torque to “stage one” per Clark’s Garage, the sprocket spins freely. When I torque to “stage 2” specs, the sprocket seems to tighten up but I can get it to spin by hand with a little muscle. Not as easily as the upper. ??

wildcat077

Not sure , but are there indents on the bearings where they go in a specific slot ?
You might want to pull everything out and recheck carefully ... and don't forget to use a roller and apply some Loctite 574 on the mating surfaces

Cheers
Phil

michaelmount123

It's not right if the bal shafts don't turn easily. I'm presuming you read and tried each of the three items I posted earlier.

Are your balance shafts in the rear secured by a cap? Or are the bearings in the balance shaft cover (which supercedes the earlier cap arrangement). Let me know and I'll help fix your problem.
MM

kpfoten

The rear of the cover has the oring/disc configuration and the bearings are in the cover. The sprocket is fairly snug but then if I move it with a 17mm wrench slightly, I can then spin it easily with my hand all day long. I was wondering also if the seal/Mylar ring/spacer configuration was also contributing?

I know I’ve installed everything correctly so that is why it seems unusual in comparison to the upper. I just don’t want to destroy anything when I fire this thing up.

Much thanks!

michaelmount123

I'm having trouble understanding what your issue is. Are you saying that the shaft is hard to turn initially, but then it loosens up and you can spin it by hand? I need a little more detail since this is contrary to your post #4.
You lubed the front bearing that's in the snout (front), right? It's the one piece bearing. Was it clean before you lubed it?
Did you mix up the covers? The numbers on one side of the cover must face up. They are machined in place and must be on the correct side.

kpfoten

I’ll check that out and get back to you. Thanks for this info!

kpfoten

Did you mix up the covers? The numbers on one side of the cover must face up. They are machined in place and must be on the correct side.[/QUOTE]

The lower cover part number is upright and underneath the ps bracket.