I'm working on a '99 Blazer, it had the common top end rattle starting around 1500RPM's that usually means it needs a new timing chain and maybe a timing chain tensioner, but this time it didn't completely fix the rattle.
Has anyone got any experience with a balance shaft delete on this motor? Any other ideas?
For background: GM added a balance shaft to the 4.3 V6 in 1996 in an effort to reduce low RPM vibration. The balance shaft can rattle and there is a TSB to fix it which involves adding a timing belt tensioner assembly that did not come on the motor from the factory.
i'd think you could just take it out, since the 4.3 did just fine for about a decade without it.
be careful about just yankin it out of there, when I pulled the one out of my talon I had to block off some the bearings that had oil passages, I don't know about the chevy thou
In reply to 2.0dohc:
Yeah, the Honda Prelude balance shaft delete requires some plugs to stop off oil passages too, but for this motor (the Chevy 4.3 V6) I've heard that you can just remove a drive gear from the shaft and the shaft stays put. With the shaft no longer spinning you get no more rattle, but I'd like to see if anyone else on the board has tried this trick as well.
As novaderrik mentioned, this motor existed for years before they added a balance shaft, so it should work.
