Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

Change 4.3 Chevy V6 balance shaft brgs WO pulling intake? ( does a special tool exist ? )

I know the bearings are cfhangeable if the intake is pulled as the bal shaft is above the cam.

Also, what tends to wear on these, the shaft or bearings? I'd be tempted to install a new shaft on the old bearings ( car lot fix )

IIRC the front bearing comes out with the cam (roller brg) and the back bushing stays in the block.

The best fix I know of is to disconnect the drive gear on the balance shaft and just let the dang thing sit there.

I agree with kwilliams, all of the early 4.3 's never had the shaft and they ran very well with no noticable shake.

There is an updated timing chain and tensioner kit for those. Might want to ask the local GM dealer if they have one. I don't know if it's available aftermarket or not. We used to do alot of them years ago, we don't see much of the older stuff at the dealership these days.

Thanks for the info. I will likely do something to stop the bal shaft from spinning. I know the gear behind the cam gear is there to space it out, the bal shaft gear might be needed to prevent the bal shaft from moving rearward. But, since it isn't spinning it might be OK ( unless it uncovers a oil passage )

Also, in the past I had one of these break all 3 cam bolts causing much noise, poor running.