5SFE Balance Shaft Assembly Delete

[toddub]

Greetings,

I just rebuilt my 1997 5SFE engine. After installing the engine in the car I started it up and heard a terrible shreaking sound while the engine was running. The only thing I didn't replace was the balance shaft bearings. Since the noise was comming from that area of the engine I assumed it had to be the balance shaft assembly. Sure enough, the bearings were toast.

I cut the mounting tab off the assembly that has the mount hole for the oil pickup and put everything back together. I started the engine back up and the thing runs fine as of last night.

My question is, why does the oil passage hole that went to the balancer need to be plugged up? I did not plug mine up. I have only run the engine long enough to confirm that the balancer was the problem.

Anyone that has done this delete, I would appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Todd in Shreveport

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

If you don't plug the oil feed hole for the balance shaft assembly, your oil pressure for the rest of the engine will be extremely low. Plugging this hole will increase your oil pressure considerably, maybe enough to push out the oil dipstick at higher RPM. Mine did this, and I fixed it with some heat-shrink tubing over the rubber seal of the dipstick