Are OEM motors internal or externally balanced

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:confused:
I have been told conflicting answers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:mad:
 
TTT guy...

The balancing process for a Buick V6 is pretty much the same as any other engine. The weights of the piston, rings, wrist pin, connecting rods and rod bearings are established and the values are written on a bobweight card. Bobweights are calculated using a formula unique to an even-fire 90* V6 and then attached to the recipient crankshaft. A computer balancing machine then tells you where to add or remove material from the crankshaft counterweights. The Buick Turbo V6 is an externally balanced assembly so the crankshaft must have the proper damper and flexplate attached to achieve a vibration-free balance.

More info is here on exactly how to do this:
http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/tech/0205gmhtp_buick/

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
TTT GUY

I recently had a tranny rebuilt locally at a shop that has been dealing with a reputable tranny supplier and purchased all of the parts form him. The supplier is highly recommended on this site and my shop used all of the part from the supplier. The local shop has done dozens of turbo buicks and typhoons trannies and was recommended by the buick club members here.
I purchased an after market flex plate and converter from the supplier, the best parts. I was told by the tranny parts supplier that the stock (I.E. OEM) motors are internally balanced. He sold me a flex plate that is for internally balanced motors. My car had an irritating vibration when I picked it up from the local tranny shop. My shop owner contacted the supplier and was told to replace the motor mounts and tranny mount. The shop did the tranny mount free of charge and I did the motor mounts. I had a local guru that knows how to tune the turbo buicks give me a hand tuning with direct scan and the motor is now dialed in according to SM. I still have the vibration. This is why I am posting this thread. I have spent tons of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
And now have a vibration issue. I am concerned about my rear main bearing and seal not to mention my interior coming apart. I contacted the supplier today and he still says that the OEM motors are internally balanced and that the stage two motors are the only ones that are externally balanced?????? So I am not an expert on these motors by any means.
It appears that they are externally balanced by the previous threads. I am just trying to fix my vibration issues. But the supplier is convinced that they are internally??????
Help out here guys please no more flames. Just the facts. HELP!
Thanks
 
He is insane.

Buick V-6 motors always have been externally balanced from the factory. I have seen a stock block Buick that was internally balanced, but it was made to be that way, not from the factory.

Tell him to go read the damn manuals, or just look at a freaking stock crank, balancer, and flywheel. If he can't figure THAT $hit out, figure out if he can fog a mirror at least, because he has issues that a higher life-form shouldnt' be having with stupidity.
 
Look here, about halfway down the page:

http://www.precisionte.com/cgi-local/store/commerce.cgi?product=buickengine&cart_id=935463.21464867

Precision sells SFI balancers and hubs and notes that ext. balance is for stock setups and internal balance is for the billet (i.e., S2) stuff. The pictures don't help much since they're generic. If you go look at a stock flywheel you'll notice a couple of the big holes aren't cut all the way out; look at the back side of a stock balancer and you'll see there's more material on one side than the other. These are the weights for the external balance.
 
Here I go agian!
I spoke to the supplier last week and he states that we are all wrong and that the motors are internally balanced. I spoke to a couple of locals and so did my tranny shop owner everyone we have asked said external. The supplier still sticks to his guns that the motors are int. He has sold thousands of them????? The supplier asked me to put my stock flywheel back in and if solves the problem then he will send the ext FW. I told him that I wanted the ext FW shipped that day since I didn't want to have to pull tranny twice. Not to mention it has been below freezing here. I also do not feel that I need to do all of this labor resulting from his mistake. I told him that I was positive that the internal fw is the wrong one and to send the ex fw and I would mail back the wrong one. He agreed to do it.
Then I get a call form my tranny shop owner and he said he just got off the phone with the supplier and after trying to beat a dead horse, gave up and agreed to put the stock fw in to see if resolves the vibrations. The supplier said the he would overnight the ex fw if it resolves the problem. Now keep in mind that this is the supplier’s mistake not the shops nor mine. The shop owner has gone way beyond his realm of obligation. Well he put the stock fw in and said that the car was smooth as glass he then called the supplier to overnight the fw. The shop owner asked me to call to confirm that the ex fw was coming since my car was half apart and tying up a bay.
I called the supplier and left THREE messages and no return call. I asked his receptionist if my ex fw went out overnight as he said it would. She replied NO! I have just about had it at this point I and my shop owner have been though enough bull$hit. A lot of time! Time that was from someone elses mistake not ours. I spent to much $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to be put through this over a $200 flywheel!!!!!!!!!
Well ht shop owner called him again today and asked if the ex fw went out last night. He said no and that he had contacted two engine builders that said they are int balanced. He then asked my shop owner to take the wrong new int fw to a local machine shop to have it balanced????????????????
I am think now what in the hell is going on here? I asked to have the correct one shipped last week and all I get is this go do this go do that, well try this now, well put the stock one to see if it works then I’ll send you the one you want.
I spent over $2k in just PARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not to mention the labor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why can’t I have the correct $200 ex fw? I have spent way too much time between try this and trying that and taking it to the shop three times after the install for something that the supplier messed up on. The shop has spent tons of time also. Not to mention the shop is on the other side of town. Damn this pisses me OFF.
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
 
I am this idiot!

I think we are confused about the definition of ext balance.
On a 231 motor they REMOVE weight to balance, very little at that.
On an ext balance motor there is a hugh counterweight like a 454 chevy.

How many of you have a 5 inch X2 inch wide weight on the flexplate?
this is the problem we are discussing. Stock flexplates have no weight on them.

I think we both "mean" the same thing just describing it different. Like the flexplate for Kendalls stage @ It takes the weighted flexplate. Like Reggie West's car and so on. Stage 2 use the flexplate with the weight. Stock blocks do not.
If I am wrong here, please inform me. I talked to several engine builders today and they all said no weight on flexplate.

My own car has the no weight flexplate.

so again I ask, How many of you with a stock block have this Hugh Counter weight on the flexplate?


And BTW it left 15 minutes ago Track # 1z784w321340683397

Tim and I talked about this.


LATER....that afternoon
I talked to JW and they are now admitting they were wrong. I sent what I was told and I now believe after talking with Lonnie that maybe the weight will work.

I was basing my opinion and my experiance with what JW was selling and saying. I am shocked and would like to know for sure what the answer is. However, I now believe the flexplate is a problem the way they said.

Other than trying to solve a problem than just to throw parts at it , I elected to try to solve the problem. With this there was a delay. Other than frustration, and incorrect info from the manufacturer, nothing lost. I am sorry and you are welcome to flame the living shiit out of me. I was just trying to solve rather than guess. Flame me if you wish, but the customer 's best interest was in mind.

Hey, even Einstein was wrong from time to time...:eek:
Bruce
WE4
 
Internally balanced means,

You can balance all the engines INTERNAL parts individually and have a balanced reciprocating mass.

An EXTERNALLY BALANCED engine means you have to have the front balancer, flexplate/flywheel, or an addition item added to achieve balance.

A production 3.8 as used in the Late GNs are INTERNALLY BALANCED.

350 SBC is internally balanced, a 400 SBC is externally balanced since to have to add the flywheel end counterweight to acheive balance.

You can balance a GN crank all by it's self, ie you have to have bob weights, but you don't HAVE to have the flexplate and balancer on to balance it.

Reading pages 82 and 83, of the Power Book, will illuminate all the details of doing a 36 or 50% bob weight for balancing. and all the finer points. BTW, is also mentions being Internally Balanced.
 
In or out.. 1 more time!

Production engines are EXTERNALLY balanced. EVERY stage 2 I've EVER seen is internally balanced.. This allows for acessories to be moved from engine to engine without a re-balance...
The meaning of this is:
Per the BUICK performance manual, "the production v-6 engines are balanced as a complete assy, so when changing con rod, crank, piston,FLYWHEEL, or balancer, you must rebalance the engine."

The above statement means that the components are specific to that assy, and as such contribute to the balance of the engine.
Having said that, I looked at the flywheel and balancer in my shop.[86GN, prod. engine]
The flywheel DOES NOT have external wts on it. It has a series of 6 cutouts and a couple smaller holes in it. The circle of 6 has 3 that are cut out completely and the opposing 3 are cresent shaped slots. This puts the wheel w/ an OFFSET of wt to the cresent side.
The harmonic balancer has a rather LARGE wt cast on ONE side. This puts the balancer w/ an OFFSET of wt to 1 side.
Therefore: the balancer, the flywheel, the crank and the bobwts have to be spun as an assy.[That's why the flywheel is drilled off location on 1 hole and the balancer has a key in it..
With an engine that is INTERNALLY balanced, the accessories such as the flywheel and harmonic balancer, are NEUTRAL or ZERO balanced, INDEPENDENT of the crank.
The crank alone is balanced w/ the bobwts.

Make sense??
As for the wrong wheel on an engine, a good way to make your car into your GF's "bestest friend".. a 3700# VIBRATOR!!!:D :D
 
Re: In or out.. 1 more time!

Originally posted by Chuck Leeper
Production engines are EXTERNALLY balanced. EVERY stage 2 I've EVER seen is internally balanced.. This allows for acessories to be moved from engine to engine without a re-balance...
The meaning of this is:
Per the BUICK performance manual, "the production v-6 engines are balanced as a complete assy, so when changing con rod, crank, piston,FLYWHEEL, or balancer, you must rebalance the engine."

The above statement means that the components are specific to that assy, and as such contribute to the balance of the engine.
Having said that, I looked at the flywheel and balancer in my shop.[86GN, prod. engine]
The flywheel DOES NOT have external wts on it. It has a series of 6 cutouts and a couple smaller holes in it. The circle of 6 has 3 that are cut out completely and the opposing 3 are cresent shaped slots. This puts the wheel w/ an OFFSET of wt to the cresent side.
The harmonic balancer has a rather LARGE wt cast on ONE side. This puts the balancer w/ an OFFSET of wt to 1 side.
Therefore: the balancer, the flywheel, the crank and the bobwts have to be spun as an assy.[That's why the flywheel is drilled off location on 1 hole and the balancer has a key in it..
With an engine that is INTERNALLY balanced, the accessories such as the flywheel and harmonic balancer, are NEUTRAL or ZERO balanced, INDEPENDENT of the crank.
The crank alone is balanced w/ the bobwts.

Make sense??
As for the wrong wheel on an engine, a good way to make your car into your GF's "bestest friend".. a 3700# VIBRATOR!!!:D :D


While balanced as an assembly means it's balanced as an assembly that doesn't mean anything about being internally or externally balanced.

Feel free to read the Power Book.
Also, on page 86 they show a modified flexplate with the holes opened up for heavy duty use. On page 88 they show a Buick Heavy Duty Dampener and it has no offsets.

Sevice manuals are designed for gerbles to be able to understand.

Easy to confuse and blend balancing and harmonics.

Trannie shops routinely replace flexplates without engine tear downs and rebalancing.
 
Manuals...

Bruce wrote:
Sevice manuals are designed for gerbles to be able to understand.

Damn! I sure am glad I now how dumb I actually am!! The same level as a gerbile..

While balanced as an assembly means it's balanced as an assembly that doesn't mean anything about being internally or externally balanced.

My point was that they made the reader, [excuse me, gerbile] aware that the balancer and the flywheel contributed to the balance. This would not have been an issue if the engine were internally balanced and zero balanced accessories were used..

Trannie shops routinely replace flexplates without engine tear downs and rebalancing.
Yes, and when they do, I'm fairly confident they use the correct wheel.. But then I've never seen a gerbile change a tranny..

But then you seem to be really talented at pickin the fly$hit out of the pepper...:D
 
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