Originally Posted by
rcompart
Sorry guys but the balance shaft doesn't have anything to do with the "balancing" of an engine in respects to the same balance one achieves when all the rods, pistons, rings and pins have an identical weight. The balance shaft in our engines actually hurt performance because it is additional mass in the rotating assembly which robs horsepower the same way a water pump or power steering pump does. The main reason for a balance shaft is to minimize the sensation of a harmonic that is very noticeable at idle and low RPMs and by having a weight rotating 180° the opposite of the crank, it mitigates it enough that the motor mounts can absorb a majority of it and it's not really felt in the passenger compartment. That being said, this isn't me saying it's OK to remove the balance shaft because you can't really do it that easily and it comes with it's own set of challenges. It's an integral part of the timing assembly and doesn't have it's own chain driving it like in some other engines but if you're determined to free up some horse power and you don't mind pulling the front engine timing cover and rear main seal plate, you can replaces the balance shaft with the intermediate gear from a V8.
While I understand what you are trying to get at, I dont necessarily agree with what you are saying. I agree that the balance shaft is there for harmonics, not actual engine 'balance' by definition, but harmonic distortion can be just as harmful to an engine as lack of balance can be. These harmonics can occur anywhere in the rev range, but are more likely to show up at higher RPMs due to the forces being generated.
Like I said, remove it if you want a honda, but be prepared to hate your car for the extra 2-3 hp increase that you are never going to feel in the first place.