Removing Driveshaft Harmonic Balancer

[65Matt]

Questions for people who have removed their driveshaft balancer:

1. It looks like the balancer has 3 bolts pressed into it. When you remove it, you will need 3 hex bolts. Where did you buy these bolts?

2. Did you have your driveshaft rebalanced after removing the harmonic balancer?

[Jordan]

I take it you have an eta then....

[nitro325is]

Re: Removing Driveshaft Harmonic Balancer

Questions for people who have removed their driveshaft balancer:

1. It looks like the balancer has 3 bolts pressed into it. When you remove it, you will need 3 hex bolts. Where did you buy these bolts?

2. Did you have your driveshaft rebalanced after removing the harmonic balancer?

I have taken those balancers of all my cars whenever I do any driveline work.All 5 spd M20 have one.If its not there someone already took it off. No need to have driveshaft rebalanced.Nice and smooth even at high speeds.

[Beej '86 325es]

Re: Removing Driveshaft Harmonic Balancer

Questions for people who have removed their driveshaft balancer:

1. It looks like the balancer has 3 bolts pressed into it. When you remove it, you will need 3 hex bolts. Where did you buy these bolts?

2. Did you have your driveshaft rebalanced after removing the harmonic balancer?

I have taken those balancers of all my cars whenever I do any driveline work.All 5 spd M20 have one.If its not there someone already took it off. No need to have driveshaft rebalanced.Nice and smooth even at high speeds.

Are you sure? I thought only eta's up until 5/86 had them...the same time they switched to the aluminum shifter carrier.

[nitro325is]

Re: Removing Driveshaft Harmonic Balancer

Questions for people who have removed their driveshaft balancer:

1. It looks like the balancer has 3 bolts pressed into it. When you remove it, you will need 3 hex bolts. Where did you buy these bolts?

2. Did you have your driveshaft rebalanced after removing the harmonic balancer?

I have taken those balancers of all my cars whenever I do any driveline work.All 5 spd M20 have one.If its not there someone already took it off. No need to have driveshaft rebalanced.Nice and smooth even at high speeds.

Are you sure? I thought only eta's up until 5/86 had them...the same time they switched to the aluminum shifter carrier.

Every"eta" and "i" parts car I have parted has had one even my current 87 325is and old 325ic.But then again all of them were 87 or older.So they might have switched
like you said.

[RedBaron86325]

I know of an 89 325i (5 speed) and a 90 325i (5 speed) that have them.

[Brew]

My 89' 325is 5-speed has one.

Nitro, did you notice any difference after taking them off?

[Bryson]

AFAIK late 90 and early 91 cars didn't have them

[nitro325is]

My 89' 325is 5-speed has one.

Nitro, did you notice any difference after taking them off?

Im sure it improves acceleration but is it something you can feel? Not really..if any it was mental because I had been reading MM website.They show some test using the standard balancer vs a lightweight one and some others using a LW flywheel.

To a point any reduction in driveline is good.The reason LW flywheel is such a worthy mod on an M20.

http://www.metricmechanic.com/pgs100.htm

[Beej '86 325es]

My 89' 325is 5-speed has one.

Nitro, did you notice any difference after taking them off?

Im sure it improves acceleration but is it something you can feel? Not really..if any it was mental because I had been reading MM website.They show some test using the standard balancer vs a lightweight one and some others using a LW flywheel.

To a point any reduction in driveline is good.The reason LW flywheel is such a worthy mod on an M20.

http://www.metricmechanic.com/pgs100.htm

I have the metric mechanic LW flywheel on my eta...made an awesome difference. They shaved one down from 24 lbs. to 12 lbs. and is still very streetable.

[Bryson]

if you have the MZ3 or Z4 3.0 shift levers, you have to remove the balancer, I noticed no difference in smoothness (or acceleration, for that matter) after removing it. I'll be running an alu flywheel with mine also

[Brew]

I have the Z3 3.0 lever and I had to bend the selector rod in order to clear the balancer. Not really a big deal, and it moved the shift pattern a little closer to me, which is nice.

[65Matt]

For the curious, I have a '89 325i, 5 speed.

Im glad to know I wont have to rebalance the DS. As for the bolts, I guess I'll have to source them from somewhere. The tricky part is that they are higher strength 10.9 bolts that are partly threaded for strength. (The weaker 8.8 grade bolts that have full threads are easy to find, but I'm afraid they will break.)

[Speed25]

I have the Z3 3.0 lever and I had to bend the selector rod in order to clear the balancer. Not really a big deal, and it moved the shift pattern a little closer to me, which is nice.

Same with me. My '89is has the balancer and I had to bend the rod (easy) a bit. My lever is the Z3 1.9, but I liked that bending the rod slanted it back toward me even more than the 1.9 lever is already. I'm 6' tall and sit pretty far back, so the reach to the knob became a little shorter.

It's nice to know I can remove the balancer if I want, though.

[e30evolution]

i have a 90 325is and it has one.... i wish it didnt, my shift rod rubs on it when i shift into second gear