I'm still trying to track down what constitutes balancing an L6 engine, which is frequently referred to as "naturally in perfect balance" (not completely true, there is always some rocking couple).
Any details? How is the counterweight mass determined?
I think that naturally balanced is somewhat of a misnomer. I think that because of the layout of the I6 crank the balancing of the crankshaft is independent of the mass of the big end of the rods:
In this post over on
Supra Forums ‘turbotoy’ describes the concept of static balancing. The idea that a crankshaft placed on ‘frictionless’ bearings would not move no matter how it was laid to rest. With the weight of the throws perfectly offset by the counter weights the crank shaft should not ‘settle’ into a heavy spot.
But he still argues for dynamic balancing with all rotating components attached. If the bolted on bits all weigh the same then why?
