Hi Everyone!
I am a newby to Saturns and as the owner of a nice little LW200 I was wondering if anyone had ever tried removing the countershaft and chain? My main experience with with MOPAR and one of my little projects was to upgrade my 1984 Dodge Rampage with a 2.5L rather than the original 2.2L engine. I wanted as much power out of the engine as possible and removed the countershaft and chain, giving me more room for oil and about 15 additional HP (and it sure was evident!). Though the Saturn 2.2 is plenty strong, I know there is more HP hiding in there - anyone done this surgery on theirs, and no, I don't care about a little vibration?

 

The balance shaft chain also runs the water pump. There are many performance options for this engine. There are factory super chargers and factory turbo setups available in various car line that use this engine series.

 

Ouch! Sounds like changing a waterpump could be a major project then....

 

Not too bad after you remove the exhaust manifold and all the timing chains.