balance shaft

American  

noun

1. a special shaft with eccentrically mounted weights used in an internal-combustion engine to reduce vibrations.

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Example Sentences

For your mechanic’s future reference, the fuel pump is now inside the crankcase, being driven by the engine balance shaft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

The new motor features a balance shaft so effective that engineers admitted to putting a little vibration back in so it would feel “like a Harley.”

From New York Times • May 31, 2021

They added a balance shaft and widened the crankcase to stiffen the engine’s structure, for example.

From Forbes • Dec. 30, 2014

Metaldyne makes metal-formed components and assemblies for powertrain applications, including engine connecting rods, transmission valve bodies and balance shaft modules.

From Reuters • Dec. 19, 2012

He reached the balance shaft without having seen a man, and climbed swiftly to the upper level.

From The Gold-Stealers A Story of Waddy by Dyson, Edward