is this a normal sound from an 4n14 engine?
2013 diesel

 

Does it sound much better in real life?
Because I generally find mine quite OK in real life, but uglier (more rattling) after recording it with my phone.

If it sounds like this video in real life, then it probably has some rattling coming from the balance shaft. (it can sound a lot worse).

People tend to delete the balancing unit when it starts to sound ugly. I have not done this to my Outlander but I have plans of trying the delete kit in the future (maybe in 5k or 10k Km. Mine is at 133K and I got it with 131k).

 

both, can be quiet and rattle sometimes.

do you remove the drive gear as well?

 

If we assume that the noise is coming from the balance shaft. There are different options to delete it:

A) Apply Delete Kit from eBay -> You remove only the "Balance Shaft" and the "Coupler". Then you lock 2 oil ports used for the balance system, one with a custom made piece (where the balance shaft used to be), and the other (in the balance shaft unit) with a grub screw.
B) Remove just the coupler -> This is not recommended if the balance shaft teeth are in bad shape, because you would leave them still installed and rotating.
C) option A, but removing also the big balance unit. This reduces the weight in the engine and will also increase further the oil capacity.
D) Some end up removing more stuff like the balance shaft housing because it broke while driving.

Replacing the balance shaft system with new parts is what Mitsubishi does, it is very expensive and many people do not recommend it because they faced the same issue again even with the new parts.

Most people deleting balance shaft are very happy. A minority (< 10% or <5%) is not happy because they say they got lot of vibrations after deleting it. In contrast, another minority reported no increase in vibration.

I haven't done this procedure and recently got my Outlander, but read a lot about it to be informed.

Edit: When I mention "Balance Shaft" I mean the part at the bottom of this image.