95_Civic_4dr

'95 Civic EX, D16Z6 210k miles.

So here's the story, yesterday I installed a cam, changed the alternator belt, and checked the timing belt tension, and a couple other minor tune-ups.
I knew the new cam was going to make the valve train noisy, and it did. All in all everything went smooth and the car ran perfectly.

Today, I'm driving trying to get used to the new valve train noise and I start noticing my RPMs jumping around all over the place not matching the real engine RPM. I get to my cousins house figuring it's a distributor problem and I'll look at it when I get home. Now on my way home it starts making a loud popping/clicking noise, mostly between 1k-2500 (the noise also increased/decreased with RPM). I pull the distributor out and find the rotor screw had backed out and tore up the inside of my distributor leaving loose pieces inside all over before falling all the way out.

I get a new distributor thinking it was the only problem and installed it. Now with my new cam I decided to do another valve lash adjustment just to double check and kill some time. When setting #1 to TDC, I found my clicking/popping noise - it seems to be coming from maybe the tensioner. I noticed, as I turn the motor, the part of the belt (towards front of engine) going down from the camshaft gear to the belts' pulley will gradually get tighter and tighter, then I hear the click/pop, and the belt in that area will be loose again - it's also very inconsistent when it does this.
I've always been able to take a short-cut and slip my belt off the cam gear in the past (I've done it 3 times) and it hasn't gotten any harder or easier to slip off with this new...issue. It fits snug around the gear all the time and also all the timing marks line up correctly so I also have not jumped timing.

Is this possibly a problem with the tensioner? or normal operation? Maybe a problem with that pulley towards the bottom? Cause it all looks normal to me...

Edit: When I try to access the tensioner, is it true on these cars I have to go through all the work of removing the crankshaft pulley just so I can remove the bottom half of the timing belt cover to access the tensioner?

ChokolAwt

iTrader: (1)

did you adjust the tension in your belt? reset the timing and loosen the tensioner to about hand tight.

spin the engine counter clockwise 3 times to get the right tension on the belt and torque down the tensioner.

i believe i've heard that same popping before. i think the popping from the slack in the belt going away and snapping it taught.

95_Civic_4dr

Not originally, I just marked the belt and the gear with a marker then slipped the belt off and slid it back on.

I went ahead and reset the timing, gave it a few hand spins and everything seemed fine aside from the click/pop. I cranked it over with just the starter and checked again before I was gonna fire it up. It did jump the timing, so now I have to reset it again.

Is there an easy way to access the tensioner? And if I absolutely have to remove the crank pulley - does anyone have any easy method to keep it from spinning while I break the bolt loose???

Is it likely the cam caused this timing jump issue (I'm running it with stock valve train and stock cam gear, I kept the factory redline and fuel cut off) or coincidently did I just find this problem before it could've been way worse?

Edit: When I pull the crank bolt off and reinstall it, loctite - yes or no?

jxhxb

as for the taking off the crank pulley...i've always used impact sockets/air tools and its so much easier than having to use a chain to keep it from spinning while unscrewing the bolt

95_Civic_4dr

Alright, I'll just take an impact to it then.
What's better; just taking the impact straight to the bolt as is, throw it in gear (4th for that 1:1) and have someone hold down the brake...
or use one of the these holders from Snap On and a breaker bar along with the impact?