So, I changed my timing belt and performed an auto-to-manual tensioner conversion on my h22 swapped cb7 earlier this week. Drove it up to Gatlinburg from Memphis (8 hour drive). It ran fine for the first half of the trip, but I noticed it lost power the second half. I thought it might have not been getting good compression from being a tooth out of time. So I brought it up to a shop here in town. They took the valve cover off and called me to tell me that the timing belt was chewed to hell. The balancer shafts belt has been running over into the timing belt and making contact. I told him to put a new timing belt on and reset the shafts belt.

Only things different about my change/conversion:

The timing belt was WAY too tight, not even close enough to being loose enough to slip over the cam gears. I was forced to take one of the bolts out of the bottom of the adjuster plate to allow the t-belt tensioner pulley to lock onto the base bolt. However, it was so tight that it didn't need the adjuster plate to begin with. I wanted to be safe. I checked the pulleys for both belts to make sure the belts wouldnt be in contact with one another.
So what's your opinion of the situation? I've told the guy already to put a new timing belt on the engine, that's all I know to do at this point. I just need to know why you think that the balancer shafts belt is running over into the timing belt.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated, so that when I get home I can figure out what's going on for real!!! Thanks!

-Sean
"orangeaccord"

UPDATE: The mechanic called and told me that the part where it was shredded was NOT on the balancer shafts belt side, rather it was shredded on the engine side.

Uhh... wtf mate? I'm confused now.

 

The belt was shredded?

 

He told me at first that it was shredded to hell, but I saw it and it's not nearly as bad as he made it sound. The belt has obviously been rubbing on something, but it's not extremely badly damaged. I'm just worried this is gonna get worse over time.

 

Got it back from the shop today with the timing fixed. She still starts strong and drives great. I'm worried about the possibility of tossing that timing belt on the way back to Memphis on the interstate, though. Does anyone have any idea why the tensioner change would cause the timing belt to rub against the side of the block the way it has obviously done?