OK, so correct my if I'm wrong on any of this...

The car currently runs, and runs well, no CELs.
I recently did a timing belt change with the pulley off.
I lined up the marks on the crank to the marks on the block.
I didn't not go by the pulley marks / timing cover.
If I put a screwdriver in the #1 plug hole, and hand crank the engine to where the PULLEY says I'm at TDC, the screwdriver goes all the way down (meaning the #1 piston is all the way down).
If I put a screwdriver in the #1 plug hole, and hand crank the engine to where the CAMS say I'm at TDC, the screwdriver goes all the way up (meaning the #1 piston is all the way up).

At this point (what I say is true TDC, the marks on my pulley are off by 180 degress. Since the pulley can only go on one way, I'm confused. Is this common, should I care?

 

I would go with the timing marks. Redo it and see if it lines up.

 

Wouldn't that about guarantee I smash my valves and destroy my engine? This is why I checked the pistons to double check TDC...

 

The timing marks are there for a reason. Why would Honda use them if it was going to damage your motor?

The questions are

Is it a stock motor? If not what has been done to it?

Answers to those questions will help alot.

 

I follow what you're saying, and would normally agree. The motor is a B18B1 in a 95 EG. I'm not sure of the engine year, but VC is a 96+, running an OBD2 dizzy. Again, it runs smooth, idles, no clatters, no CELs.

Here is what I know. When the #1 piston is all the way up (TDC, by definition), the marks on the pulley do not line up (off by perhaps 180 degrees). My cams are set to UP here, and line up.

When the pulley marks do line up, the #1 piston is down.

If I set my cam timing to this second position, my head / valves expects #2,#3, to be down, they are up. Won't this smash my valves?

Perhaps the pulley was switched? My pulley is stock, but do aftermarket pulleys even have marks?

 

I think you're confusing yourself. When the crank is lined up at TDC "white mark" your cams should also be lined up at TDC "hash marks on the cam gear teeth" (-,-) the UP marks are just for reference they do not determine TDC.

When you rotate the crank Counter clockwise until the Cam gears are 180* from there normal position the crank should also line up again at TDC. So the up arrows would now be at the 6 o'clock position instead of the 12 o' clock position.

Get it?

 

Yep. One crank turn = One HALF cam turn. When the #1 piston is up, the marks are good

UP UP
(-O-)(-O-)

BUT, for reference. When the crank pulley is at the TDC marks, the #1 piston is supposed to be up though, correct?

 

No as long as all your TDC marks line up then you're good. None of the manual books tell you to use the screw driver trick.

But when you're on TDC at the crank then yes number 1 piston should be up.

 

yup. if the crank sprocket is pointed at tdc, it's just that; top dead center, #1 piston. whether it's at the compression or exhaust stroke is irrelevant for the bottom end. so long as the cams are pointed up w/lines parallel to head surface, you're golden. that's what makes it compression #1 cylinder
it's the head, or specifically cams that determine compression or exhaust

 

Which piston are you saying is the number one cylinder?

 

Driver side, farthest from the dizzy.

 

Only explaination is that the crank key way has sheared off. And the gear is now 180degrees out. Physically, that is the only way the #1 piston could be down in the bore with the crank sprocket at tdc

 

The key isn't sheared, but the pulley is 180 degrees off, consistent. Maybe it was swapped from another B or something...

 

No. That still wouldn't make sense. Tdc of the #1 piston in relation to the crank and gear are going to be the same. No way it would be 180 degrees out.
I dunno what to say. If the keyway's not sheared, I'm out of ideas

 

Crank mark is good. That's how I lined up the timing when I bought the swap... I'm going to remove or swap the pulley soon, and put this **** to bed.

 

Try it one way, and hand crank a few turns. Then try the other way, and hand crank a few turns. One of the tests should yield valve-smashing results.

 

Update: During a swap, I pulled the pulley and discovered the key was sheared, and the pulley was off by 180 degrees. I have no idea how the engine didn't disintegrate when it shifted from TDC...

 

There are two TDC's btw, compression and exhaust. You want to be on compression when doing a t-belt.

 

Which pulley did not line up, rear or front? Did you remove the misaligned pulley and correctly install it to the TDC mark? I have the same problem. The rear pulley needs to turn 45 degrees but turns 90 degrees so it won't line up with the TDC mark.
I wonder if it has something to do with the ECO mode setting.

 

Both of the CAMS lined up, but when they did, the CRANK pulley was not at TDC. It was off by 180 degrees. I pulled the crank pulley, realigned it, and got a new shear pin.

If your cam gears aren't lining up, you have to pull the timing belt, line up your cams, then turn the crank to TDC, then put the belt back on.