Hey guys, I just joined the proud family of prelude owners a couple of weeks ago, and to play it safe, seeing that the H23 is an interference engine, I went ahead and did a full timing belt change (timing belt, balance belt, tensioners and water pump). After about 500 miles, i started to hear like a whistling or faint whining sound under the timing cover. So when i removed it to take a look, i found the belts to have faded lines in between the teeth. Is this normal? Are the belts on waaayy too tight? Any help is appreciated. I have a picture also to help explain. You can see it here. https://i.imgur.com/5I2MB.jpg

 

How tight is your belt? I know its hard to describe over the internet but in my experience a whining belt is usually the result of a belt that has too much tension. Also, did you go with a Honda belt or aftermarket?

 

I think i might have over tensioned it, that was my first guess. The balance belt felt a little loose so i thin i adjusted it a little more than what the instructions said. It will push down when i push on the belt, but it won't come up enough to come off the gears. Also the belts are aftermarket.

 

I'd try resetting the belt tension and see if it went away.

 

Alright, so i got the tension reset, did a few rev's so and the belts seem to sit fine and not walk. My only concern now is that the balance belt feels a little loose. Is it normal for the balance belt to feel looser than the timing belt???

 

You should get a belt tension meter to tell if it's within spec or not. That's what I recommend you getting. Better safe than sorry.

 

yea usually wine=too tight/new belt.

 

IMO I would just toss the balancer shaft belts.

 

Yes it's normally more loose that the tbelt. There is very little Rotaional resistance spinning the balance shafts, making it less likely to skip teeth... Tbelts have a lot of force to deal with so they are normally tighter.
+1 on removing the bs belt..

 

Okay, i did the job, the whining went away, but now it's having other problems.... I went to start it and it started, but then the engine would almost stall out after reving it. Could this be a sign that I'm off timing at all????

 

Yes.

 

Alright. Well, turned out it was off timing a bit, but i also noticed, (funny story right here), that i forgot to install the dipstick tube. I did some research and found that not having it installed, can cause symptoms vacuum leaks, which could also help with the fact that it was stalling. So, i got the timing readjusted, REINSTALLED the dipstick tube, put it back together, and it finally runs smoothly without any whining sounds. Thanks guys for the help!