Here's the equipment in question:

b18c block
b16 head
skunk2 adjustable cam gears
brand new OEM b18c timing belt
brand new OEM b18c water pump
brand new OEM b18c tensioner
brand new OEM b18c tensioner spring
brand new OEM b18c tensioner pivot bolts
brand new OEM b18c tensioner bolt
GE 3 layer head gasket
head was resurfaced a while back, but hardly any material was removed. block hasn't been decked.

this is a brand new build, still trying to get it driveable.

ok, my inexperience is really showing here. my car starts up right away every time i turn the key, but the timing belt is flapping around like crazy. i've re-tensioned it about a dozen times, with the following procedure:

turn crank CCW about 1 full rotation. loosen tensioner bolt. turn crank about 3 teeth CCW. tighten tensioner bolt.

it still flaps around, although the first time i re-tightened it, it wasn't nearly as bad as when i first fired it up. i still don't want to drive on it, though.

second, it seems like i can't get my cam timing set right. here's what i'm doing:

loosen tensioner bolt, slip timing belt off cam gears. set crank at TDC. set cam gears so the 4 little dots all line up along the edge of the head, and the 2 big dots point more or less straight up. slip timing belt on exhaust cam, slip timing belt over intake cam. tighten tensioner, then do the procedure to adjust the tensioner.

the problem is that as soon as i turn the crank, the crank moves a few degrees just to take out the slack in the timing belt on the exhaust side. by the time i make 2 full revolutions of the crank and come back around to TDC, the crank comes up to TDC about 4 degrees before the camshafts line up.

 

ok, to add some info, i just went out and tried it again following the helms manual's advice of turning the crank a full 5 rotations before doing the tensioning procedure, and it had no effect. every time i tension it, it feels good and tight on the exhaust side and a bit loose on the intake side, but when i start it up, let it idle for 30 seconds, then kill it, the exhaust side becomes all sloppy and the intake side is very tight.

 

the spring tensioner sucks for applying enough tension to the timing belt sometimes. i wish honda would put a real spring on there and not that wimpy POS.

try the coat hanger trick. take a coat hanger. make a small hook at the end of it. slide it down the timing cover by the tensioner spring. loosen the tensioner bolt and gently pull up on the tensioner to help it take up a little slack. but don't put to much tension on it or you will cause more problems down the road.

you WILL ALWAYS get some floppiness on the timing belt when it's cold. that is normal. once the engine warms up and expands it will take up even more tension/slack on the belt and it should not flap around as much.

 

interesting thought. read up on it in this thread:

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1578831

i do have aftermarket valve springs, so that helps make the case for the coat hanger trick. I'll grab a friend and give it a shot today.