The first time around I did use the spring and post to try to set the tension. The tension seemed way too loose to me, and I ended up pushing the tensioner as tight as I could with my hand before tightening the tensioner bolt. I was concerned if the belt wasn't tight enough it would skip and I would cause some major problems. Is that a concern for this engine? I have read some of the posts talking about a noninterfering(?) engine - something about how a broken timing belt won't damage the piston heads or valves.
Well, if redoing the tension doesn't fix the tapping I may have to go with the washers. I'm actually more concerned with the belt skipping than I am with the tapping.
I bought some flat bar today to try to make a cam sprocket holder, and I have a pipe to help break the bolts free. Hopefully, this will take care of my problem. I'll report back in a couple days and let you know how it turns out.
Thanks for the comments!
