Dbbubba,
You say your engine runs poor at idle but better at higher revs. I helped a friend who this exact same symptom on an Integra (DOHC cam engine like yours) after he changed the timing belt. The belt was off by exactly one tooth on one cam only. This was due to a difference of interpretation of the timing directions.
Maybe your belt slipped a tooth when your tensioner was loose. I would be willing to bet that this is it since the engine ran fine right after the belt replacement (ignoring the coil pack)
Does "repositioned everything" mean you put everything back at TDC before fixing the tensioner?
And yes, it's ok to remove or leave the spring after timing.
