I'm trying to get the rear balancer shaft turned to it's correct rotational position before re-installing the balancer belt on my 92 Accord. My manual and other instructions I've seen online says to remove the access/maintenance bolt and insert a 6mm size bolt or rod in there while gradually slowly turning the rear balancer sprocket until the rod goes in to a specified 74mm distance. I'm finding that the rod actually goes in four different places as I turn the sprocket, and each time it actually inserts to about 80mm, not 74mm. Each insertion feels the same with the rod, I'm not forcing or doing anything unusual.
There's a V mark and also a dot mark on the rear balancer sprocket. I took note of the marks on the sprocket when I could get it in. They are:
V at 12 o'clock with dot at 5 o'clock
V at 9 o'clock with dot at 2 o'clock
V at 6 o'clock with dot at 11 o'clock
V at 3 o'clock with dot at 8 o'clock

Any comments/help appreciated.

 

I think that the balance shaft turns 4 times for every time cylinder 1 goes to TDC. If you have the timing belt installed in time, you can install the balance shaft belt. Then turn the crankshaft two revolutions and count how many times the dot on the rear gear went around.

The dot on the gear is the moving mark. The stationary mark is around 5 o'clock on the casing. It was kind of hard to see on my accord.

I think that if you set the balance shaft with the drill bit, then you are good to go.

There is a post by tony1m on here that shows pictures of the timing marks that should also help.

 

I do have the timing belt installed in time. I was wanting to install the balancer belt on the front balancer sprocket (also in its correct rotational position at the same time, with groove on shaft aligned with engine block mark) while installing the belt on the rear sprocket also. So I'm wanting to install the balancer belt with both the front and rear sprockets in their proper positions while at #1 TDC. Isn't there a sure-fire way to know which of the positions of the rear sprocket I listed here on my initial post is the right one in advance of having to turn the crankshaft? ( I did use a 6mm diameter drill bit pushed into the hole to 80mm in all the four positions I mentioned).

 

I think there's a gearset (not 1:1 ratio) at the sprocket for the rear balancer shaft. So you line up that rear shaft by putting a pin through a hole in the back of the engine block, and ignore the marks on the actual sprocket. Those marks are for when you replace the sprocket and gearset.

 

That's what I've been trying to do is line up (set at its correct position with engine at #1 TCC) that rear shaft by putting a pin (actually in my case I'm using a 6mm diameter drill bit with a mark 74mm from the tip) through that hole in the back of the engine block. I'm noticing that I can insert my drill bit up to 80mm deep four different times (positions) as I put it in that hole and turn the sprocket what seems to be one full rotation of the sprocket. I took note of the particular positions of the marks on the sprocket at each of the four times I was able to insert my drill bit, just for the record in case it might help someone tell me which of these four separate insertion points is the correct one. I can ignore the marks if they are irrelevant. So does that mean any of the four separate insertion points as I described can be considered the correct one? To me that seems unlikely, although perhaps it is indeed the case and I'm just not correctly envisioning what's going in there. Here's the page from my manual. The diagram in the upper left corner there is what I'm doing. Again, I turn the sprocket one full rotation, during which I can stick my drill bit in there (up to 80mm length) four different times (apparently different rotational positions of the shaft??)

 

Oh heck here I go off the deep end again.

Might need a helper but pretty sure you can do this yourself......using the "pin/bit" put it in there and find the "shaft", then a slightly move it to the bottom part of the shaft. Spin the shaft counter clockwise slowly while hold light pressure on the "pin/bit", at some point the "lobe/hole" of the shaft will come around and try to push the pin/bit back.

Lower the angle on the bit and see if goes in....might need to move the shaft a tiny bit. Once it "goes in".....veryify the shaft is "locked" by the pin/bit.

I know Tony sent you a pic showing how the "lock hole" in the shaft is. So with that and what I'm trying to describe I think you might understand where I'm going with this.

Did you get the "washer" for the tensioner?

 

Thanks poorman212. I'll get the opportunity to try what you've described either tonight or this weekend, and will post back any apparent success or lack thereof. And, "washer" is supposed to arrive in the mail tomorrow.

 

I tried again, fairly certain that I was following the instructions quoted above. Actually that's not any difference, that I can tell, of the way I've already been doing it. I can still get the "pin/bit" to insert in, just as I decribed before, in four separate sprocket rotational positions (as indicated by the marks on the sprocket, as I turn the sprocket). And again all of these rotational positions as indicated by the sprocket marks correspond to the "o'clock positions" I've listed. And each time it "goes in" I've verified that the shaft is indeed "locked" by the pin/bit. I tried using a stiff coat hanger type/size wire as a probing pin to maybe try to get a different feel, and it inserts at the same spots and to the same depth as the (6mm diameter) drill bit, and will lock the shaft from turning (except of course with the amount of play I'd expect for that size hole in the shaft lobe/hole) when it is inserted. When I insert the drill bit it locks the shaft firmly, in each of those four locations (as indicated by the marks on the sprocket) of which I can insert the bit. I realize there is a different sprocket/shaft turning ratio. Perhaps each time I'm able to insert the bit and the shaft is locked, that's the one and only correct position of the shaft but I'm deceiving myself by paying any attention to the marks on the sprocket. Best I can do is pick spot where the drill bit locks the shaft and go with it. The manual says to turn the sprocket until the drill bit goes in and locks the shaft from turning. Says nothing about more than one spot though. So anyway, that's what I've done -- turned the sprocket until the drill bit goes in and locks the shaft.

 

Sorry....my bad on the reading......I missed the part about the shaft locking in all four.

 

I noticed I typed "10mm" in describing (in my last post here) the diameter of the drill bit I've been inserting, which was a typo. I've edited it to 6mm.