Spoon Gang - Then Bang!

[NafemanNathan]

The crankshaft probably won't be balanced without the pulley. But more importantly, if you're concerned that the timing might be out, for suspected tooth jumping (Is that right) then that's a reason not to fire her up right there If you can, refit that pulley temporarily just to turn it over by hand (make sure it is tight though so as not to knacker the spline on the crankshaft).

[vanzep]

i guess i should be able to tell if the timing is out from the tdc and timing marks on the cam gear/pulleys - dont know how they should line up but if i take some pics and post em up then hopefully someone can look at this and give an opinion. thanks for your help Nathan

Ive had a look at the timing marks and its difficult to tell as theyre not at tdc - but it looks to be there or there about. couldnt take any pics as too much other stuff in the way.
will try and fit the crank pulley back on tomorrow

Here is a cut and paste from part of taffyludes post in the tech section on puk
Crankshaft Pulley & Bolt

The crank pulley on the Preludes, which runs the alternator, power steering and aircon, can be a real weak point on the engine.
If tightened up properly, there is no real reason for it to give you any problems. If however it is not tighten up to the correct torque after removal for any reason, it can cause major problems. The pulley needs to be removed every time that the timing belt is replaced, so the chances are that all Prelude owners have had theirs undone & re-installed at least once.

The pulley is attached to the crankshaft by means of a woodruff key, which sits in a keyway in the crankshaft snout, and a large high tensile bolt with captivated washer. Pre-facelift Preludes manufactured before 1993 have a M14x33mm crank bolt (Honda Part No. 90017-PT0-003) which takes a 17mm socket, whilst all post-facelift Preludes from 1993 onwards as well as 5th Gen Preludes, have a larger M16x49mm bolt (Honda Part No. 90017-PY3-003), which takes a 19mm socket. All bolts have a standard RH thread, and are therefore undone by turning them anti-clockwise. It is also worth mentioning that the H22 VTEC and H23 non-VTEC engies have different design pulleys, due to different thickness accessory belts, and it is not advised to swap pulley's between the two.