Timing chain has the tensioner that needs to be engaged
Balance/ water pump chain has a tensioner that you put out a pin to engage.

 

Per shop manuals and Cloyes’ instruction sheet, neither tensioners is to be activated until all parts are installed. The balance tensioner is simple to reset if inadvertently activated; you simply rotate the pin 90°, push it all the way in, rotate it back, and re-insert the retention pin. The cam chain tensioner is a little trickier. Seems it’s just irresistible to play with it and activated it prematurely. The instructions say that in that case, it must be disassembled to reset it.. I have proved that, in at least some cases, it’s possible to reset it without disassembly, by pressing the pin in against a piece of wood while rotating the body clockwise, but it’s not easy and it doesn’t seem possible on all tensioners.

There’s a tiny bit of controversy about whether the chain tensioner can, or should, be installed “pre-activated.” I saw a Melling vid that unequivocally recommend installing it in the activated state. It is plausible that it could work, but in my opinion, it’s equally plausible that it could result in a condition of horribly excessive tension. These devices are obviously built by various sources, and don’t seem to be perfectly identical, certainly not in quality. The one I was most impressed with came in a GM package, had a Slovakia sticker on it, and showed beautiful workmanship. It’s likely the cheapest ones are just reverse engineered without benefit of GM drawings, and made of poor materials.

If you suspect an excessive tension condition due to improper installation, you could remove the valve cover and evaluate the tension, then if deemed advisable, remove the tensioner, reset it, reinstall it, and then activate it in the way normally recommended.

 

Tensioner is compressed and when installed you pull out the pin. It will not OVER tension.

 

If you pay someone to do a job that you are not satisfied with: why not go back to them and complain?
The whirr that I heard sounds exactly the same as the whirr I had from when I installed a water pump on a 2.2L. I could tell that it changed a bit with engine speed.
I don't know if it was a defective part or my reinstall that fixed it.

 

Yes. That is true of the balancer/water pump chain tensioner. Although, one mechanic explained to me that he believes that after the pin is pull, pressure should be applied to the tensioner guide to make the tensioner click twice. IDK how I feel about that.

Not so clear with the cam chain tensioner. Here's a Youtube that explains how it works, and more interestingly, demonstrates resetting an activated one without disassembly.

hEw1KQh7uwdiCMHp://youtu.be/9Fsi=hEw1KQh7uwdiCMHpttkQ?si=hEw1KQh7uwdiCMHp

 

It’s definitely going back to the shop since it seems there was a misstep or a defective part was installed. I just wanted to get some insight as if this noise is normal or not as I’ve never had the timing system replaced on other vehicles. Thanks for the help, I definitely appreciate it.