As a precaution, due diligence and "What the hell" maneuver, a new OEM tensioner and a new OEM water pump were installed since they hadn't been changed for over 23 years. Turns out, the mechanic found that the water pump seal was making the "bearing/whining" noise.
I didn't quite understand what he meant by that because I always thought of a seal as a device that's made of metal and rubber, round, and is static after being pressure fitted into place. He commented that when he manually rotated it he could hear that it was noisy, and replaced it.
Bottom line... the engine is running smooth and quiet just like it always did. In addition I was told that the old timing belt slid off the gears WITHOUT having to back off the screw on the belt tensioner
and that the belt could have slipped off at any time, doing major engine damage. I am very thankful that I'm no longer playing Russian roulette driving my work of art. I'm looking forward to the upcoming Z events of 2018.
