1) no you will not be able to see the tensioner from the top you can see a lil of the guides
2)the tensioner is oil fed so when the motor is not running it will have slack on both sides
3)clockwise
4) could be valve train noise which is common among most 22re and 22r motors worst case is you bering are starting to go but could just be aa chain guise broke causing the chain to contact the side of the timing case
hope this helps
