Timing Questions (PLEASE READ)

[CorrupTTalon]

Can you set the timing without the timing belt on?

i had cylinder #1 at TDC and the marks on the cams aligned along with the mark on the crank pully aligned.. as i put on my new timing belt i noticed the notches on the cams gears.. each gear will have a long notch and a short notch. well the two notches that i had alighned are not the same. meaning there is a short notch and a long notch matching, not two long notches or two short notches.. is this wrong? should it be either both the long notches or both the short notches? i initialy turned it with the belt on a few times and got it to where i believed it to be the compression stroke but never noticed the notches.

one solutions:
i havent turned my crank.. and my cams havent moved.. so will i be ok just installing the new belt with the current alignment? one cam turned like a 16th but i can turn it back manualy to help fit the belt into the gear teeth and to realign the notches. is that ok?

OR:
since i havent moved my crank could i turn that one cam around until both the long notches are aligned? or both the short?

if someone was building a new engine there has to be a way to align the timing without matching up what was previously set?
so if my crank is at TDC(cyl #1) and my cams are aligned 'perfectly' (i stress that cause with the short notch and the long notch aligned it just doesnt look perfectly straight, ill snap a photo tomorrow) i should be set?

when setting the timing are you just aligning the crank with the two cams? NOTHING else? meaning the oil pump, balance shaft..etc.?

thanks for reading!

 

[2bar]

On your cam gears. To know if your using the correct marks on the cam gears. look at the dowl pin on the cam where the gears bolt up to the cams and make sure both dowl pins are up. If both of your dowl pins are up then you are using the correct marks. If one cam is 180 out. Make sure to take the #1 piston off TDC befor you rotate the cam. To line up your cam gear marks make sure to use a stright edge if you have never done a timing belt befor.