Hey guys I'm new here I've always loved these types of forums, I'm hopeful that I can find the help I need to fix my issue.
OK so I'm working on my roommates TL that had a timing belt break in our driveway he was getting ready to leave for work which was 2 hrs away. I read the codes and originally thought it was a camshaft position sensor, but once I got everything off the engine, I realized it was actually the timing belt that had broken. Just know I tried to wrap the belt back around the pulleys so I could mark the belt in accordance with the timing marks on the cam sprockets, but it just wasn't happening. I was left with no other choice then to continue the work, so I went ahead and changed the water pump, camshaft sensor and belt pulleys. Everything went perfectly as I changed the water pump and cam sensor. Then I got the new belt on the engine, and since the belt broke, I'm trying to be very cautious and a lil paranoid about the timing. Not having the marks to line up and go by is something I've never encountered before, to help find TDC I took the plugs out so I can spin the engine and watch the pistons rise up and down until TDC has been reached all of this is on the back cylinder closest to me and facing the firewall cylinder #1. Well, here's where things are getting confusing, the camshaft pulley marks aren't lining up, and yes, I do know you need to turn the engine over 2 full rotations to reach TDC. The engine hits TDC and the right camshaft sprocket is showing a few degrees off from the left sprocket and bottom crank markings. What do I do? is the engine ****ed? did the belt breaking possibly throw everything out of whack and there's no fixing it, or can it be fixed if I take the camshaft sprocket off and align it properly with the other 2 markings as long as the engine is at TDC will the engine be ok? Will that work, pulling the sprocket and just changing its position and then just put it back on, then put the belt back on and spin the engine another 2 revolutions all while paying close attention to the pistons during rotation. I am able to watch the full range of motion on cylinder #1 because I'm using a small-borescope camera down in cylinder 1 which gives me perfect view. I want to do this right, so I've spent hrs and hrs trying to research this issue online and I can't seem to find anything that even begins to answer my question. I tried one of those "Ask A Mechanic" online things and they just bait and switch you and only want money, saying it's just $5 bucks but you get to check out and its $45 bucks and you get enrolled into a subscription no one needs. Thats when I decided to go the old trusted route and join a forum, so here I am with fingers crossed I can find the answers I need to finish this job and get my roommate safely back on the road. Just know in advance that if you decide to share any amount of knowledge with me, I truly appreciate that. Till then I'll keep my fingers crossed this post gains some traction. Cheers Everyone thanks for taking the time to read about my issue.
If photos of the cam sprockets would help in anyway, please let me know and I'll upload some pictures ASAP.