I just replaced my timing belt for the first time on a Volvo yesterday. It went reasonably well, and the rope trick was indeed a great way to keep the engine from turning. So much easier even than the Volvo tool, and completely free if you have a piece of rope lying around. Thanks to Don Foster for posting it on the FAQ list. Who thought of that brilliant little maneuver? Is the rope trick an old-timer technique, or what?

I did have one nagging doubt when I put the new timing belt on. I used the TRW belt from FCP Groton. Lining up the single line marks with the cam and intermediate sprockets was easy enough, but the double line mark on the belt didn't really line up with anything on the crank sprocket. The illustration in Bentley wasn't very helpful in this regard, and there is no marking on my crank sprocket. In no way would the three marks on the timing belt line up with marks on all three sprockets. I assumed that the markings on the belt were supposed to line up with the key slot in the crankshaft, if the engine were turned counterclockwise a little bit. Is that correct? I'm fairly sure that the crank didn't move, and the car seems to run pretty much the same as before.

If the crank shaft sprocket were off by one notch on the timing belt, how drastic of a difference in performance would that make?