'97 Camry timing belt

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The #1 piston needs to be at TDC with both valves closed. You align the mark on the crankshaft pulley, and also the mark on the camshaft pulley. Makes it easier if you also mark the old timing belt and both sprockets with white out then transfer the marks to the new belt.

There is a hole on one of the can shaft pulley's 'arms'. That is suppose to line up with a mark on the head/valve cover which is at 12 o'clock.

The crankshaft pullet has to be set before you take it off. There is a notch on the pulley that matches a notch on the lower timing cover.

Once both pulley's match there marks then you are ready to proceed.

Correction: I can't remember if it is a notch or it lines up with the number 0 on the back cover.

== Both cam and crank marks are vertical relative to the engine block - but remember it is canted rearward. With practice, you'll notice a casting mark that aligns with the key in the crank at TDC. For the cam mark a round toothpick worked best for me initially - to feel the indentation behind that tiny opening and ensure the mark was directly in the center.

Yes, but this can be misleading or I had on that wasn't there.

I think Chilton uses the compression gauge method, that method is out of date. There are marks on both the crank and cam that you can use to line up to #1 TDC. The mark method is simpler and faster. Line them up before you take off the belt.

Use a flash light to help you with the mark on the cam through the little hole in one of the spokes.

Good time to change out the oil seals (cam, oil pump and crank) and water pump while in there. Also make sure you use a new tensioner spring ($6?). It's been updated to a shorter one because Toyota was having timing belt stretch problems.