I just got my landlady to let me use the driveway. So I pull of the
cylinder head cover and upper timing belt cover, and turn the crankshaft
counter clockwise until the "UP" mark on my camshaft pulley is up and
the plastic pointer is aligned with line on the camshaft pulley. I look
down to see where the crankshaft pulley is at, and its centered on the 3
marks for ignition timing, not the single TDC mark!

I guess I didn't recognize that my car was set up incorrectly for 10k
miles, but I sure noticed a serious change a few weeks ago and have been
trying to figure this out since. And to answer Caroline's question, I
have no clue how many miles or years are on my timing belt. The teeth do
not look worn. I did notice a small gash on the smooth part of the belt.

So, I guess I'm in a good position to change my timing belt. Does anyone
know at what degree the pistons interfere with the valves?

Amazed,

Mark