I trust the crank TDC, I can see the mark on the rocker assembly and the mark on the sprocket...i can just never line them up EXACTLY.
Like the book and everything else states. Sorry I've just never done it. It's always been a half a tooth off and I've gotten lucky with the distributer and timing it.
Only in this case it won't idle so I can check it.
And since it's RTE I think the computer will allow it to advance/ retard way more than a RE and if my foot's on the gas I think its advancing so far to compensate. So that to me rules out trying to check the timing with it running assisted.
And the woodruf key does not line up with the "dot" timing mark.
Am I centering it to a mark that's supposed to be for the link. And then center the link with the arrows i.e. setting the proper tension on the timing chain. Of course, I am assuming that the rte is identical to the re in that regard. Not sure though.
I know on mine, I would have been a link off IF I would not have manually rotated the cam in order to get the cam sprocket on/aligned.
Maybe that is the secret?
Or is it the dot that is centered to the arrows?
As I'm doing it now it's off a half a link from the arrows atop the rocker assy. I have never been able to put the dot on the arrows and the crank be exactly at TDC.