I started resealing my front end today, in an effort to fix the oil leak that has plagued this car since I got it in January. Before I started, I lined up the motor so that the arrows on the cam sprockets were both pointing straight up.
So, after much swearing and construction of a ghetto sprocket holder tool, I finally I got everything torn down, and the cam sprockets and cam caps off. I noticed that the notches on the driver's side cams were both pointed straight down. However, the notches on the passenger side cams didn't line up at all - they were at weird angles to each other.
Is this normal? I know I didn't spin them at all when I was working, because when I reinstalled the timing belt, all of the marks I made before I removed it lined up perfectly.
This struck me as weird, so I took a pic if anyone wants to see. I want to get opinions - I need to make sure this is OK before I put everything back together.
Oh, and are the timing gaskets important? The gaskets on my left and right timing covers are both incomplete (missing sections) and the bottom center gasket absorbed so much oil from the leak that it swelled to the point of no longer fitting on the cover. It was scrunched up and half hanging inside the cover when I removed it because whoever was in there before me couldn't make it fit (but of course reused it anyway). Of course, I didn't have the foresight to get new timing cover gaskets.
Any help?
****EDIT: Pics up, post #4 below****