Pull the timing belt off the gear on the crankshaft. Check to see if the gear moves without any rotation of the crankshaft. If so the key and maybe the slot are wore. It may be the reason why the timing is set the way it is. I discovered this problem on a 98, 3 cylinder I had. My son drilled two holes in the gear for allen screws. We put it on and it worked great untill the big accident.