cam gear timing sensitivity?

[Burnera]

Replaced the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and radiator hoses last weekend.
Car runs much smoother now, but feels like it's down on power.
I mean, it could be in my head, but i dunno. It used to chirp the tires on the shift to second, now it doesn't. The car is an auto.

I'm thinking it could be:
1) the small amount of ATF fluid that spilled from removing the radiator
2) changing the timing somehow putting the belt back on. I went through the whole 4-rotations test lining up the index marks. The engine passed that test, but how accurate do you need to be?
Since i couldnt look straight at the engine, i had to use a mirror. If the timing was off, it would have been 1 to 3* maybe. Would that have a significant effect?

[Sagaris]

Perhaps your car is running cooler now. Are you running an original temperature thermostat or a lower temp. thermostat? I can tell a difference in performance between when my car is 3 needle thicknesses below 1/2 on the temperature gauge and when it is sitting right on center.

A lower temp thermostat will reduce performance under almost every circumstance.

[lennon]

1-3 degrees or teeth? And which way off do you think? Also, are you saying you didn't refill the ATF to proper level? That's gonna have an affect on how it's shifting and the tire "chirping".

[Burnera]

Perhaps your car is running cooler now. Are you running an original temperature thermostat or a lower temp. thermostat? I can tell a difference in performance between when my car is 3 needle thicknesses below 1/2 on the temperature gauge and when it is sitting right on center.

A lower temp thermostat will reduce performance under almost every circumstance.

Its a stock rated thermostat. The one i replaced was stuck open.

[Burnera]

1-3 degrees or teeth? And which way off do you think? Also, are you saying you didn't refill the ATF to proper level? That's gonna have an affect on how it's shifting and the tire "chirping".

degrees, not teeth.
Looking at the engine, the cam gear clockwise. That's a maybe too, since i couldn't accurately look at the thing.