timing belt replacement timing mark question

[coop]

So I'm doing my timing belt, M20 motor, '90 325is. I've read all the how-tos on here. I lined up both timing marks, cam gear/head and balancer/timing cover, they both lined up correctly with the old timing belt on. The car was running fine before I started this project. I took the balancer off and this is what I see, (sorry for the big pic) http://i.imgur.com/PScVq.jpg

The mark on the crank and block is off. Nothing moved when I pulled the balancer off. The white mark was there, I guess from previous timing belt replacement. I know the balancer has an alignment pin so you can't move its alignment.

My question is, did the previous timing belt replacement get things out of whack somehow? I feel if I did move the crank to line up the crank mark it would put the balancer/timing cover mark off. I don't think the motor has ever been rebuilt. Has anybody ever run across this? I'm afraid to move it because obviously the motor was running fine, I kinda think that's my answer, not to move it because car was fine.

[jlevie]

The mark on the crank hub and V notch is the one to use. The harmonic balancer could have been mis-marked with pain or you may have used to wrong mark on the balancer (there are two).

Don't touch the cam sprocket and rotate the crank until the mark on the hub and the V notch are aligned. Then install the belt starting on the intake side and then working the belt over the tensioner. Once the belt in on and tensioned, rotate the engine through two revolutions, stopping when the crank hum mark aligns, and then check the cam sprocket marks.

[coop]

Should the car have been running funny if the mark was off? The cam gear lines up and the crank lines up like the pic. I haven't taken the belt off yet from when the car was running fine. I'm just afraid to mess something up trying to fix a problem.

[Cletonius]

The belt stretches with age, since it was running fine, it only really matters that the marks line up as close as possible after you've got the new belt on. Mine was off almost a full tooth retarded because of stretch. With the new belt on I'm just barely advanced. Huge difference in performance and smoothness.