Chrysler Repair: Distributor/Camshaft timing: 3,0L V-6, camshaft sprockets, valve stem seals

Question
I recently replaced the valve stem seals on my 94 Voyager Mitsubishi 3.0L V6 and everything went smoothly. The cloud of blue smoke has stopped and it is running quite smoothly.

However, I'm concerned that maybe I misaligned the distributor and camshaft when I did the job. I don't know for sure, but I just have a suspicion. As I said, the engine runs fine now, but it does seem to have less power.

When I replaced the valve stem seals, I didn't fix the camshafts down. So when I pressurized the cylinders, the camshafts rose up at the rear and turned a little. What I'm afraid of is that when that happened on the front camshaft, maybe the teeth on the distributor and camshaft separated enough to move over a tooth or so.

If this did happen, I'd like to fix it, obviously. And I thought I could simply line up a cylinder at TDC and then make sure the distributor is pointing at the right terminal in the distributor cap.

But this engine doesn't have any timing marks on the front of it. I can see the painted notch on the crankshaft pulley, but there's nothing to align it to. There doesn't seem to be any sort of alignment marks on the engine.

So, what is the best way to set a cylinder at TDC without removing the front covers to look at the timing marks on the crankshaft and camshaft gears?

On the other hand, do you think that I should even be concerned at all with this issue? Since the engine is running nicely, would that indicate that the timing is okay?

Answer
Hi Mike,
The timing mark for the crankshaft is on the oil pump, at about 1 o'clock, so if we assume the crank pulley mark is the same as the crank sprocket mark it should be at about 1 o'clock when the camshaft sprockets are aligned to their marks on the back covers. That is one way to assess it. The other way would be to remove the #1 plug and probe for the top of the cylinder to see if it reaches tdc of its compression stroke when the camsprockets are aligned with their marks. The tip of the rotor should be parallel to the crankshaft and pointing toward the rear of the engine. Either of those approaches should give you confidence that it is ok. I wouldn't go further under the maxim 'if it ain't broke don't break it'.
Roland
Please 'rate' my answer.