I recently removed my timing belt. can anyone tell me where the cam marks are so i can replace the belt..

 

this link should help...it's for a timing increase but it should still apply...

http://members.csinet.net/tisch/maxima/timing.htm

 

Ok wait, you just removed your timing belt without knowing how to put it back together? You are asking for trouble! If you don't line that thing up perfectly it will either run like crap, not run at all, or bend a few valves.

At the very least, go get a Haynes or Chiltons book, they should be able to show you the marks. The factory service manual is the best though.

 

First, make sure that your car is set at TDC for the #1 cylinder, if it is then skip down to the next paragraph. If not, and you haven't moved the cams or the crank, put the timing belt back on the set the engine at TDC. The timing arrow on the front, lower timing cover should point to the timing mark on the crank pulley on the far left. The engine MUST be at TDC or else all the timing marks will be fugged up and you WILL screw up the job = destroyed pistons/valves.

For the cam-timing marks, there is a small dot (indentation) on each cam sprocket. Look for these. On the right side cam-sprocket (or the front sprocket, whichever you prefer, it says right in the Chilton's), it should be on the upper right of the front surface of the cam sprocket just before the edge of the sprocket. You line this up with the small bump (protruding out) on the rear upper timing cover behind the cam sprockets. The bump should be just to the upper right of the dot. The lefthand cam-sprocket is similar except that everything is on the upper left, not the upper right. I would recommend a good flashlight to spot them. For the Crank-Sprocket timing marks (the timing belt was wrapped around a small sprocket on the crankshaft) there is a dot just to right of the bottom of the crank-sprocket. The matching mark (bump) is just to the lower-right of dot. Examine your new timing belt carefully. You should find 3 white lines and an arrow, a straight line of small arrows or a group of arrows. The white lines match up with all the timing marks (usually). Make sure when you put on the belt, that the arrows point AWAY from the engine. Measure the distance between each of the three white lines (roughly, you don't have to take down any exact numbers or anything). The shortest distance is the space that spans in between the two cam sprockets (more specifically, the distance between the timing marks on the two cam sprockets). Get these two things (arrows and lines) oriented correctly and you'll have the thing set. My timing belt was a little short between the right (or front) cam sprocket and the crank sprocket, so I had to advance the cams (clockwise) 1/2 a tooth to get the marks on the cam sprockets to match the white lines. Do not advance/retard the cams more than a full tooth past the timing marks on the timing cover, I don't know how much clearance we have, but that is getting close to 6 degrees either way. 1/2 tooth is only about 2-3 degrees. Hope this helps. Email me if you have any other questions:
Conrad150@aol.com

I edited some about the crank-sprocket timing marks and the belt, please note this.

 

A timing belt change is not the kind of thing you just want to start tearing into without doing your research.
Do not turn the engine once the belt is off. If you have to move the motor to set it to TDC on #1, put the belt back on, then move it. VGs and VEs are interferrence engines, meaning the valves will hit the piston if they not timed correctly.
Thats how I got my Max, the previous owner decided to keep driving after the tensioner on her timing belt let loose. Smacked all the valves into the piston and bent every last one of them. Amazingly, the pistons just got some kicks, but no cracks.
Good luck, take your time and follow the manual.