We are diagnosing an overheating 1996 Honda Civic at home.

We have replaced the thermal coupler the radiator thermostat. The radiator fan operates.

Our next approach is to see whether the water pump has gone bad.

We are down to having removed the upper and lower timing belt covers. Before the timing belt remove, we do have to be at top dead center.

Of course when we remove the upper timing belt cover there is the pulley that has up and the two marks on the sprockets and we can position does with up up in the two marks level with the head, and we've been told that that will position us at top dead center.

We have also been told to find top dead center using a Long straw in the first cylinder, and to remove the distributor cap to watch when the rotor? Comes around and alliance with the white dot on the face of the distributor.

Here's our problem if we find top dead center using the marks on the pulley then the distributor is 180° out of the line. If we find top dead Center using the straw in cylinder one and the alignment of the rotor with the mark on the distributor, then up is not up on the pulley and the two side marks are not parallel with the head.

I'm doing this by voice dictation, so I apologize for any apparent errors.

Shouldn't both message message produce the same results?,

is one of these the correct method? Is there a reason why we are missing something here?