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So the water pump locked up on my Aveo and it shredded the timing belt. Luckily it did this at idle and did no serious damage aside from the timing belt cover. It basically damaged the bottom where the notch is. So how do I align the crank gear to the proper spot. Thanks.
So the belt did actually break and/or lose time, and stop the engine? If so, did you pull the head and examine the valves? It would be very unusual to have no valves bent on a belt breaking, even at idle. If you got away with no bent valves, consider buying a bunch of lottery tickets, because you're on a roll!
AFA the notch on the cover, I believe it's at the exact bottom, so you could probably plumb the crank pulley pointer exactly vertical with a bubble level. But that being said, I would recommend buying a new cover, because it's there to prevent any debris from getting into the belt loop. The idea of something getting in there and playing pinball with the belt is not a happy thought.
Head was taken to the machine shop, not one bent valve but four that wouldn't seal. The valves were ground and head milled. So I am ready put back together and not wanting to wait on a timing cover replacement. It really only damaged the bottom of the timing cover and just enough to obscure the timing mark.
pretty fortunate then