[nefertitian]

i was replacing the timing belt on my 99 vw passat glx v6. most of the timing belt was torn and in shreds so I just snapped it off and remove the timing belt. Prior to removing the timing belt, the camshaft sprockets were so aligned that the smaller hole of the sprocket was facing upwards (both sides). the moment i snapped off the timing belt, the camshafts moved by a few degrees and now the smaller holes are a about five degrees away from the initial zero degree position. i also heard a metallic noise during this process.

did i just blow off my engine? how do i realign the camshafts? should i put in the new timing belt before realigning or realign before i put the new timing belt. and how would i realigin? move the camshafts and crankshafts independly?

any help much appreciated.