How do you align the cam pulley on a 97 mazda 626 16 valve

The timing mark on the cam pulley should line up with the cam pin at the 12 o'clock position for proper alignment.

1. Remove all spark plugs so that the crank shaft could be rotated easily.
2. Rotate the crankshaft to align the timing mark of the crankshaft gear with the index mark on the engine cover.
3.Rotate the crankshaft +/- 30 degrees to ensure that the valve could not hit the pistons when aligning the camshaft gears.
4. Align the camshafts as described below.
5. Align the crankshaft timing gear with the index mark.
6. Loose and lock the timing bearing at its farther position. Install a timing belt starting from the crankshaft gear, then right cam, then left cam, and at last the timing bearing.
7. Press and hold the timing belt to keep it firm on the gears and loosen the timing bearing. It will get adjusted by itself with the help of spring attached to it. Do not put extra force on the bearing to adjust it more.
8. Confirm the timing marks.

yes and do a lot of damage ,it is an interface engine .so not a safe engine when the belt goes.

set mark on crankshaft to TDC mark on timing cover. set mark on cam pulley to align with mark on head .if more than one mark on pulley rotate by hand till exhaust and inlet just rocking then align closest marks .

There are marks on the crank pulley to align with mark on the sheet metal cover behind the pulley.
Exhaust cam sprocket has mark that aligns with mark on valve cover.
16 chain links between marks on cams. The square marks on both cams align with triangle marks on the cam hold down bracket.

If it has the twin camshafts, then you need to align the bottom crankshaft pulley marking (there's only one marking at top dead centre). Then you'll need to align the two camshaft pulleys. You need to use the first two sets of markings and then double check the markings on the camshafts themselves, within the valve cover area. Always double check the crank shaft sensor is aligned properly on re-assembly as misalignment will result in a non-start and you might doubt your own work. Don't worry about timing belt failure or misalignment on the twin cam engine as this is a "safe-engine" and will not result in any damage.

if it's a dual overhead cam then each head has two cams and two pully's, a single overhead cam engine has one cam and one pulley on each head. if the belt has more than 60,000 miles on it you should replace it. you need to find out if the engine is an interference engine or not to determine the level of damage caused if the belt has jumped or slipped. your overhead cam timing marks are usually on the cam faces and the backing plate behind the cam or sometimes there's two marks on the cam that you align with the surface of the head behind them. the first thing you need is a diagram of the belt routing and mark positions because timing marks are very important especially on an interference engine. starting or cranking an interference engine with the timing marks misaligned can bend all your valves or even punch holes in your pistons! so proper alignment is crucial, good luck.

If you have the cylinder head off it is easier to do but with the head on, put the balancer on and make a reference mark on it to the crank snout, then use a long bolt the exact size of the sparkplug threads, threading it into the #1 cylinder. Turn the engine slowly by hand 'till the bolt stops the piston.(be careful that the bolt does not interfere with valves) Make a reference mark on the outside of the pulley and a reference mark matching that position on the block. Turn the crank backwards till the bolt again stops rotation. Make another mark on the pulley in the same place the block mark is at. The halfway point between the two pulley marks is exact top dead center. You can then make another mark at the halfway point, remove the bolt and turn the new mark so it aligns with the block reference. At that time, the piston is at tdc and any mark you put on the pulley can be referenced with a corresponding mark you place on the block for permanent reference will always be tdc, probiding the first reference you made on the pulley and crankshaft are kept in alignment.
Once the crank has been indexed, you can set up cams, following timing chain replacement instructions in your manual. Once this has been completed, turn the engine four complete revolutions by hand and re-check your index points. There should be no valve interference or other binding, and all index points must align properly. What I've described is making a "poor mans" degree wheel. You can buy an actual degree wheel in most speed shops, and also information on using it, as well as performance setups that take advantage of changing the performance curve of your engine by changing crank/cam relationships. You may find some of that interesting and informative!!!

The timing belt has 123 teeth, and ussualy the marks are little paints. align them together and then you will have ur problem solved.