20v (RR/3B) valve/piston interference

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

I'm going to a Club member's house at the weekend to take a look at a
20V that won't start.

He's changed the timing belt himself - I suspect without access to the
proper tools - and now the car refuses to start.  My obvious first
suspicion is crank/cam/distributor misalignment.  I'm interested in
BTDTs about the following:

a) The engine has been spun on the starter.  Is the 20V normally
   interference-free at low revs or would this (if one or other
   of the cams was way out) inevitably lead to interference?

b) How noticeable is valve/piston interference if it does occur?
   I'll be doing a piston top inspection using a Bend-A-Lite down
   the plug holes.  Still haven't bought that endoscope.  Do 20V
   valves contact flat and leave no mark, or do they go in at an
   angle like the 10Vs and leave big dings?

c) How safe is hand turning to realign - which to turn, the cams or
   the crank?

The ECU is currently out of the car, so its non-volatile memory isn't -
no hope of pulling 'the story so far'.  I don't really want to spin the
engine on the starter (even if the owner claims to have done so already)
unless I'm sure of the mechanicals.

And yes, if I get a chance, I'll be checking his torque.

--
 Phil Payne
 UK Audi quattro Owners Club
 Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 0870 0883933