[husker boxster]

Cranking the engine from the crankshaft in front would work. Just be sure to crank it clockwise (NEVER turn it counter clockwise). Jake looks up from the sump because it gives you a view of the bottom half of the cylinder, which is where the wear will begin and work its way up the cylinder. For your experiment, looking down the cylinder from the spark plug should be good.

How old is your AOS? When they start to go, they allow oil to enter the combustion chamber that eventually comes out the exhaust causing a sooty tailpipe. There's a better chance of you having a bad AOS than bore scoring.