VVT Question

[jimmymarsbar]

Got a question about a colleagues 206 1.4i 16v 90. It has an intermittent VVT fault, and looking at live data, the dephaser position fluctuates between 1 and 2 deg at idle. Having a look around the internet, there's little info that I can see about the expected position.

I've read that at idle, the valve position should be "higher" than when it is under higher load. So, if this is the case, a low deg position at idle suggests a fault with the dephaser valve? Or am I missing something, bearing in mind that I know little about petrol engine control