fwiw,
I agree on the half turn thing.
The lifers need to be pressurized or pumped up with oil to do it though.

a not pumped up lifter is a different story.
scott
turbovans

On 3/6/2012 6:50 AM, Ken Wilford wrote:
> The book still says "two full turns" for valve adjustment for the water
> boxer, but it does have the notes that Bob Donalds wanted put in about
> actually running the valve adjustment loose until the lifters pump up
> fully.  It also says that the two full turn preload is optional.
> I have found that (as Bob proposed) adjusting the valves the two full
> turns causes more problems than it solves.  Low compression, low
> manifold pressure, valve damage.  While setting the valve adjustment to
> zero lash or just a half of a turn preload, and testing the engine for
> compression and vacuum is the best way to go.  That way you can see what
> you are doing instead of blindly following what it says in a book.  If
> you do this you will see for yourself that valve adjustment is very
> critical to the performance of the water boxer.
>
> Here is a typical call, "My van idles funny."  I ask, "Did this start
> after you had some head work done?"  Customer thinks I am clairvoyant.
> I tell them to adjust the valves to zero lash and see if this helps.
> They email me a few days later saying the problem is gone and the van is
> running better than ever.  If you have a little clacking adjust it to
> half a turn preload and you should be good to go.
>
> Just my experience.
>
> --
> Thanks,
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
> Phone: 856-327-4936
> Fax: 856-327-2242
>
> On 3/5/2012 8:37 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>> What was wrong with the valve adjustment specs?
>>
>> Dennis
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>> Behalf Of
>> Mike South
>> Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 7:57 PM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: The New Vanagon Bentley Manual is Awesome!
>>
>> That is great information, but I think I speak for other
>> breath-holders when
>> I ask:
>>
>> did they fix the valve adjustment specs?
>>
>> :)
>>
>> (seriously though, I am curious to know)
>>
>> mike
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 8:43 AM, Ken Wilford<kenwilfy@comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear List,
>>>
>>> I have had a Bentley Manual and used it for my daily reference for the
>>> past 14 years.  During that time, I got used to the fact that it had a
>>> crappy cover.  I got used to the somewhat helpful/somewhat vague
>>> instructions inside.  It was the best manual for the Vanagon out there
>>> in that it covered everything from AC, to diesel, to water boxer, to
>>> syncro, to camper, etc.  However it had it's shortcomings as well
>>> (valve adjustment spec for waterboxer comes to mind).  A few months
>>> ago I had a guy stop here that really needed a Bentley and didn't care
>>> that mine was used and written all inside (I hated to part with it
>>> because of my notes but I wanted to help this guy out).  So I sold it
>>> to him and had to buy a new one.
>>>
>>> Wow, it turned out that the latest Bentley is so much better than the
>>> old one, it is worth getting excited about.
>>> First thing you will notice is the cover.  It is now a hard back book
>>> instead of a floppy, crappy paper cover.  This just makes it feel like
>>> it will hold up better especially for someone that references it all
>>> the time.
>>>
>>> Second, the appendixes in the back of the book are now more than just
>>> the owners manual xeroxed quickly as an after thought.  They have done
>>> what should have been done way back in the day.  Taken all of the VW
>>> dealer training literature that is out there for the Vanagon and
>>> compiled it into an appendix that is about as thick as the crappy
>>> Haynes manual (sorry Haynes lovers out there).  So now if you want to
>>> get to know the different systems in the van, how they really work
>>> together, you can, in a simple and easy to understand format.  If a
>>> new Vanagon owner would read through this section, it would open their
>>> eyes to so many things that most of us had to learn the hard way
>>> through trial and error because we didn't have this reference.
>>>
>>> I would encourage all new Vanagon owners, do not buy a used, old
>>> Bentley off of ebay or Amazon.  Instead invest in a brand new, hard
>>> back one that has only been out for the last year or so.  It will cost
>>> you a few more dollars.  But the extra information you are going to
>>> get is worth it's weight in gold.
>>>
>>> Of course we have these available on our site for sale, just thought I
>>> would mention that :-)  No mater where you buy it you will not be
>>> sorry.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Thanks,
>>> Ken Wilford
>>> John 3:16
>>> www.vanagain.com
>>> Phone: 856-327-4936
>>> Fax: 856-327-2242
>>>
>