What should my vacuum gauge reading be at idle on my 76 2.0??? AAR good, all new hoses, dwell & timing good. Also, what kind of reading would you get if the valves are too tight??? Thanks

Vacuum readings on the 914's at idle can vary quite a bit, depending on the state of the engine, type of crankcase ventilation system (or lack of), idle speed, engine temp, etc. I typically see 13 in.Hg of vacuum (@1300' elevation) on my recently rebuilt stock 2.0L, oufitted with 1974 2.0L injection components, fully warmed up and at 1000 rpm.

There's enough variation that I'm not sure you can unambiguously detect if your valves are too tight or loose.

How would a vac gauge indicate adjustment of the valves ? I've used a vac gauge for years on a 1.8 L Jet to detect vac leaks, wasn't aware it could do any more

Valves definately effect vacuum. see http://www.theautoist.com/vacuum_guage.htm

I was just looking for specific vacuum readings for our cars......Thanks