Mbeach -

Yes, you nailed it, 8 days and 32 posts ago... However, call me stubborn, but I didn't feel like you adequately explained how you came to that conclusion, which is why I continued to seek out answers. I'm not the type of guy, who if he can help it, will throw in the towel the first time he doesn't understand something. Unfortunately, I'm still not sure I understand the problem, but at least my VX is back on the road. Maybe your explanation was great, but I honestly didn't get it, considering the fact that I followed the manual's instructions to the letter. Am I a fool for wanting a second or third opinion before shelling out a few hundred bucks?

I did get the mechanic to give me the printouts of the TSB with the procedures for reindexing the cams, in case anyone ever runs into this problem again. When I have the chance, I'll scan them in and see if I can post them on the site, or put links to them on my web site. While I usually prefer to learn from other people's mistakes, this time hopefully someone can learn from mine.