Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 16:46:53 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <jhrodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <jhrodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Clakity-Clack
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
John Baker wrote:
> After my 83 (water cooled) Vanagon has sat for a whole day without being started, It has a clacking noise coming from the engine once it is started. After about 10 minutes of driving, the noise goes away and everything is fine. Can someone give me some insight as to what is happening. It only happens if the van sits for a day. Can I continue to drive it with this happening or will I likely have catastrophic results?
>
> Peace, JB
Put in a quart of Marvel's Mystery Oil and run it for the last 100 miles before you change oil. Marvels will clean up the valve train and remove any crude that has accumulated.
After 100 miles, change the oli to get the Mystery Oil out of the system, and BE SURE to replace your filter with a MAHLE filter ... available from the list vendors. When you order, get a box of them, which amounts to 6 or 8. Worth having on hand, because it is something you will always use.
Also, be sure and get some of the gaskets for the oil drain plug. Never reuse those puppies. The oil change guys (and some owners) try to reuse them and you can never get a used gasket to seal again so it won't drip or weep, so they really crank down and over-torque the plug.
Double check your oil viscosity. I run 20W50 in my 2.1L WBX. I think that is appropriate for the 1.9L as well, but maybe some other list members can confirm this for you.
Finally, to clarify the most common cause of clacking that occurs, there is a check valve in the oil filter that keeps pressure on the oil galleries of the engine when the engine is shut down. If you don't have the right filter(Mahle) with the right spring pressure(Mahle) on the check valve, when the engine sits a while the weaker filter spring allows the pressure to bleed down, thus allowing the lifters to bleed down with
the resulting rattlety-clack on the next start-up.
It is said that it doesn't hurt for this to occur, because the lifters will pump back up. I don't agree. IMHO, over time, each cold start under those conditions is a start with components out of tolerance. I don't see how this could but increase the rate of wear. Granted, it's not much wear, but it is more than that which occurs on a start-up when everything fits properly. Metal parts banging together can't help but suffer
at least some damage. Won't cause immediate failure, but will shorten the life of the vale train.
Good Luck,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
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