Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2002 22:28:25 -0600
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Aircooled Lifter Replacement
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
). He says the Haynes and Bentley
> manuals are unclear as to if this can be done without removing the
> heads.
--------------------------
Remove the valve covers, remove the rocker stands, remove the push rod
covers bottom of engine, remove push rod tubes. Use a wire hook / pick to
pull out the old lifters I cut a piece of coat hanger wire and hook them
in through the oil hole. Look down into the two center lifter holes to
check cam wear, you will need a flashlight and a magnifying mirror but
you will be able to see the wear pattern. Keep your old lifters in proper
order (you may decide to put them back in). Set one of the old lifters on
a very flat surface (I use a dinner plate) and see how much wear it has,
do this by visual inspection and you can lean it to one side and use a
feeler gauge to see the convex / concave wear pattern (if it has
measurable wear .004 to .010 I'd return them to the proper location and
not install new lifters). It would be very rare for a complete set of
lifters to go bad.
Two minutes of lifter noise is normal on first morning starting of a mid
life Air Cooled engine (70-110 K).
Try the engine cleaning process first.
Stan Wilder
On Fri, 4 Jan 2002 22:09:51 -0600 Stan Wilder <wilden1@juno.com> writes:
> Try this it will most likely get the lifters cleaned out.
>
> Stan Wilder
> -------------------------------------------------
>
> Recently one of my neighbors approached me with pictures of a 79
> Westfalia.
> She asked what I thought of it and before I could answer she said
> she bought it and would be bringing it home about December 1st.
> I told he it looked nice.
> She asked what I thought it was worth.
> I replied, probably $1600. to $4000.00 depending on the overall
> condition of it.
> She said it had a Porsche engine.
> I said they all do from about 74-83 in the Air Cooled variety.
> She elaborated on the history of the Westy as relayed by a friends
> widow who was selling / sold the Westy.
> It was all pretty much generic info and I pretended to be excited
> that she got such a great deal on such an exceptional Van.
> She showed up with the van today while I was uncovering my current
> 81 Westy project Westy.
> I said hello! and looked it over right quick before I returned to
> fighting with that giant car cover.
> I knew it was coming and I was trying to avoid it!
> She said it had a problem or two and reminded me that " I had said
> that I'd help her keep it running if she got it."
> I'm going to get brief at this point:
> Problem noisy lifters.
> Solution #1: Check the oil, found it like tar. Sent her after quart
> of Gunk Engine Flush, quart of Marvel Mystery Oil and case of oil
> and a filter.
> Ist measure: Drain enough oil to put a quart of Gunk motor flush in
> the crank case. Run it five minutes like the instructions says.
> Cranked it up after changing the oil and filter / strainer service.
> Oil still real dark almost immediately. Lifters some quieter. Sent
> her out to run some miles on it.
> Solution #2: She came back two hours and 84 miles later, no
> improvement in lifter noise. Removed valve covers and set the
> hydraulic lifters one turn down from just touching. Some help but
> not much. Sent her off again.
> Solution #3: She came back an hour and 35 miles later and I drained
> enough oil off at the strainer plate to get a quart of Marvel
> Mystery oil in it. Sent her off again.
> Solution #4: Sure enough she came back again, Noisy lifters. I
> pulled the dipstick and the oil was still black as tar (with only 35
> miles on it *#@^7*&). whats going on here?). This was getting to me,
> "I'm trying to fix these brakes". Hurt her feelings (I was getting
> paid for these services), sent her out again to run it with the
> mystery oil for a while for another hour run and gave her my phone
> numbers.
> Solution #5: After she left I dropped everything and went for
> another quart of Gunk Engine Flush, quart of Marvel Mystery Oil and
> a new filter.
> Solution #6: Its now 2 PM Saturday and "She's Back". Checked the
> oil, yes black, yes thick, lifters still noisy. I didn't waste much
> time explaining I just drained enough oil to get the Gunk Engine
> Flush in without overfilling the crankcase. I ran it for the
> recommended five minutes and drained it......... still very thick,
> very black. Removed and cleaned the strainer, installed new filter,
> poured in new oil 10/30w this time. She walked home about eight
> houses down in the next block. I adjusted the lifters again, made it
> some quieter.
> Just let it set there idling making sure it got good and hot without
> activating the idiot light. The lifters got real nice and quiet, at
> last. I drove it the fifteen blocks to dump the used oil in the
> recycling barrel at the auto parts store. Poured a quart of Mystery
> oil in the gas tank so the exhaust would have a little color. Ran
> out just fine and had nice power. Got back home and went back to my
> brake job on my 81 Westy.
> Solution 7: She walks back to the my house and asked me "why I
> didn't stop and get me for the test drive?".
> I didn't answer, I just started explaining about the things I had
> done and passed the auto parts receipts to her hoping to close the
> account and move on. While I'm calculating my time at $65.00 an hour
> and making her makeshift receipt on a notepad, she says "I've got
> the automatic transmission fluid in the back for the seals and
> lifters".
> Seems in her leisure time she had called the widow of the previous
> owner and got the report that he always used a quart of ATF with
> each oil change for the ten plus years he owned it to quieten the
> lifters.
> I was a little surprised to hear that and I knew it was useless to
> inquire farther so I just told her that "the PO must have been from
> the old school" and that "You don't need it with the better oils we
> have today."
> The wrap up: She's OK with the $65.00 rate I charged her, $100.00
> today + receipts for filter/chemicals/4 quarts 10/30w. She wants a
> tune up soon.
> The miracle: She drove this van 160 highway miles to get it to my
> house with that molasses viscosity engine oil.
> Final parting: I told her to stop by one day next weekend if she saw
> me outside and we'd see if the engine needed any more internal
> cleaning. She said she'd get the tune up parts if I'd make a list. I
> made the list of Bosch parts and told her where to get extra
> filters, oil drain plug washers, strainer kits, spark plugs etc.
>
> Stan Wilder
> 83 Westfalia Air Cooled
> On Fri, 4 Jan 2002 22:20:16 -0500 Brian Atkins
> <wvveedub@NETSCAPE.NET> writes:
> > I have a friend with an '81 Westy that wants to replace his
> lifters
> > (leaking or will not pump up). He says the Haynes and Bentley
> > manuals are unclear as to if this can be done without removing the
>
> > heads. I haven't had time to cross-check him. Is it possible?
> >
> > Brian
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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