Date:         Sat, 20 Apr 2002 17:32:23 -0500
Reply-To:     Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Oil in Valve Covers Air Cooled Type IV
Comments: cc: bostneng@FCL-US.NET
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I recently returned form a 72 hour 2000 mile trip from Dallas to
Albuquerque NM.
This was a grueling trip for me and the little Westy, but smooth sailing
both coming and going.
As just general inspection I decided to check my lifter adjustment.
The engine had 5000 miles on it at leaving and over 7000 miles on my
return.
My last valve adjustment inspection was at 1000 miles and all seemed
fine.
After warming the engine (it had slight cold lifter noise after sitting
for four days) I then cooled it enough to pull the valve covers. I
noticed that one valve cover had a substantial amount of oil still in the
cover and the other appeared to be near dry but oily.
A minor valve adjustment to all lifters settled out the slight noise I
was getting. Took about ten minutes to let everything get reset with the
new adjustment.
Anybody got any ideas as to why one valve cover might hold more oil than
the other on good flat ground?
I also found several other interesting things:
a) Two of the plug wires had been arcking inside the bake-lite plug
connectors at the threads the wires screw to.
b) The rotor cap showed considerable arcking at the copper pins on all
four but the bronze on the rotor arm looked very good.
c) One rubber boot at the wire and bake-lite was damaged, looked to have
been hot. Not melted, just split and deformed (cheap rubber?).

Stan Wilder
83 Air Cooled Westfalia

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