Date:         Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:16:36 -0700
Reply-To:     jbrush@AROS.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Anonymous Digest <jbrush@AROS.NET>
Subject:      Re: Just interesting observation & More Questions

The issue of the clacking lifters has long intrigued me, as I know about
it, I have had it for a long time, and no oil filter or viscosity of oil
has ever made a difference. I kind of left out the history of the engine,
because I posted without thinking of how my words would be viewed. :-)  I
am aware that my lifters are old and tired and are the cause of the noise,
but at least now, it seems I have found a way to lighten the abuse of
starting it after it has sat for a long time, and that can only help
extend its life a bit more.

Parking the van on the slight incline makes a difference, and although I
am pleased that it does, I have no explanation of why it helps. If I drove
the van up onto your basic set of ramps, it would be more than twice the
incline that my driveway introduces. I know that the oil pan is not very
deep, so I guess a small angle makes a big difference, but I am still
trying to picture why it helps, and am not getting very good reception on
that picture, yet....

 Frankly, I don't even know yet exactly what the noise is when it starts
up clattering like it does. Its not clattering rocker arms, like in my old
V8s when they needed adjustment, it is a noise from inside, towards the
center of the engine, and it is loud. If I was new to the Van engine, I
would be sure that it was going to self destruct. <g>

How much difference is there between the length/height of a lifter that is
drained/collapsed, and one that is all pumped up and ready to rock? The
noise is pretty intense for what I perceive to be a very small amount of
slop.

FWIW, the engine runs just as well when it is noisy as when it quiets
down, and when it is quiet, it runs so smooth it makes me cry to think I
will have to replace it if I want to get back to a fair amount of power.
Its tired, but it runs so very smooth and quiet.......

I will listen as well to the wisdom of those more in the know than I, but
I don't think that the oil filter can have any effect on this problem,
with or without a check valve, on an air cooled engine, as it is prefectly
vertical, and if there is enough oil in the engine, the filter is full,
and a check valve isn't going to do anything. Given an angled mount, like
on the water cooled engines, I can sort of see it. The filter is below the
sump, so I have no idea how any check valve can keep oil from draining out
of the upper reaches of the engine. Its a mystery to me.

Once in a while, over the years, when it is really noisy, I will put in
1/2 qt of MMO, and it quiets down after a while. Did the MMO help, or did
it just get quiet as it normally would? I have no idea but I am sure the
MMO can't hurt, and it might have helped, so if someone is clattering
away, try the Mystery Oil and see what happens.

Also, I have asked this before and it slipped through the cracks, but in
the world of engine rebuilds I grew up in, not any VWs in the bunch,
installing new lifters on a cam with 200K miles is frowned upon and tends
to wipe out the cam after not very long. What is the opinion of those who
know more than I do, about this?

Thanks for all the feedback and comments,

John