Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 17:21:00 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Will loud lifters ruin my engine?
In-Reply-To: <04c101c5f9b2$5e9efda0$7501a8c0@gispc1>
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Water cooled I pre-sume???
If so, you have the classic Vanagon Lifter Syndrome most likely. There
are several things to do to combat this, or at least reduce it's frenquency.
Basically, the lifters go flat....lose their oil that keeps them pumped
and the clearances tight.
1) Change the engine oil to a 20W50 wt Dino oil or s 15W50 Synthetic.
Personally I run Mobil One 15W50 synthetic.
2) Install a Mann or Mahle Oil filter. The pressure relief spring in the
filter is stronger than others and will hold the oil in the engine
galleries until you start the engine again. There is no substitute. You
might add a bottle of Marvels Mystery Oil to the engine oil and run it
for a while before changing the oil. It's a cleaner and does a job on
cleaning the lifters internally.
This usually takes care of the problem. Be sure and change oil
regularly. These engines are always subject to the problem but regualar
oil changes, Mann/Mahle oil filters and 20W50 Dino Oil or 15W50
Synthetic will eliminate most of the episodes.
If it occurs after you have done the things suggested, just run it for a
while and the lifters will pump back.
Of course all this assumes you have no other engine damage.
Regards,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Blake Sartin wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>I just got a new-to-me Vanagon a couple weeks ago, and it's great fun. It
>needs some tune-up type things, and a few various and sundry parts that are
>inexplicably missing (rear seat belts?), but it does have one problem...
>
>The lifters are LOUD. They were not loud at first, but it's been sitting a
>few months, and after a day or two of driving around, they have become
>SERIOUSLY loud. They get a little quieter at speed, or maybe the engine
>just gets loud enough to cover up the noise, but they really clack at idle.
>I am going to undertake some of the various methods to make them quieter
>this week, but I have one question:
>
>Will it ruin the engine for me to drive around like this?
>
>I really do not want to ruin the engine. But I do want to drive the car, as
>my '69 has now shot a bearing in the generator (again!) and I will have to
>extract it this week. It is also exceptionally loud.
>
>My new phrase is "If it's not one bus, it's the other..."
>
>Thanks,
>
>Blake Sartin
>Moderator, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bus-life
>All Fridays, All The Time. No Tech Talk!
>'69 Westfalia
>'84 Vanagon
>Athens, GA
>
>
>
>
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