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Date:         Wed, 6 Aug 2008 22:58:48 -0700
Reply-To:     Stuart MacMillan <macgroup@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stuart MacMillan <macgroup@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Any advice on bleeding lifters (2.1)
Comments: To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <4d1b79350808061906i73554855u272d3a820a873b11@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

MMO is a solvent "oil." It's basically a mixture of petroleum based solvents with Wintergreen (methyl salicylate) for scent, and red dye for color. It can dissolve the gunk that clogs the small holes in hydraulic lifters, or elsewhere. Low oil pressure in worn WBX engines keeps the lifters from pumping up, and it's worse when they are clogged as well.

It was concocted in the 1920s, when oils were primitive (no detergent additives), but it still has a useful purpose, it would not still be around if it didn't. Check out some aircraft forums, it's very popular for airplane engines. Those are engines you really depend on, and many from the '70s are air cooled flat fours!

Would you fly in an air cooled VW? Many people pretty much do.

Stuart An MMO user for years. (But I don't fly in private planes.)

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Jim Felder Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 7:06 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: Any advice on bleeding lifters (2.1)

It did well for a while, and really seemed to get the noisier ones unstuck, but if the van set for a week (or sometimes less) and hadn't had the oil changed recently, I'd hear them for the first 20 minutes of driving. I bought new ones and want to make sure that I don't do something wrong by mistreating them. My first set went over 160K miles without giving any problems, I hope I get that much out of these. Marvel Mystery Oil. Isn't that the greatest name? Perfect American marketing BS in the legacy of guys selling snake oil to a crowd of yokels off the back of a wagon. It has this shroud of the occult, like it was pressed from egyptian mummies or hummingbird tongues. Does anyone really know what the mystery really is?

Jim

On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 8:01 PM, Max Wellhouse <dimwittedmoose@cfu.net>wrote:

> ...and all this time I thought Marvel Mystery Oil was the magic > elixir for noisy valve train issues!!! > > DM&FS > > > At 04:30 PM 8/6/2008, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote: > >> Coesn't it just saw to submerge them in oil ( clean oil I'd think ! ) and >> pump them up and down until they get oil into them ? . >> that's what I do. >> the really nice thing on a rebuild is brand new lifters. ( And >> ,............there is the old thing about never putting new or different >> lifters on a cam or more specifically each cam lobe..............so that >> might encourage some people to religeously stay with the same lifter on >> the >> same lobe in a used cam ) .......... >> but if that doesnt' bother you, new lifers are nice. I think they're like >> 25 to 30 bucks each . >> >> What I find is that old ones get sticky......... >> I've had it take months of treating the oil, and driving the van to get >> old >> used lifters back to full health so that they never get clicky. >> My own 2.1 engine in my 85 Wolfsburg Weekender is like that ...... >> The lifters getting noisyh from very short periods of operation where an >> issue for months..........and once one or two got noisy, it would take af >> few hours of operation for them to quite down again. >> now. a year later.............they are never an issue. Must've gotten well >> cleaned out finally. >> >> I use, btw........for non-synthetic oil ...........Chevron Delo 15W40 , >> and >> only that oil........plus hydrualic lifter cleaners, when needd, like CD-2 >> - >> is one brand. >> scott >> turbovvans.com >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Jim Felder" <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> >> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> >> Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 1:59 PM >> Subject: Any advice on bleeding lifters (2.1) >> >> >> Bentley offers the usual rain dance for getting oil in the lifters. Mine >>> have been sitting for months as I've slooooooowly rebuilt the rest of the >>> engine, but the day is coming (hopefully soon) when I will be >>> reinstalling >>> them. I seem to remember hearing a simplified method. >>> Anyone? >>> >>> Jim >>> >>


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