well, i have 1000 miles on a rebuild now (top end), and i''m hearing the same symptoms that i heard 1000 miles after the previous rebuild (complete), and that is a chirping sound on acceleration. it only happens in neutral at the moment, but if past experience proves worth anything, it will soon move to first, then second and third. it sounds exactly like it did when i had a dropped valve seat. background: full rebuild by mechanic (has done 5 other rebuilds of air-cooled vanagons this summer alone, has been doing this for many many years) in june, drove 3000 miles, heard chirping and lost major power, mechanic said valves were not seating. sent heads back to mark stephens, they did a valve job, replaced exhaust guides, and flycut heads (no charge except shipping, although what i really wanted was a different set of heads). 2nd rebuild done earlier this month, 1000 miles on it now, seems to be starting with same symptoms as rebuild last time. after the rebuild this time, i took it to another mechanic to make sure valves were initially set properly and they were. the dilemma: i need to move from michigan to oregon next tuesday one way or another, as i have accepted a job there. i could convoy with my brother in his 88 and draft him the whole way and hope for the best. i'm wanting some other perspectives on this, any ideas on what is happening? my feeling is that the heads are in some way defective. if that is the case, i hope mark stephens stands behind them - what good is a 100,000 mile valve seat warranty if things aren't right in the first place? dennis suggested after the first rebuild that the case might be worn and the heads were not sealing properly to the surface, and the metal shim in between was vibrating like a reed. mechanic didn't seem to think this was the case the first time. any other ideas or experience would be much appreciated, i'm kinda stressed about this, not to mention the fact that i didn't even have the $$ for the second rebuild, and certainly not a third. the mechanic warranties his work, but since he says it is the heads (which i supplied through mark stephens) i have to pay for any further work. thanks, matthew
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