Date:         Sat, 4 Apr 1998 08:45:58 -0800
Reply-To:     quoton <quoton@DIAL.KFU.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         quoton <quoton@DIAL.KFU.COM>
Subject:      Re: strange clicking noise on 87 westy
Comments: To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Comments: cc: Gravyfries <Gravyfries@AOL.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Gravyfries wrote:
>
> Ah! Spring has finally arrived, although it really wasn't much of a winter
> here in Southern Ct.  Regardless, it's time to clean up the yard, and get the
> old Vanagon up and running again.  So, here is my dilemma.  For reasons
> unknown, I did not winterize my westy and it has been sitting for a few
> months.  When I started it up the other day, I found that there was a strange
> clicking noise coming from the engine with each revolution.  Figuring that it
> was just from the engine being cold and not run for a while, a drove it for a
> few miles to see what would happen when it warmed up.  However, the noise did
> not stop, and I drove home in case this was causing damage.  I have yet to
> have it diagnosed, because I thought I would check with my knowledgable
> friends on this list, before I did anything.  Insights would be greatly
> appreciated, as I am eager to get it back on the road. Thanks
>
> Trevor Mullen
> Stamford, Ct
> 87 Westy

It is probably just the noise of the hydraulic lifters. If the vanagon
has
been in storage for that long this is very normal. It might take a while
to eliminate the noise. It happened to me all the time.

To fix it, simply warm up the engine. The noise will persist even after
the engine is completely warmed up. Once the engine is completely warm
then rev the engine up and down (gear in nutural of course) 20 or even
up to 50 times. The noise will gradually disappear. When the noise
reduces
you might need to drive it down the road for a couple of miles and use
up to the 3rd gear only. The lifter noise will be completely gone. It
could take up to 30 minutes to go through the procedure once.

To avoid the noise again, next time when you put it into storage again,
make sure you top up the oil and store the vanagon at level. You could
even over fill the oil. If the lifters are submerged in oil the problem
would not occur.

Good luck.

David Kao
83 westy
84 vanagon