My '86 Westy Weekender has 50,000 miles on a VW of Canada rebuild and sporadically exhibits the EXACT same problem with lifter noise you describe.  Always disappears upon warm-up it is unsettling to drive off down the road with that tap tap tapping in my ears.

Dan Hall
Catfish Capital of Alabama

  Hi David

  I have the same problem with my Westy 87 (lifter noise). If I turn around my
  Westy for a short time, I know the day after I use it, the lifters will make
  noise. I guess that is the way these flat four work.

  Germain

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "David Most" <mostd@JUNO.COM>
  To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
  Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 7:05 PM
  Subject: Re: lifter leakdown (was oil change)

  > This happened to my '87 yesterday at around 4:30 p.m. after having run
  > the engine for about one minute at 2:30 p.m. (I had to turn the vanagon
  > around to position the rear close to my front door - trying to minimize
  > the distance for carrying a heavy glass table top).   The last time that
  > I had lifter noise was after leaving the vanagon sitting for three weeks.
  >
  >
  > David
  >
  > On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 14:51:08 -0600 Fred Brittain <vanpire@CITLINK.NET>
  > writes:
  > > Volks,
  > >
  > > I use what I think are the best oil and filter. Mobil 1 in both
  > > cases.
  > > I also use MMO on occasion. I once read a post by a female member
  > > who
  > > said the only time she got leak down click was after she had not
  > > let
  > > her engine warm up completely.
  > >
  > > So, I began running mine at least a few minutes every time it was
  > > started. I haven't had clicking in a couple years. YMMV
  > >
  > > Fred
  > > 89 Westy
  > > Moab, UT
  > >
  > > PS  I've see many vanagons in our small tourist town. Never seen a
  > > list sticker (other than my own). Anybody ever come through here?
  > >
  > >
  >
  > ________________________________________________________________
  > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
  > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
  > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!
  >