VANAGON LIFTER SYNDROME!!!!

This has been discussed a zillion times and is all in the archives.
However, for newbies and anybody else that wants a refresher.......

The lifter noise is scarey, aggravating, frustrating, but can be avoided
mostly.

1) Drain a quart of oil - add a quart of Marvels Mystery Oil and run it
a couple of hundred miles.
2) Change oil to a Dino 20W50 or a Synthetic equivilent.... I use 15W50
Mobil 1 Synthetic. I recommend it, though others disagree.
3) Install a Mann or Mahle oil filter, and ONLY a Mann or Mahle. Buy
them in a fourpak from the list vendors for around twenty bucks - Order
copper crush gaskets for the drain plug when you order the filters.
Install new plug gasket every time you change the oil.

The MMO is a very fine  cleaning oil, and cleans up varnish and other
crud that may make a lifter sticky inside.  Give it a run to clean
things up before changing the oil. The lifters tend to leak down becasue
of the design of the oil system. By using a filter with a strong
internal relief valve spring, the pressure holds the oil in the engine
oil galleries and the lifters do not lose their prime and begin
rattling. on startup.  The system seems to manage a bit better on the
heavier oil, and it is one recommended by VW. Experiece garnerd by many
on this list suupport the notion that the 20W50 seems to give the best
general performance. Other grades can be used under a varity conditions
but this seems to be the best over all. Regularly scheduled oil changes
will also healp against valve clatter. The WBX is particularly snsitive
to this issue.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Keith Patterson wrote:

>I've got an 87 westy with a funny problem. If I start it and let it run
>for a short time (say 5 minutes) then turn it off, the next time I start
>it my lifters make a horrible sound. I assume they are losing there
>pressurization. If I drive it for a while the noise goes away.
>
>Any thoughts?
>
>
>
>Thanks,
>
>KP
>
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>