Arlene,

It requires oil pressure to pump up the hydraulic lifters before they get quieter. Although the lifters pretty much self-adjusts at every oil change, there is still a certain amount of adjustment which can be made if the lifters consistently make noise. There is an excellent article on how lifters function in the link below. There is a section in adjustments right in the midway on the site:

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/HydraulicLifters.html

Regards,

BenT
sent from my electronic leash

On May 23, 2011, at 8:51 AM, Arlene K Sondergaard <asonder@usgs.gov> wrote:

> 
> Ben 
> 
> My lifters are loud every time I start it up and I drive it every day. 
> We put synthetic oil in last time but it still noisy for the first few miles. 
> No worries? 
> 
> Arlene 
> 1987 wolfsburg carat 
>