Thanks for posting the video :-)  I had the same noise - took about a half hour to go away (diminished over that time).  I figured it was the lifter from descriptions on the list, but your video and others responses eases my fears.

Dan
Los Angeles, CA
"Winky" the '85 Westy Weekender

On Nov 30, 2011, at 7:04 PM, John Rodgers wrote:

> Collapsed lifter syndrome. Not to worry. Drive it a bit and it will pump
> up. A few that help to keep it from happening - Mann Oil Filter,
> hi-grade synthetic oil like Mobil One in 15W50 wt. Add a dash of
> Marvel's Mystery Oil. These steps will extend the time between periods
> of lifter flatness. But - it will run great, no no probs - until you
> park it wrong and then  it will go flat. Just drive it, and it will pump
> up.  You will need to run it every two or three days to keep them pumped.
> 
> On an aside, good maintenance on your AC if you have it, is to run it
> once a week, winter and summer - to keep the seals lubricated so they
> don't dry out and lose the refrigerant.
> 
> John
> 
> John Rodgers
> Clayartist and Moldmaker
> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
> Chelsea, AL
> Http://www.moldhaus.com
> 
> 
> On 11/30/2011 12:22 PM, Todd Last wrote:
>> My Vanagon has been sitting for awhile and upon starting, is making a
>> noise and puffing out a fair amount of smoke.
>> Is this a collapsed lifter?
>> 
>> I made a short video here:
>> 
>> 
>> <http://www.flipshare.com/login.aspx?nRecipient=N0I5MzFDMkItQzNGNy00RjVELUE4MDAtNjdFODNEOTREMjQy&nFrame=RDBBNUE5QkYtQTAwRS00N0Y3LThDNkMtM0UzNDU5OTZCOEQx&nMethod=ZW1haWw=&nMedia=ODkxRUM0NDYtQ0UyQi00ODk0LTkyNEUtNTEyODYxMEMxQjEy&emt=de084a1a-1ea9-454d-8bff-ac2049edb15b&slocale=en_US&emailThumbnail=single>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Todd
>> '88 Westy
>> 
>>