Hello,

We have an  87 Syncro with about 70k miles.

When we leave the van unused for several days or more, upon start-up a
loud ticking emanates from the right side of the engine.
If we let it idle for 5-10 minutes, the sound slowly disappears.

We have noticed the sound has become more frequent over the last year.
We have noticed the problem appears to be less frequent after we change
the oil
We have noticed this does not seem to occur when the engine is warm.

Last weekend we noticed the ticking seemed more like a clacking which
was  louder than previously and it took 30 minutes of low speed driving
for the noise to slowly subside.

I made an inquiry with our local mechanic, who didn't hear the noise but
believes the spring inside the lifter is broken.  I'm not sure how that
could be the case if the noise goes away after the engine warms up.

Has anyone dealt with this type of noise?