I drove it around for a while and now the noise is tolerable.  I'd never
heard it that loud.  I let the oil drain overnight before I refilled it;
maybe that had something to do with it.

Well, I spent half the day trying to fix a starting problem, didn't find
anything wrong, and now it starts fine.  Not very satisfying.  Thank you
all for your suggestions, though.  Just knowing there are people out there
with a lot more knowledge than I have gives me the confidence to attempt
these repairs.

On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 3:59 PM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com> wrote:

> Having a Mann oil filter will help prevent this.
>
>
> John
>
> On 2/25/2014 2:28 PM, Steven Shelton wrote:
>
>> This is turning into a real nightmare.  I reinstalled the AFM; now it
>> starts fine, but the engine makes a loud clattering!  It's done this
>> occasionally over the years, but always went away pretty quickly.  Now it
>> won't stop.  I've gone over it with a stethoscope and it seems to be
>> loudest at the driver's side of the intake air distributor, but it's hard
>> to pinpoint.  I disconnected the fuel injector plugs and cranked the
>> engine
>> to see if something was bouncing around in a cylinder, but heard nothing.
>>   Can all this be related?  It all started off with a shorted oil pressure
>> sensor wire.
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 2:25 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>  Intermittent problems are often elusive. Will it start reliably with the
>>> AFM
>>> disconnected? If yes then you do have a mixture control issue and the
>>> sensor
>>> being disconnected is helping get past it. I would look for massive
>>> vacuum
>>> leaks and wiring issues. Except for the O2 sensor which is a
>>> "consumable",
>>> it is very rare for any of the other sensors to go bad. Again, the
>>> connectors and wiring is more often the real problem.
>>>
>>> Dennis
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>>> Of
>>> Steven Shelton
>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 2:12 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: Engine Starting Problem
>>>
>>> I meant that the engine turns over and over but it will not start/run.  I
>>> checked the intake air sensor (Bentley 1999 edition pg 24.28):
>>>
>>> 2-3        556
>>> 6-9        557
>>> 6-22      2697@18 degrees C
>>> 2-3 and 7-9:  ohms change as I moved the sensor plate
>>>
>>> Is this a definitive test or could there still be something wrong with
>>> intake air sensor?
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 1:59 PM, Dennis Haynes
>>> <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>wrote:
>>>
>>>  Cranking and starting are two completely different issues. The starter
>>>> will crank (turn)the engine over if you removed the complete fuel
>>>> delivery system and put it out to the garbage.
>>>> Check the wiring on the back of the starter. The solenoid trigger wire
>>>> may be loose and you're working near there is making or breaking that
>>>> connection.
>>>>
>>>> Dennis
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>>> Behalf Of Steven Shelton
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 1:18 PM
>>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>> Subject: Re: Engine Starting Problem
>>>>
>>>> OK, as I said above, the engine would not crank at all, even after
>>>> returning to it using a charged battery the next day.  As soon as i
>>>> removed the AFM, even with the #1 spark plug removed, the engine
>>>> cranked right up.
>>>>   I checked the ECU connector, with the following results:
>>>>
>>>> 2-7     3213 ohms@16 degrees C
>>>> at this temperature the reading should be 3000 ohm to 3500 ohm.
>>>> I also checked at the temp 2 sensor, it was 3178 ohm.
>>>>
>>>> Other readings were:
>>>> 1-7     10.64 V
>>>> 5-7      infinity
>>>> 6-19    558 ohm
>>>> 7-25      0 ohm
>>>> 11-7     14.9 ohm
>>>> 12-7     15.1
>>>> 14-6     3154 ohm
>>>> 15-19     555 ohm at rest, it moved up when I moved the plate
>>>>
>>>> Does this mean conclusively that the temp 2 sensor is OK?  Any
>>>> suggestions on what to try next?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>