My previous WBX experience with lifter noise was that switching to Mobil1
15W50 made it go away forever. (162,000 miles in all) before Jetta engine
swap.  However, I wouldn't go so spendy only to change it out at a mere
3,000 miles.

YMMV, all rights reserved, void where prohibited, death or serious injury
may ensue.
Geo/ATL

On Sat, Apr 11, 2015 at 2:33 PM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
wrote:

> To paraphrase Shakespeare "The slings and arrows of outrage . . ." will
> certainly follow any discussion of MMO.
>
> I've used it many times in both Vanagons and my other old cars. No
> problems with it, but no real improvements I can point to either.  I still
> eventually had sticky lifers again.
>
> Follow the directions on the can if you want to try it. It's just a light
> oil with solvent properties.  It thins out the oil, so just run it for a
> short time in easy driving conditions.
>
> Stuck lifters are a fact of life in old WBX engines.  A combination of low
> oil pressure, worn lifter guides, and clogged lifter check valves.  They
> pump up eventually as long as the lifter internals aren't broken.
>
> It's best to hit the open highway (if you can find one) and keep the
> lifter "floating" to minimize any potential cam wear.
>
> Stuart
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of Jim Arnott
> Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 10:32 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Post winter storage sticky valve noise
>
> The obligatory mention of Marvel Mystery Oil. Search the archives for
> “MMO” to find the decade long discussion.
>
> Jim
>
>
> > On Apr 11, 2015 11:52 AM, "Richard Smith" <richard_smith@gnwc.ca> wrote:
> >
> >> Mine developed this noise, too, after a long storage the winter before
> >> last. It would *sometimes* go away if I got the engine warmed up
> >> completely and then shut it down for 20-30 minutes. A more experienced
> >> engine person than me attributed this to different metals all getting to
> >> the same temperature and then cooling together.
>