I am one with a positive MMO story. My 84 1.9 did this every time I started
it, not just after a long sit. I added about 1/3 of a quart to the oil and
I have not heard it since. It's been a couple of months and a few thousand
miles.
Patrick

On Saturday, April 11, 2015, Jason <uberhare@gmail.com> wrote:

> My last waterboxer always took 20-30 minutes of highway driving to pump up
> a few lifters after sitting for a few months.  Sounded pretty terrible
> until it did...
>
> Jason
>
> On Sat, Apr 11, 2015 at 1:26 PM, John Rodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
>
> > This is the infamous Vanagon Lifter Syndrome. For whatever reason,
> > virtually all the WBX  lifters bleed down one time or another after
> sitting
> > a while, and sometimes from one stop to the next. They rattle until
> they're am one with a positive !mM
> > pump up again. Harmless enough. Just drive the thing a half hour or so or
> > some distance until they pump up. The noise goes away!
> >
> > John
> > On Apr 11, 2015 11:52 AM, "Richard Smith" <richard_smith@gnwc.ca
> <javascript:;>> 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.
> > >
> > > I was assured by the mechanic that it wasn¹t harmful (the noise is
> valve
> > > ³lifters² not the valves themselves), and lived with it for quite a
> > while.
> > > During a recent major tuneup and oil change, the mechanic added some
> > > Automatic Transmission Fluid to the engine oil and let the engine idle
> > for
> > > an hour (!). Then he drained the oil and replaced it. The noise has
> > > (almost) completely gone away.
> > >
> > > You may find that your noise goes away by itself after driving it for a
> > > few days. I would certainly try that first before doing any more
> serious
> > > things. And the Automatic Transmission Fluid ³fix² may or may not have
> > > been a real thing, but it cost next to nothing and seems to have worked
> > > for me.
> > >
> > > The best way to keep it away is to drive it regularly, if find.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 2015-04-11, 9:01 AM, "Stuart Fedak" <ve3smf@YAHOO.COM
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > >
> > > >I just picked up my 1986 Vanagon Westfalia GL 2.1 from storage, where
> it
> > > >has been for the past six months.  The engine started up fine, but it
> > now
> > > >has a sticky valve type sound on the driver side of the engine.  This
> > > >noise was not there last fall when the Vanagon was put into storage.
> > > >
> > > >Is this something that has to be corrected right away, or is this
> > > >something that will go away with time?  What could cause this noise
> from
> > > >happening, right after longer term storage?
> > > >
> > > >Your thoughts?
> > > >Stuart
> > > >Ottawa, ON
> > > >
> > > >Sent from my electronic umbilicus
> > >
> >
>

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