Damn. And I thought I had pulled some stuff.

Jim

> On May 24, 2016, at 3:09 PM, Mark Drillock <modrillock@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> So after a good nights sleep I woke Friday to a light rain and some wind. I
> had told the shop I would be there at 7 am when they opened and I wanted to
> be on time to show I was committed to getting it fixed and out of there. I
> had set my alarm but when it finally woke me it was clear it had gone off a
> few times before I heard it. After a quick shower I got on my bike and
> headed off the couple of miles with the wind blowing the rain into my face
> most of the way. Levis don't really cut it as rain gear but I had dry
> clothes in the van so no big deal. At the shop I had a coffee and got to
> work prepping the old and new parts to put everything together.. When I was
> ready for the pistons I asked the head mechanic to give me a hand and he
> did, doing the hard part for me of getting the circlips installed. After my
> hand surgeries a couple years ago there are things they just won't do
> anymore. Then I took over again and put everything else back with all the
> care I could muster. My friend Brian showed up with the oil and coolant I
> asked him to buy and about 3 in the afternoon I was ready to put the fluids
> in. Nothing dripped so I turned the key and she fired right up.
>
> The guys at the shop heard it running and came over, with slightly sad
> faces. It sounded like hell, with what I assumed was the typical soft
> lifter clacking sounds from a few lifters that had bled down while it was
> parked for 10 months. I told them I expected it to quiet down but not being
> vanagon guys they gave me looks of pity like I was delusional. I cleaned up
> all the tools, put everything away, and then backed it out of the garage. I
> thanked them for putting up with me and giving me a place to work as well
> as letting me use some tools and materials and giving me a helping hand.
> They would accept no compensation though I tried to offer it several times.
>
> With new rings in new cylinders I had some concern about proper break-in
> but there wasn't that much I could do. My friend had brought me synthetic
> oil in 5-40W and I put it in. I drove gently around the local area for a
> while and then headed to camp for the night. The lifters quieted down one
> by one and then it all sounded fine, just like I hoped. I put some fresh
> gas in to mix with the old gas from the year before. The next morning I
> started off for Berlin where my wife was flying in later the same day. I
> drove the first hundred miles at 50 mph, the next hundred at 55 mph, then a
> hundred at 60 before just pressing on. I varied the throttle from hard to
> soft and let the rpms drop many times over those miles.Did it help or hurt
> or make no difference, who knows? I checked the oil level very carefully as
> I went and it never dropped over the 400+ miles. By the time I made it to
> Berlin I was feeling pretty good about things.
>
> Time will tell, but so far so good. Anne and I are now in Poland, with no
> oil consumption detected. I haven't opened the engine lid since I left the
> shop but need to do so soon as the alternator belt sometimes squeals at
> startup.
>
> Thanks again to Peter at Van-Cafe for getting me the parts I needed in a
> timely fashion.
>
> Mark