mizamook@SONIC.NET wrote:
> 
> Howdy all yooz...
> 
> I started up my '81 Vanagon yesterday, and found to my dismay that there was a
> rather loud, persistent "tak-tak-tak" at idle, revving just makes it go

This is actually a response to a lot of recent hyd lifter questions.
Check the archives, I and others have written many a treatis on this
problem.  Did it persist?  My '78 has lifters that take up to 15
minutes to pump up if they've been sitting.  A can of miracle clean
might help, Stephens recs exchanging the oil with ATF for a day but
this roto-rooter treatment might likely break up so much crud you could
pay for it for a long time.  If the tapping subsides within a few 
minutes at 2500 rpm and warmed up oil, live with it.  As they really 
wear they will start to tap and be incureable, the '78's were not dirty
upon dissasembly, and hold pressure with cold oil bled on the bench.
Put em in an engine and they bleed down in minutes after you stop the 
engine, literally before you can adjust all the valves.  VW has never
built a good hydraulic lifter, they still don't in the H20 cars which
are very sensitive to the type of oil you use.  I don't usually knock
stuff but frankly I have seen H20 lifter noise dissapear with a change
from Quaker State to Valveline (literaly in 200 miles).  Conversely in
most my vans I run the cheapest 15W40 diesel grade oil I can find either
WALMARTS or parts store, $4-$4.50 a gallon and never have problems
beyond startup.  Go figure, but don't go willy nilly into the lifters
for no real reason, even though they are easy to get to in the T4.  
Results will likely not be worth the effort unless the noise is 
sustained and persistent.  Web-Cams replacement T4's seem to be as
good as OEM South America and maybe as good as the origional German
parts BTW, these are the most likely available today $89 the set or so.

John
vwbus@netbiz.net