Sticky lifter...no big deal. Here is a repost of a cure I posted last week:

Warm up motor by driving.
Drain engine oil. Change filter to any brand.
Refill with 1/2 & 1/2  engine oil and Automatic Transmission fluid, any
brand.
Start motor, BUT DO NOT DRIVE THE VAN!!!!
Allow the motor to idle, and rev it gently every once in a while  (like to
2,000 rpm) for about 20 minutes.
Drain Oil. Change filter to MANN or VW brand filter (NO Fram, Autocrap, AC
Smelco, etc.)
Refill with Castrol 20w50, and about 8-16 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil.
In 1,000 to 1,500 miles change your oil again and use a MANN or VW filter.
Kiss your ticking lifter goodbye.

The ATF is HIGHLY detergent, and will clean out the lifter. The Marvel
Mystery oil will continue the process. The good filter will prevent the oil
from draining out of the lifters overnight.

After all of that is done,  run a compression check to verify that you
don't have any bum valves. You prolly don't.

Cheers.

G. Matthew Bulley
Director
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
www.bulley-hewlett.com
Cary, NC USA
888.468.4880 tollfree

-----Original Message-----
From:   Jim Cain [SMTP:jcain@MINDSPRING.COM]
Sent:   Wednesday, August 18, 1999 11:34 PM
To:     vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject:        I hear ya tappin

85 stock Westy, about 75,000 miles on original engine.

About a month ago, I started up one morning and heard what I think is
tappit noise.  I drove about 2 miles over to the local VW guy and he was
closed, but the noise had stopped anyway!  No further noise that I heard
until this morning, heard the same thing.  I'm about 80 miles from home and
had to get there, so I started out and stopped every few miles to listen.
'Bout 10 miles down the road, the noise had stopped and everything sounded
ok.  The oil has been changed more often than normal, the last time less
than 1500 miles ago and oil level is good.

Am I headded for trouble here?  Sticky pushrod?

TIA

Jim in Atlanta with sometimes tappin' Herbie, 85 Westy