Bad lifter??

[Chainsaw]

Fired up last weekend to go on a little camping trip and the van had a pretty good lifter knock all of the sudden, never heard it before. Backed her into the garage and popped the passanger side cover off and found someone (I only got the van in Feb) had adjusted the rear most rocker in a bit. The other three lifters showed about five threads above the lock nut, this one only has about 1.5 threads showing. I looked at the drivers sixe and it is adjusted to about the same five threads, this tells me its not the cam. The rocker and push rod both appear to not be worn excessively so all I can figure is the lifter has gone bad somehow.

So a couple of questions, can the lifter come out without pulling the head.
Where can I get a replacement lifter?
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89 Westy. 2wd. Manual.

[Steve M.]

http://www.van-cafe.com/lifters-c706

15 bucks!

you could try some Marvel Mystery oil in the oil to see if it clears any sldge out of the lifter...it couldn't hurt anything to try.

Good reading on it.
http://www.gowesty.com/tech-article-details.php?id=116
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[Terry Kay]

Since Feb, have you changed the oil yet?

What weight?
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T.K.

[Wildthings]

Lifts like thin oil. They especially don't like having the engine fired up and run only for a short while and then shut off as the cold thick oil for some reason causes them to leak down.

I would back the adjuster off on that valve until it has just a tad of lash and then run the engine long enough for the flat lifter to pump up. Now go back and preload the lifter to 1-2 turns of preload. Remember that the zero lash position can be very subtle and may well not feel the same two times in a row.

Adding a cleaner like Marvel Mystery Oil to the crankcase every 10K miles or so and running a thin synthetic oil like a 5W40 will keep your lifters working their best.

[Chainsaw]

Terry, I have not changed the oil since February, only about 700 miles since then. 10-30

Wildthings, interesting thought, you thinking perhaps "they" fired it up cold, heard a lifter and then jumped in to adjust the noise out? The guy I bought it from was basiclly flipping it, he was quite mechanical so I wouldn't be suprised if he did just that.
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89 Westy. 2wd. Manual.

[Terry Kay]

Do yourself a large favor.

Time to open up the owners manual, or the copy of the Bentley.

The correct oil weights are posted there.

Try 15/40 with a quart of MMO in the crankcase, and leave it in the engine oil--forever.

It'll keep this from happening again when you get the valves adjusted again.

A clean engine is a happy engine -- with the correct weight oil in it.
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T.K.

[Wildthings]

[Wildthings]

[Chainsaw]

Terry, will do.

Wildthing, finding zero will be the hardest part of this job.
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89 Westy. 2wd. Manual.

[Terry Kay]

API ratings have been updated, and any oil from SB to SN will work perfectly.


Thang,
you still poring your own bearings for that van ?
Good--

Run 15/40 Castrol GTX you'll be good to go, toss a quart of MMO in the oil.
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T.K.

[AZ Landshaper]

I replaced my oil w diesel and ran the motor for thirty mins. It made the lifter quiet down for a month. Was back after that month. I used the mmO and it was even less effective. Buy a new lifter and install it. It's a peace of cake. Hardest part of the job, valve adjust.
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[Chainsaw]

So how are they replaced?
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89 Westy. 2wd. Manual.

[Wildthings]

[Terry Kay]

The API SA service classification was followed by SB, SC, SD, SE, SF, SG, SH, SJ, SL, SM and to its current level of API SN.

I don't know how well this engine was taken care of & serviced, sounds like your in the same boat.

Change the oil to the correct recommended oil weight, get a quart of marvel in it--and run it.

If you didn't get the valve adjustment in that one hole messed up--the clacking will go away.

It's just the nature of the beast.
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T.K.

[Wildthings]

[djkeev]

Generally to replace the lifters, you pull the cylinder heads.......

But!

With the miracle of collapsible push rod tubes you can replace a lifter without removing the head.

Remove the rocker arm, pull out the push rod, mangle the pushrod tube of the offending lifter, pull out lifter, slip in new lifter, install new push rod tube, install all push rods seated PROPERLY, install rocker arms.

First try the loosening of the adjuster, change the oil and add Marvel Mystery Oil, drive it, readjust.

Sticky lifters come and go.... life goes on.

Dave
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[Chainsaw]

Djkeev, thats pretty much what I figured. Ill do the oil/MMO first certainly.

Thanks Fellas.
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89 Westy. 2wd. Manual.

[IdahoDoug]

If you drive through Coeur d'Alene in your travels, I have a bunch of fine lifters here in my "Vanagon Rescue Squad" ready kit. But I'd definitely do the fresh oil and MMO first. Who knows how much dirt your oil change loosened 700 miles ago and if you toss that, get fresh oil in and MMO and a quality filter (WIX for instance), and drive it for 30 minutes all might be well. If you're sure its the lifter and that you have the valve adjusted right, then just drive it. These engines are prone to the noise under the best of conditions.
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[seans67]

I started using 15/40 Diesel engine oil and A qt of Marvel mystery. Once had very noisy lifters, all quit now.
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Sean

'71 Squareback '71 Porsche 914 ‘80 Camper '87 Syncro Weekender 1.8T '87 Wolfsburg Weekender '97 Toyota Land Cruiser ‘03 Audi A6 Quattro 3.0 ‘04 Audi A4 Avant Quattro 1.8T ‘05 Audi A4 Quattro 3.0
‘06 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

[Merian]

Marvel Misery Oil and drive it on the freeway for an hour.
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