Date: Sun, 8 Sep 2024 08:31:49 -0700
Reply-To: Rick Cooper <rick@WEBLEAF.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rick Cooper <rick@WEBLEAF.CA>
Subject: Re: Hydraulic lifters
In-Reply-To: <2605584b-ed8a-4472-9f56-a6f54074d9e8@comcast.net>
Thanks for the responses. How difficult is it to remove and replace a lifter? Can it be done without removing the head? I can't seem to find a video or article that talks about this procedure.
I haven't got a lot of faith in oil additives but others have written about success with Marvel Mystery oil so I picked some up last week and will try that.
Rick
On Sun, Sep 8, 2024, at 12:23 AM, Todd Last wrote:
> I have had some instances of a stuck lifter that were solved by running seafoam in the oil. It is hard to diagnose your lifter condition without hearing it.
> You do want the valve adjustment to be more than 0 clearance to account for the heating expansion of different materials in the valve train and head.
>
> This is not a bad video on how to do the valve adjustment.
>
> Todd
> '88 Westy
>
>
> On 9/7/2024 7:03 PM, Rick Cooper wrote:
>> I'm dealing with noise emanating from the LH cylinder head on my 1987 vanagon with the stock 2.1 engine. I'm sure it's valve lifters since my playing with valve adjustment effects the sound. But my playing does not resolve it.
>>
>> I've read a number of articles about these lifters. many of which have conflicting advice. The one that seems the most logical to me is https://itinerant-air-cooled.com//viewtopic.php?t=11408, but I have so little experience that I really have no basis to prefer it to others. These things are quite intricate and I am not sure even after my reading that I fully understand how they function.
>>
>> In any case, my situation is this. I'm only working on the LH side. I previously removed the rocker arm, checked the straightness of the pushrods, and carefully reinstalled the pushrods and rocker arm to make sure that the pushrods were seated properly at both ends. I then dialed the adjustment screws in 1.5 turns and tightened the lock nuts. But after a month of driving, the noise has not gone away.
>>
>> So today I took another shot at it. After loosening the lock nuts and turning out the adjustment screws until the are just making contact, I then try to screw them in the recommended 1.5 or 2 turns. This works fine on the exhaust valves (which I believe are the ones on the ends) and I screwed them down by 1.5 turns.
>>
>> The problem is with the intake valves, the two in the middle. (Yes, I am working on the cylinders separately after setting the engine at TDC on each.) In the case of both of the intake valves, as soon as I start trying to turn the adjustment screws the 1.5 or 2 turns, I notice that the valve itself is being pushed down, rather than the pushrod. But if I turn them down the recommended 1.5 or 2 turns, won't that mean that these valves will be held slightly open? (That would explain the lousy fuel efficiency I've been getting.)
>>
>> Do I need to worry about that? Will the hydraulic lifters adjust for this? If so, why didn't the noise go away the first time I adjusted them? Is there some other potential cause that I should consider? Any advice appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks, Rick
>>
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