ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

Recently bought a 79 Westfalia, drove it home without undue noises. Now after sitting on my drive for a few weeks, on firing her up the right side lifters sounded very noisy. This has not gone away after lenghthy idling. There is plenty of oil in the engine. These are hydraulic lifters. What could have happened while she was just sat there, and what I do? I thought hydraulic lifters do not need adjusting. Thanks for any suggestions

madjon,

this is normal. if you park a bus with hydraulic lifters for a long period the lifters can loose their oil, resulting in the clatter you are hearing. idleing will not pump them up, but normal driving should. in fact, i wouldn't idle the motor for too long , better to drive it normally and the clatter should lessen or go away altogether. if it doesn't go away completely after a day or two of normal driving, then you might have a problem.

scott lyons

Greetings. I have a 78 Westy. It has a newish engine (15k miles). Seems as if at least one of my lifters bleed down overnight. I don't worry about it though. I do as pre viously posted and that is to just drive off. Not hastily, mind ya. I still listen for the odd noises. But it is like this all the time. Run that mutha' If it breaks it needed fixin' anyway.

Seat may be dropping? I would change the lifter to confirm that it's not dropping and that indead it is a noisy lifter.

If you can tell which one it is, pull the push rod tube out and lifter should come out--easy to change. If it's not the lifter get the head off and fix it!

Guys
Thanks so much for the advice. First I will actually drive it to see if the noise quietens. I hope it is just that as the motor has been rebuilt - the top end anyway.

Thanks again.

It is hard to shoot the sh*t when typing. My situation is partly, bled down lifters, stock archaic yet very cool L-Jet FI, Sloopy dizzy, and cool weather. So my deal is that when I fire it up in the morn to go to work, it at first runs erratic. I let it warm up long enough for the aux air valve to start closing. It will be still be a little erratic, but when I drive off all is well. It will have a cold idle around 6-700. When full warm it hovers at 1k. I like it there 'cause it seems to come up "on the pipe" easier. If I just let it set there and idle its way to full warm, it runs erratic for a longer time. I could keep tuning the FI but I've played with it to the point that it is user friendly. I have a reprint from 78 that stated that the FI works good except for a lethargic period between cold start and warm idle. Exactly what I'm experiencing. No big to me.

regis101 my 83 2.0 Vanagom L-Jet acts exactly like this. I set idle up hot at about 800--cold start idle then runs at about 600

At cold srart it runs great, after a minuet or two it tend to dies on me without pushing on gas after 3-4 minuets it up idling at 800 again running great without my foot on gas.

fellas,

your hot idle is too low. set it at about 1000 -1100 at hot idle and the problem will (mostly) go away. you may have to tinker a bit so the hot idle isn't TOO high. but 800 is too low.

scott lyons

Yes, Yes Yes, to all of you. And 800 is to low. Mine likes 1k. Funny thing is that I've tightened up the flapper 8 clicks and its crisp. I dunno. I did install a K&N air filter a short time ago. Maybe this freed up airflow to allow me to lean it out a bit. I'll find out tomorrow when I go to work . the mornings have been in the high 30's. as long as it does not hesitate, I'll lean it out. And yes, I am cautious not to lean it out too far. I'd like to find a way to increase the time of the Aux Valve to about 7-8 minutes. That would be perfect to get to warm idle. Maybe a time delay relay. They are available. I'll work on that.

Are we gettin' off track?

My cold idle is 1100-1200. depends on how long the engine has been stopped. Meaning that if I have ran it ,then parked for a while, when restarting it will idle at 1300. The engine has some heat in it but not enough to have the Aux Air valve not function due to convection heat. Ya know.

and that is if you do not have a vacuum leak,

typically the FI engine will adjust depending on temp, I can think of where you would actually adjust the cold idle

I have set idle up to 1k when hot and I still have that idle problem--not during 1st min. of cold running but durring the 2nd to 3rd min.

I like the idle down a hot it never stalls or misses when warmed up, actualy I think the book said set it at 700.

I also tried a modified IDF aircleaner and it seems to work better, mater of fact I permantly installed one on my 1.8 412 that has L-Jet from another Vanagon for I dont have the stock one.

I'd like to find a way to increase the time of the Aux Valve to about 7-8 minutes. That would be perfect to get to warm idle.

Exactly let me know if you figure out a way.

The thing to do is find out the voltage going to the aux air valve. I've been lazy on this. It'd be easy 'nuff. When I bench tested one with 12 volts, it closed within a minute +/-. Knowing the voltage would allow us to simply put a resistor in line to the supply side of the valve. What value of resistance? I dunno. But simple trial and error with a few resistors would do it. If you think of it as a percentage thing it gets easier. If it gets 12 volts, then we may want to cut it down to 9 or 7. OHHHH, wait, what about a variable control like a fan speed switch. Nothing but a rheostat. Similar to a volume control. Oooooo. It'll be round and if the back is exposed, you'll see a spring bent into a circle and the knob on front will will turn a blade on back that drags across the spring-thing. Clear? I'm off to my local auto parts to search for some type of generic control of this type. If it is variable, the time setting will be somewhat infinite. Gotta go......