Started the van today after a few long weeks of being left to collect cobwebs and dust only to find that my hydraulic tappets on one side wont adjust up??? Normally they take a few seconds everytime you freshly start her and they adjust fine but this time its just well out...
My question is that is it worth adjusting them (how should this be done correctly???) or should i invest in a new set of tappets and get this sorted once and for all (do GSF sell them still and whats the correct setup for them)
To save me some time would it be worth getting them sorted at my local garage rather than fannying around for the day (moving in six weeks and still got tons to do)
how long did you have it running for ? try running it for a few miles , if that doesnt shut it up , change the oil and then run it again for a few miles
holeydub on 4wheels wrote:wow ok i didnt realise they would take that long to tighten up, i have put my foot done for a couple of minutes but was worried it'd get worse.lol
i'll give it a run out in the mroning and report back, if they dont get better is it expensive to change them?
no, but it's unnecessary, as hydraulic lifters leak down if left for more than a week... as mark suggests an oil change first.. and then a drive.
so if it's still noisy after a drive then buy a set of lifters... From VW and the tube seals
i'M awaiting a 5ltr sample of an oil from a company called Prolong (they sponsor a race friend of mine) and I shall give feedback as to whether it helps cure this problem when these engines are laid up. Prolong are running a lands end to john o groats race where you drop the oil as you leave and see how far they get - apparently the additives mean some cars actually make it! (I'll believe that when I've done it!)
Until I can give a definate result I reccomend the Castrol Magnatec oil, I ran it in one of my vans and the noisy tappet after a lay up problem was greatly reduced.
Jase, Mr Baxter put me onto it aaaaaaaaages ago (when the Brickyard was still black n orange n jus started!) as its a PART synthetic oil and it will mix with older/normal mineral oil no problem but the benefits of the magnatec part assist in stopping that tapping/banging when the oil drians out from the tappet buckets.
Obviously use the the right weight(?) 15/50 (for old engines NOT the total synthetic thin as water stuff!) and it was always been good - all 4 of my petrol vans have ran it and I have noticed a difference! Obvioulsy not as important on me diesels now tho!
Must admit tho that since Magnatec went to a 4ltr size I havent bothered as we need 4.5 ltr and the last few vans have def drained out n been noisier than the vans I used the Magnatec on!
Jus my observations tho Jase and remeber old Elly which was a recon Vw engine used it from new so maybe that was a bit different!!
Last edited by PEET on 22 Oct 2009, 22:59, edited 2 times in total.
thanks for your comments guys, i havent taken her out yet as im still carpeting the interior at the mo but she's hopefully going to get a long run tomorrow...
as with the oil its only been in for say 500ish miles and until about a month ago i was using her quite regularly and i used the morris oil from GSF which has always proven good on any a/c vw ive had... the lifters certainly were'nt the quietest but were ok when warm,the problem i think may lye is that the previous owner some what 16 years ago did everything on the cheap so would at the time used the most cost effect oils on the market and wouldnt have adjusted the tappets when needed... before this happened i thought it just had a lazy oil pump and wasnt getting the oil to them quick enough, looks like i was wrong.lol...
i will give her a short run this afternoon to see if it improves but im really swaying on replacing the tappets my only issue is that ive done them on plenty of old fords over the years just not hydaulic ones and im a bit woried if i adjust the new ones wrong i might damage a valve... would it be worth paying someone else to do it or should i try to do it myself, im very capable at doing it but dont want to damage anything after getting her back on the road after the 16 years she's been stored...
I didn't think hydraulic tappets needed adjusting unless you have had the engine stripped. Im sure a good run will sort the tappets out. If mine is stood for a long time in the winter it sometime takes ages to stop rattling. Oh and I use good old 20/50 oil if I use 15/40 (which is free from work ) it leaks oil from everywhere....
IAN
Hi, guys I have been reading posts on here for a few months and found them very helpful and informative, I think i may be able to add something useful so this is my first post.
When I picked up my 1.9 water cooled a couple of months ago, the tappets where sooo noisey I honestly thought that I had bought a pup and the engine was f*cked! The previouse owner reasured me that it was usual as she had been standing for a while and that they all did this!!
I wasnt convinced and started the 280 mile trip home very dispondant and sure in my mind that I would have to change the hydrolic tappets, something that I had done lots of times on Ford's.
Anyway bugger me but after 10 or so miles she quitened down, and if i use her once a week she has been fine. since then i have red lots about this problem and the general concensus is " dont worry about it" not easy i admit when it sounds like the engine is about to self destruct! But from what i have read its not as easy a job as on fords, so i would definatly give her a run before buying new tappets.
2.5 Quad Cam Scooby engine . Westfalia California 1989
) it leaks oil from everywhere....