valve 'clacking' in 2 liter air-cooled.

you know you could have remained quiet about that....is it actually a cry for help? if so, tough shit you are on your own....LOL

...............You'd just break some of that crap loose and it would go to the bearing journals. The extreme heat of an ACVW head causes breakdown of even the modern formulations of engine oil. What does the inside of your case look like? If you're changing your oil frequently, there should'nt be much evidence of 'dirty oil'.

Who cares about someone with an IQ comparable to yours anway? hahaha!

Yes, you are correct.

No.

Again: no, it wasn't. Carry on. Glad I could clear that up for you! :-D

anway=anyway *cough cough cough* :-)

...............What makes you think that there's air sitting outside those lifter's side holes in the first place? I think that the air has to travel between the lifter bore and the piston. The 'tops' of the lifters are exposed to air. The hole in the side is in a lifter journal where usually there isn't any air or at least not enough to expose the side holes of the lifters. Have you ever noticed when a high mileage BOXER style engine starts getting a noisy lifter, that it's usually the same one from one time to the next? Just like in the conventional upright types, it's because that lifter is leaking air in around the piston. Or it may be stuck from galling or sludge but then it wouldn't pump back up when the car or bus is being driven.

Okay Terry, here's the deal... We are all assuming that your '78 engine does have hydraulic lifters as it really should if it's U.S. market bus. You didn't say where you're located or what viscosity oil you're running either. It DOES make a difference. From your description it "usually" quiets down? Does it make more rattling on startup in winter or in summer?

I experimented with mine over the years. One engine quieted right down when I added a quart of Hilton HyPerLube oe Power Punch (extremely thick viscosity stabilizers.) Another engine got worse with thicker oil and better with lighter oil. One engine had to have straight viscosity 60 (Valvoline has it.) Another engine LOVED 20w-50. If you have Hilton or Power Punch at your FLAPS, try a quart (Don't overfill by more than a half quart!) You've got nothing to lose.

Some lifters even when new need a little more tweaking than others. You CAN pull the rocker covers off and using the sequence of checking each valve when it is at TDC on the compression stroke, first confirm that there is NO slack (cannot wiggle the rocker upsy/downsy as there is no looseness to the valve stem. If you find a loose one, tighten it another half turn after the slack is gone.

You CAN turn each one in a quarter turn or half turn, but you may have a hell of a time starting it that first time. After it runs for a half hour, the lifters will have settled down and adjusted themselves back to what they should be. You don't want to put any real load on the engine during that time - what is happening and why the engine is hard to start is that the valves are not closing completely until the lifters settle down. Normal procedure on a brand-new engine is to tighten them like I said then run the engine at about 3000 rpm for about twenty minutes and then shut 'er down and let everything cool off. Check the oil level, solve the leaking rocker cover problems and all should be well.

Try experimenting with viscosity first.

The rockers complete (on the shafts) can be removed, the pushrods removed, the pushrod tubes removed, and the hydraulic lifters removed and all replaced without pulling the engine or the heads. You WILL however want to remove the exhaust system although it isn't a necessity. The spring clip that holds tension on the pushrod tube ends is critical and very easy to install incorrectly. The pushrod tubes take special o-rings - either pink or green USUALLY (sometimes orange). The black ones are junk and will fail in a couple months. I have some pretty nifty procedures you can e-mail me for if you get around to doing this.

..................A procedure is in the Bentley for vanagons that says that lifters that are properly primed must also be 'adjusted' after installation. It's been a while but I think that it said that the rocker screws had to be turned in a half(?) turn tighter than zero gap. It was pretty much what you're suggesting and it worked perfectly for me after installing new lifters on a few of the waterboxers that I've owned in the past.

i can pretty much guarantee you that if oil can get in there then much thinner air will have no problem...but thats not the real issue really, very small amounts over a period of time will make the lifter dry...so on restart it can and will make noise....if a car is parked for some time the oil can and does drain from most areas due to...well.....its just natural for liquids to flow...(my chevy truck sometimes lose the prime on the lifters because it sometimes sits for up to 6 months at a time...i know, its not a boxer....but )

Have you ever noticed when a high mileage BOXER style engine starts

all i can say is what i have already said....i have no personal experience with them, but have read about them here(and other forums)....do a google search you may find that those that actually do know, not just speculate as you and i have been, have already written about it...

..............Some of my explanations may be conjecture but I do know from direct experience that noisy collapsing lifters can be replaced with quiet new ones that don't collapse.

BTDT

and faulty *anythings* can be replaced and the "problem/symptoms" will be gone...but if it is a design flaw/shortcoming, you can throw parts at it all you want and that won't always eliminate the problem....but i am debating theory here, as i stated i have no direct experience....i have however replaced thousands of faulty parts over the years but that never stopped the new ones from being/going bad...

.............When you get that clattering jucer bus someday, buy German lifters.

will remember that....i would actually love to have a bus for a work vehicle..they have much more character than this aerostar cargo van....

installation.

Yer so layed back... All that you sed and NO YELLING! I must've been uptight - needed to loosen up a half-a-turn or so!

-BaH

.................If I had one of those fancy Subaru engines in my bug, I'd be really 'layed' back!

Feels good to be right, huh?

hehehehe

Jan

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 22:51:55 -0500, "Joey Tribiani" scribbled this interesting note:

But it is far easier to get parts to keep the Aerostar on the road!

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

yep...blew the engine in the first aerostar i bought(crankshaft broke) the part was easy to get...i bought a newer van...