Bus wont start...again.

[energyturtle]

Hello. I have the engine back in and it fired right up. It sounded good, idled fine, but It had a substantial amount of lifter/valve chatter ( due to lifters not pumping up, I assume). I adjusted the valves again. I have checked all the regular stuff (timing,points, plugs and gaps, vacuum ETC.) It will start, but I have to have the pedal fully depressed and it wont speed up rpm's past say 2500 and within 30 sec dies. I think my valve adjustment is messed up. I followed the hydraulic procedure to a tee. I have readjusted with the same results. I pulled out the bentley and it says .006, but everyone else says 1 1/2 turns past 0 lash. I am getting extremely frustrated. Please help.
Scottie

[asiab3]

I pulled out the bentley and it says .006, but everyone else says 1 1/2 turns past 0 lash.

I don't think Bentley says .006 for hydraulic lifters. That would be for solids- but it would be lousy for hydraulics.

Could it be- your lifters weren't fully pumped up and you adjusted them in a state of unknown inflation, causing erratic performance now that they're getting more and more pumped up? I personally wouldn't adjust hydraulic valves until they're all 100%, although I'm not sure as I've only done it once or twice.

[energyturtle]

Update. I got it to start.....barely. Ran it by feathering the pedal for 2 min or so. The passenger side heat exchanger is hot as hell. The driver side is cool. I am lost. I have tried everything I know. I hope someone gets off work soon.

Scottie

[energyturtle]

Could it be- your lifters weren't fully pumped up and you adjusted them in a state of unknown inflation, causing erratic performance now that they're getting more and more pumped up? I personally wouldn't adjust hydraulic valves until they're all 100%, although I'm not sure as I've only done it once or twice.

Let me re-phrase my initial post. The bentley manual states, for fuel-injected and single carb engines the valve clearance is .006. It did not state that they were hydraulic. After reading more it says nothing about hydraulic lifters. I think my initial valve chatter was due to lifter not pumping up. Now there are no noise coming from the valve train. I have readjusted the valves five times now. I am going to let it cool down and try one more time. How do I know if the lifter is pumped up or not?

Scottie

[energyturtle]

I found this quite interesting.

john@aircooled.net Tue Feb 07, 2012 9:59 am
I have always had best results preloading the lifters 3/4 turn in from 0 lash. It's been commonly known in the VW Industry that the Bentley recommendation of 1 3/4 turns on the hydraulic T4 engine is way too much, and is an error in their manual. Yet people use that setting for their type 1 hydraulic engines too!

Try 3/4 or 1 turn in.

Since this engine hasn't run much. I'd set it for 0 turns and run it a couple days to get the lifters fully pumped up, then turn each adjuster in 3/4 turn and it should be quiet and run properly.

mark tucker wrote: if you run a hyd lifter loose you can explode the lifter when it beats the clip out of the groove.if you adjust it 1/2 turn and the valve opens it should close by it self and automatic adjust, thats what hyd lifters are for.

[energyturtle]

Update: So i followed John advice. I went at 1/2turn past lash and it started right up, ran through the rpm range ok, It will not idle for more than 5-10 sec. Im getting closer. The passenger heat exchanger is still hot as hell. Driver side is cool to the touch.
Scottie.

[energyturtle]

I let it cool went 3/4 turns past 0 lash. It ran worse. Now I'm going to 0 lash. If that fails Im calling it quits for today.

[Jivermo]

Have a look at the following, Scottie. Colin had me use the 1.5 turns when we were adjusting my hydraulics. There are also notes here in this forum, but I'm not certain where. Good luck.



http://www.ratwell.com/technical/HydraulicLifters.html

[energyturtle]

I set them 1 1/2 turns first. It will not run. 1/2 turn In it ran, but poorly. 3/4 of a turn, barely ran at all.

[Jivermo]

We're focused on the valve adjustment for this. Perhaps the problem lies in another area. I sometimes get tunnel vision when things like this happen, and have to back up and take a fresh approach.

[energyturtle]

I'm still dealing with this issue. If anyone can give me some explanatory insight I would appreciate it. Nothing has changed and I have checked all the normal things. The bus ran fine, but the valve train was loud. Now I can't get the valves dialed in after I messed with them. 2 litre hydraulic.

[Amskeptic]

I'm still dealing with this issue. If anyone can give me some explanatory insight I would appreciate it. Nothing has changed and I have checked all the normal things. The bus ran fine, but the valve train was loud. Now I can't get the valves dialed in after I messed with them. 2 litre hydraulic.

I have been corresponding with you via PM, and did not get this little tidbit of "left side is cool, right side is hot as hell".

So let's figure this out! Get the engine running. Have someone hold accelerator at whatever speed it will run at. Pull spark plug wire #4 from cap with a dry rag. Does engine speed drop?
Now do #2. Does engine speed drop?

If left side is cool and right side is hot as hell, we need to know why. We killed the spark to see if LEFT #4 is not participating, or RIGHT #2 is not participating, now try LEFT #3 and RIGHT #1.

IF left side did drop idle speed when you killed the sparks, it suggests that the right side has a problem.
IF left side did not drop idle speed when you killed the sparks, then the right is hot because it is annoyed that it has to do all the work.

Send me a PM with your phone number where I can reach you tomorrow Thursday June 12 evening 7-8PM your time if you are having further difficulties.
Colin