Tat..Tat Noise in Engine

[Alex Kowalski]

cobram wrote:

>BTDT with the 200TQA.  Make sure you have the correct oil filter.  The
>various I-5 oil filters look alike, and do fit between engines, but
>internally are very different.
>A cup of Marvel Mystery Oil or transmission fluid in the crank sometimes
>frees up stuck lifters too.  If the car has been sitting for a while, the
>lifter tap will start to tone down the more you drive the car.

I'll second that.  My '87 5KCSTQ had just 50k miles on the clock when I
bought it but was already giving me some minor lifter tap for up to a minute
or so after starting.  However, the oil history of the car before I owned it
was sketchy, and it hadn't been driven much in the past 2-3 months before I
got it.  I put in some MMOil, ran it for about 250 miles, then I changed out
the filter with the *dealer specified* unit with anti-drainback valve and
changed to Mobil 1 10w-30.  That did the trick:  any lifter tap I get now
lasts for about three seconds upon startup, max.

On the subject of oil, without opening the entire can of worms up for a big
fight, I found this article very interesting the other day while reading
about a fellow Lister's adventure with his 1.8T sludge problem.  I found
this to be a pretty interesting article (it is the second link):

http://members.cox.net/ambox/audi_sludge/#Oil%20Filter%20Autopsy
http://members.rennlist.com/oil/Motor%20Oil%20101.htm

This second link has intrigued me.  I'm thinking of adding a dedicated
oil-pressure gauge to the 5KCSTQ and mounting it in the ashtray area, along
with maybe a voltmeter.  After that, I'm going to take some pressure
readings and give the Mobil 1 5W-30 a try.

SIDE QUESTION:  Has anyone ever plumbed in a Sunpro or VDO oil pressure
gauge (I'd prefer electrical to mechanical) on a late-80s MC1 Turbo engine?
I know they have two oil pressure switches, just to trigger the autocheck
system, and I'd like to preserve those while also getting a gauge readout.

Any BTDTs or recommendations?

HTH,
Alex Kowalski
'87 5KCSTQ
'86 5KCSTQ