Re: About my noisy lifter

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <19990507151855.28642.rocketmail@attach1.rocketmail.com> Richard J Lebens writes:

> Phil Payne said to fill it with oil to the max mark.  I was skeptical
> but figured what would it hurt and I should top off the oil anyway.  I
> added a little less than a quart and the next time I drove it noise
> was gone.

> Not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but why did this
> work?  I thought the lifters were supplied pressurized oil from the
> pump.  What difference could the oil level in the sump make unless it
> was way low?

I spent the next hour in the garage dancing around a pentagram covered
only in old engine oil and blown gaskets, incanting dark secrets from
the microfiche.

Seriously, I don't know why or how it works.  I've hypothesised on things
like the dipstick seal wearing and allowing the dipstick to sit lower,
thus registering 'happy' on what is in fact too little oil.  German
garages fill by quantity and then check the stick - they don't use the
stick as the datum.

The same technique also fixes 'squirrely' lifters, where the centre
section makes a loud version of the sewing machine noise.

--
 Phil Payne
 Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 01536 723021
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