Dispeling M96 engine rumors

[cnavarro]

Ok, the lifters might be one of those "while you are in there job," but again, sometimes it's needed. It's a known fact that the wear pads for the variocam on the pre-vane cell adjuster engines are typically worn out by 60-80k miles. So, while you are in there, it's easy enough to pull the lifters and check them while replacing the wear pads and chains. If you end up needing some new lifters, why not replace them all? Or third option, rebuild the set of lifters rather than replacing them- a cheaper third option.

I'll continue to add to the list - chain tensioners. They have been revised and updated, and again, some at even low mileage have excess clatter at startup that may be a lifter or lifters or the chain tensioners. Retail, they are not even that expensive. We reused a set of low mileage tensioners on my 2.9 and even with an accusump pre-oiling the engine, I can hear them. So this winter, they are getting swapped out for new ones. Lifters were new since all of them were bad on the low mileage donor.

This isn't a problem isolated to the M96. Our W8 Passat with 55,000 miles has it's engine out for failed chain tensioners, thankfully under powertrain warranty since it's an 8-10k repair!. Makes the M96 look downright inexpensive to repair!

Unfortunately, frequent oil changes alone aren't a cure for lifters and tensioners. Hell, my W8 had it's oil changes every 5,000 miles (10L fill, half the factory drain interval) with Motul every fill and the tensioners still failed.

We just have to learn to deal with what we are given and work within those constraints.