I am in the process of purchasing a 2002 mpv. When I started it up it had lifter noise for about 10 sec. then all went quiet. Is this normal? Does it simply need an oil change or is there probably something more serious wrong? Should I chance the purchase?

 

I am no mechanic but my 94 MPV had lifter noise since I remenber. I have been told that is "normal" forMPV!!!

 

Theengines in the 89 to 97 MPVs have a known problem with the lifter assembly. There are several fixes for them and most entail replacing parts. If you pull the lifters out (make sure you do them one at a time so they go back in the spot they came out of) you should seean hourglass wear pattern on the wear spot on the lifter. If you see a hammered finish or a X pattern to the lifter you need to replace the lifter. Also if you can squeeze the lifter with your fingers and it compresses (even a little) then you need to replace it. The rocker arms also had a design flaw where after a small amount of wear from normal use would allow a gap inside of the rocker arm where the lifter seats. They have a washer that can be installed to fill the gap or you can replace the rocker arm. The rocker arm shaft also can wear and allow the rocker to not oil correctly. This requires replacing the shaft.
In a 2002 model these problems are supposed to be fixed but if the engine has a lot of miles on it, or wasnt taken care of properly, it may just be normal wear that is making the same situation as the earlier models. Most people just live with it till it becomes constant and then they replace the HLA's.