To bring this thread to an end - I have learnt

1) If the car sits for a long time the oil drains away and you get a gap - so don't panic about gaps unless the engine has been used recently!

2) A change of engine oil to a better spec'd viscosity cured the problem of a little bit too much nose

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!