billowing white smoke

[chachi]

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[RSorak 71Westy]

The only smoke a VW engine can make is fuel or oil. Oil smoke is light blue. Fuel smoke is black. No reason an engine problem would kill the electrical.

[dtrumbo]

Could you tell where the smoke was coming from? I hate to jump to the most dire, but if a wire fried, the burning insulation might create white smoke. That would jive with your loss of electrical.

[bajaman72]

Seems to be a separate issue. Frying wires would have white smoke.

[BumbleBus]

Fuel smoke is black.

I don't mean to thread jack, but this caught my eye. Every time I start my bus a large billow of dark grey/black smoke belches out of the exhaust, but that's it... "clean" after that. Could this indicate a too rich status with excess fuel laying about after shut down?

[Gypsie]

Where? how much? Did you smell it? How long did it take to come out after getting underway?

Loud knocking? Valves seemingly adjusted means what exactly? "Trafton's adjusted them and I checked them later" or "Trafton's wouldn't not adjust them, right"?

What did Trafton's do to get it running? Tune and Adjustments with analyzer ($20-150ish), took off or replaced some mechanical parts($100-500) tear down and rebuildish ($400-over 1K)?

Wanna help, need more to go on.

[Gypsie]

Fuel smoke is black.

I don't mean to thread jack, but this caught my eye. Every time I start my bus a large billow of dark grey/black smoke belches out of the exhaust, but that's it... "clean" after that. Could this indicate a too rich status with excess fuel laying about after shut down?

72 with carbs or FI?

Likely that any fuel being belched out at start could be from start up conditions though with carbs (or even FI) could be fuel making it's way into the the combustion area (via a seepy float valve or injector).

[BumbleBus]

72 with carb

Yes, single Solex TCIC 34 progressive carb. I've got it pretty pig rich at idle otherwise there is a huge stumble off the line (009 too.. *barf*). Looking into dualies and SVDA, but money is an issue unfortunately. Runs great at speed once warmed up. Engine condition is pretty unknown, but compressions were all 100+ so I'm rolling with it this summer.

Curious about the OP smoke as I remember reading that white smoke can be needing a ring job?? So much to learn...

[Gypsie]

Bumble:
Thick black or grayish smoke sounds like fuel. Perhaps you have an aggressive accel. pump?

Are you in the habit of giving a couple pumps before keying the starter?

Does this happen at every start up or just cold starts?

[BumbleBus]

Bumble: Are you in the habit of giving a couple pumps before keying the starter?

I'm admittedly still learning how to start properly, but no pumping. I've read the manual and don't pump at all cold, but push the pedal all the way to the floor when at operating temps & starting. The belch of smoke only seems to happen with cold starts. It's a healthy sized belch for sure though.

Perhaps you have an aggressive accel. pump?

I did just install a CB Performace (Carter) rotary fuel pump a few weeks ago. 3.5lbs. The PO electric one cavitated/jack hammered so badly it was driving me nuts... even after I mounted it with rubber bumpers. At least now I have a backup.

Not going to worry about it right now.. was just checking to see if anyone posted like, "STARTUP SMOKE BELCH?!? DO NO DRIVE IT!!!". Heh, heh.

Thx Gypsie.

[Sylvester]

this bus has been a curse, an absolute curse. after months and months of struggling with it, trafton finally got it where it was running, albeit with flat spot. whatever, "it'll get you to work." started making an intermittent loud knocking noise but wouldn't lose power, valves all were seemingly adjusted ok. just now, leaving the house, running like crap, it starts spewing white smoke. pull over, afraid it's gonna go up in flames (again), it turns out to be not on fire, but now all electrical is dead. what makes an air-cooled vehicle spew white smoke?! i thought that was a water in the oil condition.

Hang in there Chachi, something sounds like it burned, like maybe a short that melted the foam engine seal, or the top of the engine bay with the plastic cover? Maybe this isn't all too bad.

[Amskeptic]

The belch of smoke only seems to happen with cold starts. It's a healthy sized belch for sure though.

Worn valve guides can allow oil into the intakes. The Road Warrior used to embarrass the hell out of me every twentieth start or so while the poor soul that had just complimented the "pretty car" looked on in horror and disgust. . . Then we'd drive off so nice and clean with my reputation left behind in the wafting pall of smoke.
Colin

[chachi]

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[ruckman101]

Rings? Bertha bellowed thick whitish oil smoke when I got her. The rings on #3 had broken into a few bitty bits that had kinda "river-washed" in a pocket they had formed and were washing around in on the side of the piston. The electric? Dunno, sorry.

I can attest to the "every twentieth or so" start, usually cold, blasting out an embarrassing, concerning nasty looking oily cloud, although usually more frequently with Gretchen ghia.


neal

[chachi]

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