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Date:         Sun, 13 May 2001 17:41:02 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <jhrodgers@charter.net>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <jhrodgers@charter.net>
Subject:      Re: Blue Smoke Screen- No kidding! (very looong)
Comments: To: John Klun <jklun@gj.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

My van did that especially going around tight curves like cloverleafs and on and off ramps on expressway intersections. Turned out to be a burned cylinder and ring and piston damage. It ran fine, but the damage produced bluewhite smoke that was a major warning, and I didn't know enough about the engines at the time to read what it was telling me.I drove it for quite a while like that and eventually drove it to failure.

I suggest, beased on my experience, that you stop driving it immediately and have a compression test. Also examine the plugs for oil signs. If the compression check is OK, you can breath a bit easier. It probably isn't pointing at something major like cylinder replacement or head replacement.

Good luck

John Klun wrote: > > Volks- > > Something verrry interesting happened to me (vanagon) this past week. > > Last weekend, I was using my '84 2 wheel drive GL like a pickup truck, > hauling stuff over extremely rough (for a 2 wheel drive) terrain. (List > member Steve Wacker has seen the terrain). While doing this hauling, I > didn't get out of 2nd gear. The terrain consisted of old irrigation ditches > I had to cross, abandoned adobe-covered formerly irrigated fields and > prairie dog colonies. I also had to 'climb' up some inclines I'd rather not > repeat. For all practical purposes, I was 4 wheelin'- involuntarily. > > Last Monday, I had to make a run to Walmart and Country General 34 miles > away. As I headed out of town on the 4 lane and hit my usual 70mph, I > noticed a cloud of blue smoke coming out of the exhaust. I slowed down and > it went away. I speeded up and there it was again but not as intense. I > went a little faster and it got bigger and bluer with some mixed in dark > gray smoke. Then it suddenly turned into a horrendous smoke screen, that > would have made a World War II Destroyer proud. I thought I had blown my > engine! There were no lights on the dashboard and the temp gauge was > absolutely normal. > > Of course, I immediately pulled over and the cloud dissipated. I turned off > the engine and checked everything around and under the vanagon. No leaks, > no nothing. I got back in, started her up and got back up to speed. As > soon as I hit 70mph, again it happened. I pulled over and stopped and shut > her off. I got out again and this time I checked the oil. The dip stick > seemed dry! Several times, I checked it and each time it seemed dry. I > added a quart of oil just in case, got back in and started driving again. > This time I kept the speed down to around 55mph and there was no smoke at > all. Only when I speeded up to 70 did I notice any smoke but much less > intense. > > I got to Country General and bought 3 quarts of oil thinking I'd have to add > it. After the vanagon sat in the parking lot for about 25 minutes, I > checked the oil again. This time it appeared to be slightly over full and I > didn't have to add any oil at all. I figured it'd burn off eventually if > there was too much. > > I finished my errands and started for home. Again, at 70mph on the 4 lane, > heavy blue/dark gray smoke billowed out thick enough you couldn't see any > car behind you. After a quarter mile of this the smoke disappeared! To get > this blue smoke, I now had to drive faster than 70. At slower speeds, no > smoke and everything was fine. > > Any thoughts anyone?


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