Date:         Tue, 11 Feb 2003 16:23:09 -0600
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: white smoke/power loss?????
Comments: To: Andrew Fox <afox@CNR.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Do a compression test NOW!!!!!!

My 88 GL did that. Then a cylinder blew. Hole burned through the piston.
    The damage began at the side fo the piston, prol'ly a broken piston
ring, scored the the cylinder a bit, then chafing and galling began. It
ran for some time like that, then on a ong trip with sustained power it
slowly got hot enough to kill the cylinder. Never once did the temp
guage indicate hot, or even warm, nor did the oil light flicker. All
standard indicators were normal until failure.

The only VISIBLE  warning was the blue/white smoke under certain
conditions. In my case a long sweeping right turn as in an on or off
ramp on a highway would do it every time. I ignored it mostly. It ran
fine until.........!

It let go on I-40 on a Saturday night in the middle of Nowhere,
Oklahoma!!! Cost me a weeks time just to get it out of there.

Don't screw around!!!Get the compression test!!! NOW!!!

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Andrew Fox wrote:
> Before I start repacing parts at a whim or paying someone $60 an hour to
> work on this I would love to hear any advice on what to check or how to go
> about solving this problem:
>
> After warm up my 86 Westy intermittently blows lots of whitish/bluish
> smoke out the tailpipe and simultaneously experiences significat power
> loss.  Head gaskets were replaced 1 yr ago and it does not appear to be
> loosing coolant or mixing coolnat into the oil.  The amount of smoke is
> amazing.  It is kind of amusing when people are tailgaiting and they get
> smoked real bad then they back way off.  The power loss is not sharp like
> you would experience with loss of spark but rather a general loss of power
> (about a 50% reduction) but it still stays running.
>
> Thanks very much for any ideas!
>
> Andrew Fox
> 86 Westy
> Ft. Collins, CO
>