Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 23:14:05 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: White smoke on startup, running rich?
In-Reply-To: <7ee3ee250602111318l1870b858y745c3bca4b1d23bb@mail.gmail.com>
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Dustin,
When my engine was rebuilt, I was really particular about the break-in.
It went like this. First, straight 30 wt oil was used during break in.
After the engine was run in to 1500 miles, oil was changed to 20W50
detergent oil. After the first startup, and everything was checked, the
engine was run in the shop for two hours. It was then shut down and the
oil changed and a new filter installed. Next it was put on the road for
two hundred miles, varying the speeds but never over 50 mph. At the 200
mile mark the oil and filter were changed. Next it was put on the road
for 500 miles driving mostly around 50 mph. At at the 500 mile mark
another filter and oil change. Then another 1000 miles driving mostly
steady at 50 mph. At 1000 miles the oil was change to the multi grade
20W50 and a new filter installed.
The purpose of all this was to get a good wear-in on the moving parts,
most particularly the rings to the cylinder walls. The thirty weight oil
provides some protection, but allows a higher rate of wear-in. All the
oil changes and filter changes are to keep the oil scrupulously clean. I
recommend that you follow your re-builder's instructions for break-in.
My engine was rebuilt locally with no instructions, but the installer
was an old time with VW engines, and I went with his idea of break-in
based on his experience over many years and many engines. Besides it
followed my own knowledge and experience from the aviation industry, so
I felt pretty secure about it.
Now, all of that being said, given what is happening with your engine, I
think that were I you, I would have a compression test done.A
compression test will give you a baseline set of numbers and if you test
periodically through the break-in you can really follow closely the
break-in of the engine. The compression test on your engine is like an
EKG on your heart. After all, an engine overhaul is your vans equivalent
to heart surgery, and frequent compression tests after a rebuild are
equal to frequent EKG's after heart surgery. It tells a lot about your
progress.
Good luck with your break-in and best of success with your engine.
Regards,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Dustin Jones wrote:
>About 200 miles into my engine break in afte a rebuild, my 2.1L is blowing
>white smoke when I start it up. Smells like unburnt fuel, not sweet like
>coolant. I can see little drips of condensations coming out of the tail pipe
>that quickly evaporate. Am I running rich? Leaky injectors? Maybe I should
>take it to a shop and have the exhaust sniffed. I can't tell if it continues
>to smoke while I am driving, I don't see any trail of it. I hope it is not
>the head gasket, I will flip a lid!! I just got my baby running again after
>a 3 year hiatus from throwing a rod and blowing a hole in the engine
>block.....
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