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Date:         Sat, 4 Oct 2008 14:48:54 -0700
Reply-To:     Bill MacLachlan <billmacla@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bill MacLachlan <billmacla@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: white clouds out of the exhaust
In-Reply-To:  <c4e7c5f90809291705sc932d03oe0ecab59001f02d6@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

thanks to all who replied to this post and my apologies for not getting back to y'all earlier. You confirmed my suspicions that there was coolant getting into the exhaust. Mechanic confirmed it yesterday. #1 cylinder gave up a half cup of coolant after being left for 24 hours. Head gasket is the current suspect: it's being replaced under warranty. Van should be ready early next week. The shop is being promptly responsive to the issues that are occurring, so I give them credit for that. On the other hand I should never have dealt with all this crap in the first place.

Oh well. Like they say, if you want a job done well, do it yourself. Even if it means that you have to take a little longer, screw up a few times on the way, and wait until you have the time to do it.

Thanks for the comments guys. The moral support helped a lot. I'll keep you posted when the van is back in the underground.

bill M

On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 5:05 PM, neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:

> Re: your motor. > > Hopefully the shop will "make good" on any f'ups they made. And FWIW, > my relatively uneducated guess (via the internet no less!) is that IF > the compression was good/even and no bad sounds were heard prior to > the white smoke, then likely the engine is worth saving. (especially > considering you've spent money on it) Likely you've already reached > that conclusion though. > > Cheers, > > Neil. > > > On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 2:56 PM, Bill MacLachlan <billmacla@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Good point Neil......I'm trying to stay neutral in the blame department > > here. And I will remain neutral until there is no alternative - that's > why I > > haven't mentioned the name of the shop. > > There has been stuff gone sideways on this job that is workmanship, stuff > > that is "fix the easy thing first" stuff that may be bad luck > > > > On the other hand part of what you pay for in having a shop do the work > is > > the experience and discretion they can bring to the job- in choosing a > motor > > for example. > > > > > > > > On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 2:03 PM, neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >> Hi Bill. > >> > >> I'll second what the guys are saying re: white smoke. Sure sounds like > >> coolant being burned. > >> > >> What a drag! Sorry to hear of your negative experience with the "new" > >> engine. > >> > >> I can't recall where you're located, but Rudy & Peters has a good rep. > >> > >> Hope you find a better mechanic. Not to blame the mechanic entirely > >> (it is a used engine after all), but another mechanics POV or skills > >> might help. > >> > >> Hopefully the head isn't warped or cracked. > >> > >> If need be, I saw this 1.8 engine on CL recently: > >> > >> http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/pts/851549941.html > >> > >> Best of luck! > >> > >> Neil. > >> > >> On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 11:57 AM, Bill MacLachlan <billmacla@gmail.com> > >> wrote: > >> > Hi all. > >> > I need a bit of feedback here and perhaps some moral support. > >> > > >> > I've had my van for the past ten years - an 82 converted from diesel > to > >> > an > >> > 1800 inline4 just before I bought it. > >> > > >> > Early last summer I had a local shop install a replacement motor. Used > >> > motor. Inline 4. 1800cc.CIS injection. Same as the one that was in > >> > there. > >> > > >> > Since I picked the van up early summer I've put just over 100 miles on > >> > it. > >> > > >> > It's been back in the shop 4 times, and today after work will be time > # > >> > 5 > >> > > >> > Here's what happened > >> > > >> > I left the van at the shop to have the motor replaced. That's what I > >> > asked > >> > them to do. It was with them a couple of weeks. They called and I > >> > authorised > >> > installation of a fuel pump cut off relay ( pump was wired directly- > >> > relay > >> > makes sure it shuts off if the motor stops). I went to pick the van up > >> > and > >> > it was running terribly. Not fit for driving. I left it with them for > >> > another few days. They replaced a few motor electrical connectors ( > cut > >> > the > >> > old ones off, taped on used ones). I paid for the work in full, ( > >> > significantly more than the original estimate), drove the van home. > >> > > >> > #1 drove it to work next day. It wouldn't start at lunch time, so it > was > >> > towed back to the shop. They worked on it. I paid for a couple of shop > >> > parts > >> > and a fuel pressure regulator that was apparantly not working right. > >> > > >> > #2 drove van home. Wouldn't start the next day. Took transit to work, > >> > van > >> > towed back to the shop. Eventual cause of not starting..... blocked > oil > >> > pressure relief valve- high oil pressure- hydraulic lifters- open > >> > valves- no > >> > compression. Nothing to do with the parts I paid for. > >> > > >> > #3 asked the shop if it was ready to go for emissions testing. They > said > >> > yes, I took it, it failed catastrophically. In ten years I've never > seen > >> > numbers that bad. Drove it back to the shop.They adjusted it, it > passed > >> > emissions ( very well). I paid for the second test. > >> > > >> > #4 drove it across town. oil light came on. Oil leaking onto the > intake > >> > manifold. Took it to the shop. They found it overheating, replaced two > >> > temp > >> > sensors on radiator, replaced valve cover gasket. I paid for the temp > >> > sensors. Mechanic told me the brownish white goop on the end of the > >> > dipstick > >> > was condensation inside the motor accumulating in the oil pan, and > this > >> > was > >> > the reason for white clouds coming out of the exhaust a couple of days > >> > previously when I started the motor. ( I actually thought the van > might > >> > be > >> > on fire!). > >> > > >> > > >> > Friday evening I drove just out of town, and it overheated. ( cold > >> > radiator, > >> > cold hoses to radiator). 10.00 pm. dark. unknown suburb of town. I > let > >> > it > >> > cool off, drove to the destination. Stopped when it heated up again, > let > >> > it > >> > cool off. Looking in the engine compartment I saw the airfilter box > >> > under > >> > the CIS fuel distributor had been mounted so that it was wearing a > hole > >> > in > >> > the main coolant return line from the radiator. Taped a bit of > cardboard > >> > to > >> > stop the damage progressing. Let it sit Saturday. Started it up > Sunday > >> > morning. Intensely rough uneven, running, smoothing out a bit. Thick > >> > white > >> > clouds coming out of the tail pipe, even when the idle settled down.. > >> > Switched it off, started up again after a half hour, drove home. > Stopped > >> > twice to let it cool down when it overheated.. Parked it at home. Went > >> > to > >> > put it in the underground at 11.00. Ran so rough that the gearshift > was > >> > jumping around. > >> > > >> > I am exhausted by the grief I've had over what should have been a two > >> > day > >> > motor replacement. This afternoon I have to deal with more when I take > >> > it > >> > back to the mechanic. My guess is he'll tell me the overheating is due > >> > to > >> > the thermostat which was used from my old motor. > >> > > >> > Any suggestions on the white clouds at start up? They don't happen > every > >> > time. I think they happen if the van has driven for a while, is left > >> > overnight , then started up. > >> > > >> > Bill M > >> > > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Neil Nicholson '81 JettaWesty "Jaco > >> > >> > http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines > >> http://web.mac.com/tubaneil > >> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/ > > > > > > > > -- > Neil Nicholson '81 JettaWesty "Jaco > > http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines > http://web.mac.com/tubaneil > http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/ >


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