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Thu Apr 03, 2003 7:44 pm

I am think about buying an engine from this guy and he tells me that the engine used to smoke a little bit when he started it up after a couple days of sitting around. Is this common or should ibe worried?

Thu Apr 03, 2003 9:46 pm

VW engines often start with a short puff of oil smoke - it relates to the horizontal engine design - the oil can pool on the lower side of the cylinders (it doesn't all run into the sump), and as the heads cool there is a slight vacuum above the piston (if the valves on that cylinder are closed) which can draw a little oil past the pistons into the head area. Then when you start the engine, you get that oil burnt and blown out.

But regular smoke/oil burning is a sure sign the engine is getting old. If you can test the compression, do it. 130+ for a fresh 1600 (a little lower for 1200 and 1300 engines with lower compression ratios). The compression slowly drops as the engine ages and if any cylinder is below 100psi, it's time to start planning an engine rebuild.

Also push-pull on the engine pulley - testing for end play. The correct amount is 3-5 thou which is almost invisible in this test, so if you CAN see end play, it's probably too much and the case needs internal work. These two simple tests can give you a reasonable idea of the condition of both the case internals and the upper end(s) of the engine.

Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repairs and maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.geocities.com/aussiebug1970/

Thu Apr 03, 2003 11:07 pm

Thanks