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Overheating blues.

One of the dreaded things aircooled VW owners fear, is too stop a gas station in the middle of nowhere and while you are filling the tank...you notice there is white smoke coming from the backside of you car. crap. This is exactly what happened to me, and here is what I've done so far. I checked the underside. Seems to be coming from the engine itself or the heater pipes. Oil level fine, dipstick little hot but could still kinda juggle it between my hands. fan belt and all that jazz are fine. Bad valve cover seal?(sometimes it drips on the heater pipes and burns) no. engine clean, outside temp about 80 degrees. I sprayed carb cleaner in the general areas there might be vacuum leaks and did not find anything. Recently did a tune up and, checked the compression, 115 psi in all 4 cylinders (checking for bad seal). I was driving about 70-75 mph is this riding my engine too hard? what? The problem was never solved... It seems to get a little hot, maybe burn oil if I drive my car on the freeway for about 30 mins or more. Maybe the heat riser tube? When I acelerate it does lag a bit...does that have anything to do with it anyway? I know overheating problems are common and we have all heard these stories so many times we could vomit, but what could it be? If you have any possible solutions on this one I would be greatful.

Reply to
Greg_Azbill
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Nothing you said indicates that the engine is overheating/. An oil temp gauge and/or cyl head temp will give you some real numbers to judge by.

Oil dripping on hot exhaust doesn't mean anything by itself; find out what's leaking.

White smoke can also mean raw fuel dripping into the hot manifold when not running (carb problem).

More detective work and report back...

Speedy Jim

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Reply to
Speedy Jim

How's the fuel line? Is there a fuel filter placed between the fuel pump and the carb? Maybe the weight of that fuel filter is causing the fuel inlet fitting at the carb to work its way out of the carb body. I would check for any fuel leaks first.

I am also thinking of oil leaking out through worn seals at the cylinder head covers and dripping onto the heat exchangers.

But, it would be nice to find time to pull the engine from the car, give it a complete cleaning, and see where any leaks are coming from.

-GE

Reply to
geoffers

It is most probable that oil is burning in the heat exhangers or on the exhaust or on the heads. However, it is also possible that the smoke comes from the rear brakes. Did you adjusted the brakes recentlly (or maybe you forgot to release the handbrake completelly)? Next time you see the smoke, check if the rear drums are too hot. If the smoke comes from the brakes you should also notice the characteristic smell of burnt brakes.

Bill, '67 Bug.

Reply to
Bill Spiliotopoulos

Don't kick yourself in the butt just yet. You already said the engine didn't' seem hot. Maybe you aren't loosing a lot of oil, but just a little spray or drip onto your exhaust system can cause some conspicuous smoke. It may be you are not overheating, but just weeping oil.

Reply to
jjs

Check the sound insulation in front of the fan so it does not block the inlet, and also feel inside the fan itself for any debris...

J.

Reply to
P.J.Berg

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