'92 Jetta Diesel-White somke upon startup

If it eats coolant, run. If it does not eat coolant it may be just a bad glowplug.

bad headgasket or cracked head... run :)

I had a 92 Jetta TD (Canadian model) and it was the worst VW I've owned, going back to 1978. No other VW came close to leaving me stranded so many times.

It threw the alternator belt regularly too. I used to carry a spare in the trunk. I also figured out after getting towed a couple times that I could still drive the car without that belt as long as I didn't run the battery down too much.

I'd say it is just a problem with that model, and not anything specific to the car you're looking at.

I was told that white smoke from a diesel meant it was getting more air in the cilinder than it should.

ALso, if I were to get a veggieoil conversion car, Id get a late model mercedes Diesel. The only thing I hate about Mercedes is in America, their considered a top luxury for the rich, but in Europe, their a workhorse like Crown Victoria is here.

Could be an issue, or the owner just never tops it off.

You can also tell by the smell of the exhaust. If it's a bad glow plug, the white smoke is vaporized diesel fuel, and there's no mistaking the odor. If it's coolant, there won't be unburned fuel coming out, and it won't have the same oily odor.

Why? Too much money? :)

The late models of Mercedes are equipped with CDI engines, which do NOT like veggie oil too much. The mega expensive CommonRail fuel pump (producing ~1500bar) is lubricated by fuel and a veggie oil is not suited very much. OTOH, old mercedes models (pre ~1997) can be used with veggie with good results.

The best suited for veggie oil modern cars are VW/Audi diesels with PD.

You think? Oh, yes, you are right, here in europe mercedes is a real workhorse for top management :) Others usually buy something more affordable, as mercedes here is not cheaper as in usa. If you judge by the taxis, that does not mean anything.

Thanks to all for the replies! The car MAY have been sitting a long time.The white exhaust cleared up pretty quickly.It was a pretty big plume the first few seconds) I let it run for 15 minutes or so,and the exhaust didn't look bad.The hose going into the head on the right of the engine did look like it was wet,so there could be an issue with the coolant hoses.The temp. warning light on the dash is lit up,so it may be a bad sensor at the very least.One of the injectors appeared to be wet where it screws into the block.I rubbed my finger underneath it,and it smelled like diesel fuel.The car initially took several attempts to start,but started easily after that. I drove the vehicle around the driveway(it's not registered) and it felt O.K. There was some rumbles like a wheel bearing getting ready to go south.I may go back and slap some plates on it and take it for a real test drive. It's a tempting deal because the car came from North Carolina and the body is very clean for a '94.(the owner is asking $1300.00)Since they use TONS of salt on the roads here in Upstate New York in the wintertime, older car bodies take a beating I am going back next week to give the car a closer look.Is there anything that I should be looking for that is a weak spot on these cars? I know the gas engines pretty well from a mechanical standpoint,but I don't know crap about diesels..... Thanks again for the replies!

In article , Al Rudderham wrote:

I find it hard to detect the odor of coolant in the exhaust unless it's really a lot of coolant. But the odor of unburned fuel from a cylinder with a dead glow plug is unmistakable, to me. It smells "sweet," it doesn't have the sharp, sooty, sulfur-y odor of burned oil.

I imagine it is very possible for coolant to seep its way into a cylinder without there being a leak between oil and coolant passages -- it's all in the way the gasket failed. When my '85 diesel's head gasket failed, first thing I saw was oil in the coolant tank, but I wouldn't know if that's universal.

I suppose you could get a puff of unburned fuel at start-up if you had an injector that was leaking fuel into the cylinder while the car sits parked. It would burn off pretty quickly, and wouldn't cause any problem until the next start-up.

Hello Nevermind -

If you don't buy the car, PLEASE let me know!

I've been looking for a year....!

Have an excellent engine and transmission from an 86 that will fit if it's a standard transmission. Giving me close to 70 mpg imperial now, but the body is nearly kaput - we have salt here too....

Jack Wetmore in NB Canada

Remove the spamproof> Thanks to all for the replies!

You can also tell if a headgasket is failed by checking for excessive blowyby. Pull the rubber hose that goes into the top of the valve cover and if you can feel pulses of air as the engine runs, that's a pretty good indication (recently had a head gasket replaced on my 300K km VW diesel, that's the way the mechanic checked it). Also, oily residue in the coolant expansion tank is also an indication.

My '91 also goes thru belts on a regular basis. It's a design fault thing. In the rain, right front tire keeps the belts nice and wet. If they aren't adjust just perfectly, they'll squeel and you'll lose PS etc.

Isn't there a mod that you can buy from the dealer or get out of a junk yard that protects and shields from underneath?