First post... and some help?

[golfaholic]

Hi everyone. I just signed up, because I was reading through some of the forums and you guys sound like you know what you're talking about =) plus you seem to love VWs which is awesome.

Anyway, I was wondering if you guys have some tips for me. I bought a Golf '96 CL (my second car, after owning an AUDI 90) around a year ago and it had been running fairly well for that time. But recently I get a lot of smoke when I start the engine (especially first thing in the morning, or when I havn't driven it for a while). I don't know much about cars, but I would love to learn what might be causing this. I really love this car, and I would hate to sell it. I'd rather put in the time and fix it; if not myself, possibly a mechanic.

I was also wondering if you had some general tips for me for maintaining the car. Some more details: its a manual and has done around 160k. Thankyou so much. I look forward to participating in the forums as I learn more and more about VWs.

[brackie]

G'day and welcome! Yes.. we are enthusiasts or we wouldn't be here ;)

It's a bit difficult to diagnose faults by remote control. It would be good if you could tell us the colour of the smoke, how it smells and for how long it lasts.

Stick around! You'll learn heaps !

[golfaholic]

Gday! quick reply :) I was just going through some of the other threads. The smoke is grey-ish (?) I'm guessing its burning oil. Just not sure how that happens, and what might cause it? Also just discovered the answers to some of the mysteries that had captivated me about my golf... such as why there weren't any back speakers. Ah... i love this place.

[DubSteve]

G'day mate looks like you have a bit of a problem on your hands. Could be burning oil not sure. But isn't burning oil black? :S

[golfaholic]

I've always heard people referring to it as "blue smoke" but I never understood why. Its certainly not blue... but it doesn't smell nice. If I push it too hard, I will even get smoke coming around the steering column (is that what its called?) into the car.

[gtimk5]

Welcome to the forum golfaholic! :)
Does it use any oil or brake fluid? Coolant? It is a bit hard to see it from here but the smoke coming into the cabin sounds odd. Any oil leaks at all?
I hope you enjoy the forum and that we can help you track down this problem. We mainly are a friendly bunch here and help out each other as much as we can! Cheers, Andrew:)

[brackie]

Andrew could be onto something. If it smrlls foul, is only present on startup and is grey in colour, you could have a brake fluid leak onto the manifold, into the manifold via the booster, or onto the exhaust. Check your brake fluid reservoir.

[golf3]

Yeah, brake fluid isn't a totally dumb idea...

The exhaust downpipe is in a different position when properly hooked up, closer to the reservoir...

That is my old steering column boot, which you can kinda see a hole that was created via the hot hot downpipe...

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7551/imgp31491yu1.jpg

[Golf Loon]

Does smoke come out of the exhaust when you start the car?
Does it run rough when cold?
Does it improve when it is warm?
Is it using any water?
Does the temp light flash?

Welcome to our forum and congrats on your Mk3 mate.
They are a very solid car.

[william]

possibly bad fuel mixed with paint thinners u know these vehcle take premium fuel they state it on the flap

[golfaholic]

I'm so ashamed to admit it, but I can't say I've ever checked the brake fluid on my VW. I've been checking the engine oil, and it doesn't seem to be using it; or if it is, it's using very lightly. The really weird thing about it is that it can be tempramental.. that is, on some days it will run very well on a cold start without me having to let it warm up for a few minutes - and on some other days it will be bouncing around the place so much that I think the engine will jump out. If I apply a bit of power, it seems to overcome it. Im also suspicious about the engine as I think it may have been changed from a diesel engine to an unleaded one; but i really wonder why anyone would do that.

Hypothetically, if it came to it, and I had to change the engine... how would I go about it, and how much do you guys think it would cost? (of course I know its different from one engine to the next, but I'm guessing most golf models can fit into the CL engine bay?)

I might take it into a motor mechanic once my exams are over for uni and see what the problem is. Do you guys know of anyone who specialises in VWs around the Newcastle area?

Thank you all by the way, I'm learning lots already. And I'm still hopeful that I may be able to get "Angus" better yet.

[golfaholic]

possibly bad fuel mixed with paint thinners u know these vehcle take premium fuel they state it on the flap

oh yeh of course. always used BP unleaded 95 RON. Thanks though, thats a good tip someone might stumble upon when doing a google search some day.

[Golf Loon]

There were bugger all diesel Mk3 CLs in Australia, and no-one would change a diesel to a petrol.

I reckon its either the thermoswitch on the engine that controls the coldstart. Its on the water outlet in the front of the engine that goes to the top radiator hose. The sensor has 4 wires coming out of it. Next time the car is playing up, disconnect the plug and see if it makes any difference. If it improves when you disconnect the sender, you need a new one. Its very common on Golf CLs and Seat Cordobas and is an easy fix.

If its not that, I`m thinking headgasket. Does steam or water come out of the exhaust? Hold a piece of paper or your hand about 5cm behind the exhaust pipe for 30 secs and see if any black wet spots appear. Head Gasket is not that big a deal and is easier and cheaper than a new engine. Golf engines last for 300,000kms plus easily, unless they are run with no oil.

Give us more info and we`ll try and help.

[golfaholic]

Thats amazing. I wish I knew this much about cars... I actually DO get water coming from the exhaust. What does that mean? I will try and disconnect that plug and see how it goes. I will let you guys know. I'll also try to get some pictures of the engine and the car or a video of the start-up so you guys can see what happens.

[Golf Loon]

Have a look on the underside of the oil cap and on the dipstick. Is the oil black, or like curdled milk?

[hiho]

Hydrocarbons + oxygen = carbon dioxide + water (+ some other nasties)

Water in the exhaust of a cold car is normal as it is a byproduct of combustion. When the exhaust system heats up, all the water from the combustion process vaporises by the time it leaves the exhaust tip.
I wouldnt worry about moisture leaving the exhaust of a cold motor. Check for loss of coolant or bubbling in the radiator/filler bottle when the motor is running.

If you are loosing coolant without having a puddle under your car then it is probably ending up in your combustion chamber and out the exhaust and a head gasket/cracked head is the culprit.

hope this helps
Matt

[golfaholic]

Had some time to check out the car today. The brake fluid is fine, and hasnt moved at all. The coolant is ok when the car is warm too. I let it warm up for 10 minutes and held my hand behind the exhaust and I just had a lot of moisture and what smelled like smoke... nothing that really smelled anything like oil. But occasionally... probably every 40 seconds, I would get some smoke. I'm thinking its the oil thats to blame. Any tips on what to do now? Have a great day guys.

[golfaholic]

Have a look on the underside of the oil cap and on the dipstick. Is the oil black, or like curdled milk?

oh forgot to mention that under the cap the oil was black. What grade oil should be used in the golfs? 10/30?