First off its a 1970 fastback 1600tl.
Drove for about 50 miles and smoke started to pour out the vents and underneath (not the exhaust) pulled over to let it stop/cool down, it seemed to be burning off oil from under the engine so went to start again but woudnt fire, gave it another 5 mins and it started but oil light flickered when on idle. it was leaking a little bit from front of engine (gearbox end). Anyway got a tow home and started again no flickering oil light and no drips
oil level seems fine. Anyone got any suggestions.
P.s. we bought the car today
Burning Oil
Burning oil
Welcome to your Type 3 and the club forum, Mim.
VW say oil light flickering is not a sign of imminent failure, but it does suggest the engine has some wear. No big problem as long as it goes out the moment you move above idle rpm. Hot days will make it more likel, and so will a low idle rpm. 850 +/- 50 rpm for a manual trans, and 50 more for the auto, which sounds high for non-VW people.
I think it likely your engine is getting too hot though. Take a look at the following:-
Thermostat function. Look in rear right-hand heater channel (below engine) and check the concertina starts off closed and expands as the engine warms up. Also check the rod that crosses the back of the engine (between the distributor and the fan housing) does actually turn. it has flaps on the ends of it to direct cooling air over the cylinders once it has got warm.
Timing. Ignition timing is critical on these engines, to keep them running at a proper temperature. There are different settings and techniques depending on the model and distributor fitted. If the distributor has been changed, you may have to experiment to find the best firing point.
Assuming it hasn't been changed, look up the ignition timing page on http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk and work out which marks to use and what to do.
If you have an 009 (ie one to use at near full engine revs all the time!), you time it at a maximum advance of 28deg (probably with the engine 'screaming' around 3000 rpm).
Fuel mixture. A weak mixture burns hotter. There's another post mentioning Carb adjustment in the Virtual clubhouse - maybe I should stick it in here!
You may well have had oil deposits burning off. Clean it off - that will keep it cooler, and help you spot any leaks.
Keep a close eye on the oil level. If it gets low, you can do serious damage quite quickly - there's not much in there to start with.
It's good the smoke wasn't from the exhaust.
VW say oil light flickering is not a sign of imminent failure, but it does suggest the engine has some wear. No big problem as long as it goes out the moment you move above idle rpm. Hot days will make it more likel, and so will a low idle rpm. 850 +/- 50 rpm for a manual trans, and 50 more for the auto, which sounds high for non-VW people.
I think it likely your engine is getting too hot though. Take a look at the following:-
Thermostat function. Look in rear right-hand heater channel (below engine) and check the concertina starts off closed and expands as the engine warms up. Also check the rod that crosses the back of the engine (between the distributor and the fan housing) does actually turn. it has flaps on the ends of it to direct cooling air over the cylinders once it has got warm.
Timing. Ignition timing is critical on these engines, to keep them running at a proper temperature. There are different settings and techniques depending on the model and distributor fitted. If the distributor has been changed, you may have to experiment to find the best firing point.
Assuming it hasn't been changed, look up the ignition timing page on http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk and work out which marks to use and what to do.
If you have an 009 (ie one to use at near full engine revs all the time!), you time it at a maximum advance of 28deg (probably with the engine 'screaming' around 3000 rpm).
Fuel mixture. A weak mixture burns hotter. There's another post mentioning Carb adjustment in the Virtual clubhouse - maybe I should stick it in here!
You may well have had oil deposits burning off. Clean it off - that will keep it cooler, and help you spot any leaks.
Keep a close eye on the oil level. If it gets low, you can do serious damage quite quickly - there's not much in there to start with.
It's good the smoke wasn't from the exhaust.
