Old skool vw polo , white smoke/water from exhaust ...

[Edward Teach]

If its not losing or using water or oil
I would say it was condensation in the exhaust system,
Start it up and let it run for an hour or so,
See if the radiator fan kicks in as it should,
Or, if possible, take it for a good controlled thrashing, for 20 to 30 miles,
That will clean the 'system' out, get the exhaust nice and hot and dry it it out,

 

[selectedgrub]

Nothing ""old school"" has a cambelt.

 

[OJCar]

Nothing ""old school"" has overhead valves.

(Depends on your perspective really)

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@optima21 i think

... therefore I am. ( Sorry, blame that Descartes fellow )

 

[jerrytug]

Nothing ""old school"" has a cambelt.

Only because the technology to mass produce strong enough belts is fairly recent. If you could ask Rudolph Diesel, he would have loved them..

 

[Mikey D]

Well thanks for all your responses guys bit of an update ..... Took it for a good spin around the lanes here ,water cleared from exhaust a few miles in BUt the temp gauge isn't working properly ,reading really low or sometimes not all all . There is an external leak there's a plastic part where the water goes into the head and the heater pipes come off also the temp sensor lives .... It's just a drip seems to be where it bolts to the head .

Oh and after leaving the car for a couple of hours the water in exhaust is back ! Aargh so head gasket then ???
One sidelight which failed to work last MOT and worked fine without touching it ever since is not not working ...... Crispy wiring I think ...

Gonna cancel tomorrow's MOT
Off to cry now lol

Cheers Mike

 

[Nomad]

Well thanks for all your responses guys bit of an update ..... Took it for a good spin around the lanes here ,water cleared from exhaust a few miles in BUt the temp gauge isn't working properly ,reading really low or sometimes not all all . There is an external leak there's a plastic part where the water goes into the head and the heater pipes come off also the temp sensor lives .... It's just a drip seems to be where it bolts to the head .

Oh and after leaving the car for a couple of hours the water in exhaust is back ! Aargh so head gasket then ???

Check carefully to make sure you know where the water leak actually is, I thought mine was leaking from the bit you describe, the actual leak was from the long metal pipe that runs along the back of the block - it has a short stub pointing upwards, the stub is capped with a rubber stopper that had perished.

The interior heater on mine did nothing, I stripped it and found the main problem was a blockage of crud in the rubber pipe between engine and bulkhead, now the pipes through the bulkhead get hot but the heater still only blows cold. I've been told due to perished foam seals inside the heater under the dash - not a fun job to remove.

Hope you get it sorted, my Golf has turned out to be a decent runabout

 

[Mikey D]

Thanks for the reply nomad good to have someone with real world experience of the car
It will be sorted , into deep now definitely leaking from that plastic manifold/ heater connection thing , are they readily available do u know ? I had a similar part go on my Audi TT and I put the part number into eBay and got an OEM part for a fraction of the dealer price ,

Cheers Mike

 

[Nomad]

For parts I've only ever needed to order from Auto-Doc website

There is huge support for spares for VWs, very unusual as I normally drive oddball cars - it's great being able to get anything I want very cheaply (Golf headlights £7, I was looking to buy a classic that had a broken headlight - the only one I could find was £250 !)

Tip: when I'm ordering bits I *need* I often add bits to update / refresh the car, lots of gearlinkage bushes wear over time but it's under £20 for a full kit to make the gearchange like new I have an order due this week that has £1 nylon seat sliders to stop the annoying wobble mine have - little things make the car a lot nicer. Straps for the rear parcel shelf are under £2, mine are snapped and it's another easy fix

 

[Mikey D]

Theses parcel xshelf straps are bust too .did u order them from.auto doc ?
Parcel shelf least of my worries tho lol

 

[AVI_8]

BUt the temp gauge isn't working properly ,reading really low or sometimes not all all

Sounds like the thermostat may have failed open.
And with the engine not getting up to temperature could cause more condensation in the exhaust hence the water.
Check the gauge first though by bridging the temperature sensor plug so that it gets 12 volts running through it then the gauge should read max temp.

 

[steveo3002]

put some pics up of the bits you need?

fellow polo owner here , and optima runs them too

 

[Nomad]

I've not ordered the parcel shelf straps yet but I keep looking.
When they're in stock there's nothing else I need to order so I don't bother, when I need to order other bits the straps are out of stock.
I'm sure it's a conspiracy

 

[optima21]

some of the temp gauges read low on the mk2f polos anyway, I know the one in my GT goes and it shows normal running temperature is about 70C (and has been since I got the car in 2003). I think the thermostat has recently stuck open on that car too, but havnt taken it out to check as the plastic housing can be brittle and crack when disturbed, but I'll get round to it in a few weeks. there are at least 3 different variations of the thermostat housings so if you get one make sure it is the right one.

 

[Mikey D]

Excellent advice guys

@Nomad how long do parts usually take from auto doc ,. ?

I' need an intermediate exhaust section ,
Gonna change the water pump as a precaution as well as the timing belt which I already have ...
I will check out the temp sensor as suggested and in the Haynes manual ..will probably check / change thetemosat as there cheap enough ...
The coolant doesn't look like it been changed for many years , very brown /rusty looking .

I'll do the above before I change head gasket , no point jumping the gun ....
Cheers Mike

 

[Johnnybravo]

White smoke can also be brake fluid. Had that on a Golf of about the same vintage when I was doing my apprenticeship. Silly bint of an owner admitted to constantly losing brake fluid but didn’t want to mention it as she thought it was something serious but not related to the smoke,so only mentioned it after we had fixed it
Master cylinder back seal was leaking. Slowly filling the brake booster with brake fluid. When the booster gets full enough the engine sucks it in. Plenty of white smoke. quick and easy to pull the master cylinder off the brake booster without disconnecting any pipes just for a quick check with a torch.

 

[Nomad]

@Nomad how long do parts usually take from auto doc ,. ?

...

I'll do the above before I change head gasket , no point jumping the gun ....
Cheers Mike

Delivery times vary, I plan on it taking about a week.

I did the headgasket first to make sure that fixed the problem - you need to remove the belt as part of the job, I just refitted the old one for testing without disturbing the waterpump (a calcuated gamble)
Then changed the belt and pump a week later (so I didn't need to disturb the new belt once fitted),
The belt is tensioned by rotating the waterpump, I was told the waterpump seal / gasket will leak if you disturb it so that needs to be replaced, and if the history of the car is unknown it's best to fit a new pump at the same time.

Tip: I found it a very quick job as I didn't need to disturb the carb or either manifold, my exhaust downpipe has a convienient clamp joint at the front of the engine, just split that joint and remove the head complete with carb, manifolds, etc

It's also the ideal time to clean the engine bay - access is great when the top of the engine is out of the way

https://imgur.com/KcENYmC

 

[Mikey D]

Great info Nomad

Ordered water pump from auto doc , need middle exhaust piece but it seems as it's oversize they can't ship to the UK , ..... Best quote so far from local auto factors is about £100 .
Euro car parts or GSF don't list them
Auto doc was between £50 -60 .

Anyone know of any suppliers reasonably priced. ?

Cheers Mike

 

[Edward Teach]

Great info Nomad

Ordered water pump from auto doc , need middle exhaust piece but it seems as it's oversize they can't ship to the UK , ..... Best quote so far from local auto factors is about £100 .
Euro car parts or GSF don't list them
Auto doc was between £50 -60 .

Anyone know of any suppliers reasonably priced. ?

Cheers Mike

Replace the middle box with a piece of exhaust tube ?

 

[Mikey D]

Not a bad idea but it's got a double set ( kink ) in it and a flexi piece , I'm not paying for parts just my labour that is free ( well I've asked for a lifetimes supply of stowford press