Extensive white smoke could be a head gasket leaking coolant into the combustion chamber. 

Karl Wolz
Sent from my electronic umbilicus

> On Jan 18, 2014, at 6:21 PM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> White smoke on startup - oil and maybe some water. After warm-up -
> should be little or no smoke.
> 
> As a rule - white/blue smoke is symptomatic of and oil problem some where
> 
> Black smoke is indicatrive of a fuel problem.
> 
> 
> John
> 
>> On 1/18/2014 6:11 PM, Alain Thibault wrote:
>> Allo all
>> My van sits in the garage for most of the week and I drive it only once a week. When I start it, there is a lot of white smoke...I mean a lot of smoke. Alter 10-15 minutes, when the engine has reached normal temperature, there is no more smoke. I know that it is normal that there is smoke when the engine is cold but that much, I have rarely seen it. Being fairly new to the Vanagon world, I wonder it this is normal? I would appreciate any of your thoughts on the subject. I don't know if it is related to that, but when the engine has reached normal temperature, it will need  2-3 cranks before the engine starts again...
>> Thanks
>> Alain
>> 1986 Westfalia
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad 2
>>