On Thu, 12 Jan 1995 L.S.Griffiths@physics.salford.ac.uk wrote:

My .02.  My 1970 Kombi smoked (or was smoked in, whichever) on startups, 
but only occasionally.  Problem reduced with new carb.  However (perhaps 
this doesn't apply to FI owners) I noticed that if I let the engine idle 
for a minute or so before shutdown I never got the smoke.  No idle before 
shutdown, usually I'd see smoke.  

So this indeed would lend credence to the prevailing 
"gas-in-the-cylinders-at-startup" theory.  

Good luck (& I hope the fix is cheap!)

John K. Hopp
State of New Mexico (or confusion)

>      
>      
>      > The 75 Bus makes a big puff of black smoke (almost?) every time I start 
>      > it. The smoke dissipates after a few seconds and then things seem fine. 
>      > Could it be worn rings? Can I afford to ignore the problem?
>      >
>      
>      I always thought that black smoke meant petrol, but if it is oil and 
>      it doesn't get any worse then at least you have some oil in your 
>      cylinders when it turns over first time in a morning - which under
>      most cold start situations, has to be a bit better.
>      
>      Lee.
>      '64 Samba
>      l.s.griffiths@Physics.salford.ac.uk
>      http://146.87.136.48
> 
>