Derrek,

White smoke sounds like head gaskets to me. About $1,000 to $1,500 to have
done or you can do them yourself.

Charles Michaux
'91 Westy (42K)

----------
> From: Derrek Wittmann <dwittman@ctc.ctc.edu>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu>
> Subject: ? alt theories to blowing smoke 
> Date: Tuesday, May 06, 1997 9:43 PM
> 
> Hello
>         I bought my syncro ,a month or two ago, with a blown motor.  I am
> still thinking about putting a Subaru engine in it, but I have been
playing
> around with it,starting it up driving it around a little.  If I baby it,
it
> only smokes a little, but if I the engine revs over 2000 RPM under load
it
> starts blowing dence clouds white of smoke out of the tail pipe.  Besides
> this one anoying habit the engine sounds really good(no rod or main
bearing
> knock) solid like it has  been taken care of .  The owner told me that it
> got oil changes/3000miles and the miles he put on were freeway miles
70-80 a
> day.  The person that I bought the van for had it checked out.  The shop
> told him that the rings were blown.When the engine first started pumping
out
> the smoke he was driving down the freeway and noticed the clouds of smoke
> behind him.  The PO said the water temp was fine and plenty of oil.
> 
> How can I verify the shops diagnosis?  
> 
> I tryed to do a compression test but the neck of my tester was not long
enough.
> Would a lesk down do it?  I would have to rent or by the tool.
> 
> I thought about trying to look at the cylinder with an endoscope but I
don't
> have one.
> 
> What if any other possible explanations for that much smoke?
> 
> 
> How much a of a pain is it to put new pistons and cylinders?
> 
> Has  this happened to anyone else?
> 
> How could I verify wether or not it ran out of oil?
> 
> Thanks for your input.
> -- Derrek Wittmann