1.4 mk4 smoking

[ians]

hi my girl friend has got a mk4 1.4 golf e. its smoking when pulling away and just bubbling along but not under load i.e. pulling up a hill or when she boots it, so just wandering what the cause could be  it hasn't lost any power and runs spot on no stuttering or cutting out just gets a bit  :embarassed: embarassing at junctions etc.

any checks hits or ideas as to what the problem could be....oh the oil light and buzzer comes on when cornering sharply, but the oil level is fine 

thanks in advance

Ian

its white smoke by the way a bit smelly

[stevelfc]

white smoke is oil burning  could be vavle seals , piston rings , or head gasket gone

[ians]

  :sad:oh ok any checks i can do for those problems? are they expensive or should i consider an engine replacement? it only went through the mot last month 

[stevelfc]

check under oil cap for any white mayonase and in anti freeze bottle as well if so this is head gasket gone
take spark plugs out and if covered in wet oil Too much oil is entering the combustion chamber. This is often caused by piston rings or cylinder walls that are badly worn. Oil may also be pulled into the chamber because of excessive clearance in the valve stem guides.A build-up of crankcase pressure which can force oil and oil vapors past the rings and valve guides into the combustion chamber can also cause this. click on link to check your plugs against the pics on link  http://www.classic-car-magazine.co.uk/articles/spark_plug_colour_guide_chart.html .

[ians]

nope just checked no mayo under caps  i'll take the plugs out tomorrow morning, thanks for ur help 

[Wayne]

white smoke is oil burning  could be vavle seals , piston rings , or head gasket gone

Nope blue smoke is oil, white smoke is normal or can be a sign the head gasket is gone.

[ians]

white smoke is oil burning  could be vavle seals , piston rings , or head gasket gone

Nope blue smoke is oil, white smoke is normal or can be a sign the head gasket is gone.

yeah thanks i thought blue smoke = oil. i've just ben outside and cant see any signs of water contamination in the oil. is there anyway to get the head gasket checked? is it fairly easy to do I'm more of a mk2 man myself  i dont really want to take it to a robbing garage  like I said tho its running well with no problem just smoke

[Rmachines]

These 1.4 engines suffer with piston rings wearing,  usually you will hear the piston slap as well (a knocking/tapping noise on tickover and underload)  the MK3 AEX had similar issues but the 16v 1.4 engines suffer big time!!

[ians]

oh right, thanks for the reply, it seems quiet enough on tickover, it was low on oil so i topped it up again looked under all the caps no sign of mayo anywhere.
is it a case of an engine strip down and new rings? or would an 8v mk3 gti engine go in if so how easy or other more suitable engines? i mean shes happy enough with a 1.4 it goes really well and has v/good fuel economy and insurance is cheap  what do u think the best move would be?

oh i dunno if it makes a diifference but the last owner has put a bigger bore exhaust on said "he made it fit" could that be significant?

[Rmachines]

Nah, its going to be rings, im in the middle of doing one at the moment,  DONT get another engine off ebay unless you personally see it running, as people sell them as "running engines"  doesnt mean its not a smoking engine!   If you wanted to swap the engine, look for another MK4 engine, loom ecu and immob unit.  Gearbox iirc is 020 type on the 1.4 unlike the MK3 which was diffrent to the tall block engines so your gearbox should fit the 1.6 and 2.0l engines etc.. a good engine will set you back the price of rings, especially if you have some one who can do it mates rates labour wise.  Might be worth looking into having them done.   £600-800 ish i would expect to pay at a garage, im doing some at the moment for a freind for £420.  Couldnt get a *good* engine for that.