I have been having trouble starting my 2387 Vw motor when it is cold. Trying to start the motor and cranks real slow, like the battery going dead. Checked battery and it is good, even bought a new battery. After cranking for 5-8 minutes , the motor will finally crank over. When it does it blows out alot of white smoke. Once the motor gets warm, I can shut her down and crank her back up. If I let her sit for a couple of hours, it is hard to start again. I even bought a new starter and that didnt help.
What could it be? Could the timimg be off? Could the carbs need to be readjusted?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

btbell1323

Maybe bad ground or a bad positive cable. make sure they are clean. Check your connections

5-8 minutes the white smoke is most likely unburned fuel.
(more info needed on what the motor has on it)
I'd start by checking the total timing.
IF you give it a few squirts of gas VIA the gas pedal and then hold the pedal to the floor it should fire right away
Thick oil when cold?....What weight oil you running?
Slow cranking could be a weak ground cable.....Might add a second ground strap,
Also what starter?? If not a self suporting starter the front starter bushing might be worn also?

Just a thought
Might check for Fuel leaking into the cylinders after it sits awile?

Typically timing will make the motor fight back as it cranks and misfires, causing a quick and then slow turning. Fuel will keep it from starting but does not typically slow down the cranking. I would start with putting spark plugs with a higher heat range and make sure you have the gap set correctly.. In doing so, you may want to test compression cold and then hot. You should not see more than a 15% difference. If this does not help, you are on too the internals. A broken piston ring can cause the issues you are having. It will drag when cold and oil will smoke after sitting as it flows into the cylinder. Have you noticed any oil consumption? what do your plugs look like when you pull them? What is the compression ratio, as if it is high this may have an effect on the cold start. Lastly, it could be a combination of issues ie: wrong plugs and a leaking valve guide. Hope this helps....

I am running 20w-50 Valvoline Racing Oil. I checked all cables and seem fine. I just bought a brand new Hi-Torque starter. It is a 2387 with a turbo. Once it is warm, it will start fine, and it is not slow cranking.

btbell1323

The spark plugs are somewhat black, but not wet. I have not noticed any oil consumtion. If it is a leaking valve guide , do the heads have to come off?

btbell1323

Yes..

mine use to do the same thing , if you have a fuel cut of on your tank shut it off when the motor isnt running , turn it on when you go to start it and see if it still does the same thing if it does not do the same thing your carbs are leaking down into the cyclinders , if you dont want to spend the money to rebuild the cars just make sure to turn the fuel off when its not running , this is also a good theft device no fuel they wont get very far.

If the engine does not spin over fast enough it will not start. It sounds like bad connections, cable(s) and/or ground(s). It is very simple to check these things out. I prefer an analog (needle) type Volt meter that has a 3v scale. Set the meter to 3v DC and put the red lead on the positive battery post and the black lead on the positive battery cable, I like to start at the post to cable connection, then have someone crank it over for a few seconds. If the needle swings past 1 volt, that connection is suspect, if the needle does not swing, move the black lead to the next connection on the cable and repeat. Do the same for all the ground connections and for the solenoid connections from the battery to the start switch to the solenoid.

Is there a ground strap from the engine/trans to the chassis? If not, put one one it. Lots of times there is a intermittent good ground due to powder coating being between the engine/trans mounts and the chassis.