Vw Camper Engine Noise What Is Causing This

What car engine oils can cause burning with white smoke when they are leaking?

OK, I have fifty years of experience as a gear head working on cars and building high performance engines.In the past, it was possible to quickly diagnose engine problems by looking at the color of the exhaust. Black tailpipe emissions indicated that the engine was running rich, i.e. that the fuel/air mixture had too much gas in it relative to the proportion of air. Blue tailpipe emissions indicated that lubricating oil was getting in to the engine, most likely past worn piston rings or through the valve guides. And white tailpipe emissions indicated water in the exhaust gases, which ordinarily gets there because of a bad intake manifold gasket, damaged cylinder head gasket, or a cracked cylinder head.These, especially the latter two, are serious problems. Oil in the exhaust means that the engine is already worn out and has to be either completely rebuilt or replaced. Water (coolant) in the exhaust gases can very quickly lead to extreme engine wear or catastrophic engine failure. If you think that there may be coolant leaking into the engine you should STOP DRIVING THE CAR and have it checked out by a qualified shop.But I said “in the past”. Today the catalyst in the exhaust system operates at such a high heat that contaminants in the exhaust will be burned, vaporized. If you see a car today spewing fumes from the exhaust pipe it means that the condition of the engine was so bad that the initial problem managed to destroy the catalytic converter as well.A reasonable amount of water vapor coming from the tailpipe either before the engine has completely warmed up or when the car is driven on extremely humid days is completely normal and does not indicate any problem.

What are the dangers of continuing to drive a car with an exhaust pipe that is rusted through?

A rusted exhaust or tail pipe will be susceptible to leaks.The worst enemy of an exhaust system is corrosion or rust. Rust is caused by moisture reacting with the iron in the steel which forms iron oxide. Once the exhaust pipe starts leaking, a variety of problems can ensue.Fuel consumption will increase : If your exhaust is damaged or leaking, you will experience a decrease in fuel efficiency. The engine will now work harder. You will ultimately experience reduced gas mileage.Potential Noise pollution: Though your car may not be making any hissing noise at the moment, there is a possibility that it will likely happen soon.Potential damage to the catalytic converter: Extra heat will flow into your engine when there is a problem with your exhaust system. This can result in damage to your catalytic converter.The impact leaking exhaust fumes will have on other parts beneath the car will differ depending on where the hole is located on the exhaust system. The closer the hole is to the tailpipe, the smaller the impact will be on surrounding parts.Photos sourced from Google

Do bad engine mounts need immediate repair?

If by bad you mean broken, no they do not. They should be, but if your car is less than thirty years old you are in luck and they will probably just make some disconcerting noises each time you accelerate. The rubber insulator that isolates the engine from the frame is what usually constitutes a bad engine mount. Fortunately, the metal bracket on each side of the rubber insulator has interlocking metal tabs that prevent the engine from lifting up too far and hitting the inside of the hood or falling out into the street.Make a timely appointment with a mechanic and get your engine mounts replaced though. The engine will still move around more than it should, and as with any minor repair they only get worse; they never get better.

My GFCI outlet doesn't work and makes random loud clicking noises. If I press test on it, does that shut it off and prevent a potential fire? If not, how do I shut it off without paying an electrician?

Pressing the “Test” button should cause the “Reset” button to pop out. This will disconnect power to the outlet and electronics rendering the outlet safe.But the clicking noise you are hearing could be from the GFI attempting to trip because of a ground fault caused by some sugary liquid like soda having been splashed on it. If this liquid has gotten into the space between the button and the outlet body, the button may have gotten stuck by the gluing effect of the leftover sugar (or a similar substance).Do these steps:Push the test button.Observe the reset and notice if it pops out. (Some GFIs do not pop out very much)Did this stop the noise and cause the “Reset button to pop out?If yes, then call an electrician to replace the GFI as soon as you can. There should be no fire hazard.If the button did not pop out then do this:Locate you breaker panel. It may be in your basement or a panel with a metal door in a closet.Open the door and locate the main breaker. This in almost all cases will be a double breaker that is separate from the row or rows of other breakers and should be labeled “Main”. Do not trip this breaker as it will shut off all power to your home.There should be one or two rows of breakers besides the main breakers. If they are labeled, locate the ones that are most likely to your outlet. (Bathroom, Kitchen outlets, etc).Trip one breaker at a time by pushing the handle to the left. It takes a little force to do this. Check to see of the problem outlet has stopped making noise. (It helps to have a helper at the outlet who can call out, telling you the noise has stopped.GFI breakers are very reliable and tend to fail by simply tripping. A GFI that is clicking like you described is most likely failed because of a stuck button due to something keeping the reset button in.The GFI would not be trying to trip unless there is a ground fault. Ground faults with nothing plugged into the outlet are almost always caused by moisture. So no matter what, the GFI needs to be replaced. It is possible for a homeowner to do this, but by your asking the question here, it leads me to believe you need to have someone qualified to make this repair. But if you do, then invest in a do it yourself beginners guide and a voltage tester.

Why was there a clicking sound under my car hood after I turned it off?

Not knowing your year, model and engine I can only tell you some general items that pertain to most cars.There electrical relays and switch's ,about 2 dozen on average. When you shut the car down the radiator fans can be active until the engine temp cools to specs. Evaporative emissions systems do some of their work at shutdown. Fuel systems depressurize in many engine in order to prevent wear that constant pressure can induce. Many of today's cars have automatic parking brakes and many cars have done away with cables and use electronics to change gears and engage park. Some ABS brake system cycle at shutdown and idle air control can be active at shutdown. I can go on and on but I think this should help you to understand that electrical relays and fluid pressure systems all can make clicking noises after shutdown.I assume that the louder more random ticks with a metallic sound you know are metal parts cooling down after shutdown.Most of the relay sounds are done with in 2 mins and the metal cool down noises are done with in 5–10 mins depending on temp.As a bonus I will bring to your attention a fairly new item not quite under the hood but behind the grill and that is electrically operated “grill flappers” or “blinds per se” that help your car control temp and help aerodynamic performance at higher speeds. My wife's car opens them up after shutdown if they were closed at that point.Hope this helps!