International Vintage Volkswagen Forums

Guys,
I have recently installed a judson to my 36hp Oval. This has had a new rotor & vane set from Ricardo. I have only done limited mileage since installation (approx 70 miles) & runs fine without problems. Today I ventured a lot further on the motorway, well that was the plan to Stanford hall for the historic display. As I was driving for some time, I lost power Momentary, so I pulled over. When I checked the engine I could see smoke coming from the oil filler/vent. I decided to return back home as I didn't want to do any damage. Has the oil overheated? The car has run fine on the return home journey, although I was taking it careful. Am I missing something what could the reason be for the excessive heat/vapour. Any advise would be Appreciate
thanks Dave

PM Lifeintheslowlane for anything Judson,he's the expert.

Hi,
"lifeintheslowlane" you e-mail box is full & will not allow post
thanks
Dave

Clear now Dave.

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Dave, now YOUR inbox is full.:p

Anyway here is the text as it might be useful to others:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4404367#4404367 

Summing up he made the choice of the stock genuine VW exhaust with the wider bore TDE tailpipes. He says his engine ran more freely and much cooler.

The other thing that has worked for another Judson owner in the US was using an Octane Booster as a fuel additive. It seems modern petrol is dryer and since the absence of lead all engine burn hotter. Not too much of a problem with modern cars but when adding a supercharger to a vintage engine it could be enough to complicate matters.

Just a couple of thoughts. I think the exhaust could be an interesting one to follow as Wolfgang said it made a lot of difference.

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Unfortunately you have probably fried your #3 piston rings... the reason you are getting smoke from your breather tube is that the combustion is bypassing your piston and blowing into the crankcase. I just had this experience with my Judson also. It required a top end rebuild (new pistons/cylinders). I was quick to shut down also and saved the other parts from damage.

Mine is running good again, but I'm taking it very easy to break all of the parts in again. I've increased my jetting, retarded my timing a bit and increased the flow of Marvel oil into the compressor and it's running much cooler. I also installed a dipstick oil temp gauge to monitor oil temperature.

When you see the blowby through the breather tube, I'm almost certain I'm diagnosing your problem correctly. Sorry for the bad news.

Hi,

I am looking to strip out the engine, where did you get your piston/cylinder set from.
My engine is a 30hp, glad to here you are back on the road. It does sound like you had a similar problem to what I have
thank you for your reply
Dave

Other than finding an NOS set of originals... the Wolfsburg West sets are high quality and install easily. Of course, you should balance them prior to installation but with one click you can be on your way towards being smoke free... :-)

https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=111198057 

When I was running a Judson used a 130 Main jet instead of the 122,5 the Judson papers were saying.
That helped me not to destroy anymore pistons.

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