I have a 2000 passat b2b motion the emissions workshop light on,have been told it is the cam shaft censor. yesterday I started smelling a burning smell (can't tell wether it is an antifreeze or oil smell) and a small amount of white smoke coming from back of engine under air filter hose near windshield but goes away within a minute or so. Any ideas on what could be causing this?

this is one that will need to be taken in for diagnostics, It is an EVAP System problem.. there are a few test that will need to be performed to help identify the probem.. a smoke test will be very useful here

Need to scan ECM for faults.

hi mate, my 55 plate passat did the same before major problems happened. first turbo went then the oil pressure light came on and the car went into limp mode. before its too late for you and a costly bill can you do the following.
check if your car has a recall for the injector problems which vw are replacing under warenty.
second thing the guy who repaired my turbo told me that these cares have a major fault which caused the turbo to go. the fault is the oil pump failure you must adress this issue as you can get a lot of info on the discussion forms.
my car started with the same problem as you have described the pd engines have a design fault with the oil pump and shaft. this is common causing your turbo to go then the car will start showing oil pressure low please stop engine. educate your self via the forms and act quickly befor you end up with massive bills.
i hope this has helped. trust me vw know about this design fault.you need to change your chain driven oil pump to the new gear driven system which vw have modified. all vag cars have the same problems be it audi skoda vw . my car had the same problem as you have said .started off with emissions then turbo failed thats when i started to investigate this problem . the pd engines was designed by some rookie at vw.

if you put some red x in the car it should clear it you can buy it from any petrol station

Go back and speak with the mechanic. Clicking may be only the lifters. ABS service has nothing to do with the oil system. May be coincidence.Fill oil to Full before driving it and search for leaks.

Emissions Workshop means that the fuel / air ratio is incorrect. There are many reasons for this problem. The ONLY way to be certain is to have the OBD codes scanned. This will show the problem straight away. If the car appears to be running ok, you may have a problem with an oxygen sensor....but do the scan first. It is the quicker and cheaper option.
Good luck with it
John

It could be something as simple as a new gas cap..Have the car scanned and see what the code is...

U HAVE A HEATER CORE LEAK, DOES THE SMOKE SMELL SICKY SWEET? AS FAR AS THE CEL GOES HAVE THE SYSTEM TESTED FOR FREE BY ANY KRAGEN AUTO OR AUTOZONE, JUST ASK FOR A OBD 2 TROUBLE CODE TEST, THEN POST THE CODE BACK HERE FOR US TO LOOK AT AND TRY AND DEVELOPE A FIX STRATEGY.

I had this problem myself and was told it could be one of 3 things

1. ignition coils are on their last legs and would need replacing (there are 4 of them in a VW golf)

2. The throttle housing is knackered and needs replacing as it has caused the motor that powers the accelerator to stop working and

3. The catalytic converter has an excess of carbon stored within it and has caused a defect.

All 3 of these jobs are notoriously expensive. Much to the delight of whoever it is you have gone to see....