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I recently purchassed a 2001 Jetta GLS 2.0, and I need some information. I'vve always worked on my own cars, and I'm tight on cash right now so I don't want to start replacing the wrong parts. Here's the deal: The check engine light is on, and sometimes, the car Idles rough as if it's only running on 3 cyl. I've heard that throttle bodies on jetta's either go bad or get out of adjustment, but I'm inclined to think this would not cause an intermittent problem. I know It's time for a tune up, so I'm going to at least replace the wires and plugs. What sensors should I consider replacing? The car has 116,000 miles on it, and so far, nothing has been replaced. I've heard that the mass air flow sensor is a common culprit of jetta problems, and that it's easy to replace. Is this true? Many of my tools were stolen recently, and I'm timid about getting into a big project. I just need to be able to get to everything with standard ratchet and sockets. What about the plugs? Are the easy enough to get to from above the hood? I just want to fix what needs to be fixed right now because the car also needs new tires and the driver's door has a broken hinge bolt. I'm concerned about the rough idle. Sometimes, on the freeway, the car surges, too. It will be running fine at high speed and all of a sudden it will have a bunch more power and start going faster. This is without giving more gas or shifting (it's a manual). Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
MIke
I would suggest you find out WHAT CODE is causing the CEL. Most autoparts stores will "pull the codes" for free.
You need to determine WHICH ENGINE you have... the 2001 model year had an engine-change in the middle of it. The engine code is found on a sticker on the top of the timingbelt cover. It is a 3-letter designation.
"AEG" engine is the older one with a throttle-cable
"AVH" engine is the newer one WITHOUT a throttle-cable. (drive by wire!)
If you have the newer one WITHOUT a throttlecable, there is a process wheras you can "calibrate" the throttlebody to make sure it is 'in sync' with the pedal.
Replacing the MAF is trivial if you know which end of a phillips screwdriver to hold ;-) The MAF is screwed to the airfilter housing and has a clamp holding a tube to the throttlebody. Oh ya -- there is one electrical connector to pull off too. I have swapped MAFs between 2 VWs in the rain within 5 minutes... it is that simple. (I swapped between my daughters VWs to see if a problem moved to the other car)
The Sparkplugs on the 2.0 engine are VERY VERY difficult to replace without the proper tools because the intake-plenum runs OVER the engine effectively covering the middle 2 sparkplugs.
One of the causes was the Jetta is missing a hood seal on the front. There was a 1/2 inch or 10mm plus gap after the hood firmly latched. All the New Hampshire slush and water came flying into the top of the engine. About $3 of 1/2 inch foam tape used to seal house windows reduced the gap to nothing and seemed to solve the problem.
Chris
A couple of weeks later she tell me she has not been able to lock it since then. I can lock the car with lock switch on the console, so something is telling the vacume to the door locks to work. We bought the car used and never could lock the car from the passenger side.
Ideas, rather not spend $200 for a fix.
Thanks - Chris
The old spray bottle set to first to fine then to stream, worked for me. I could hear the spark and could see it in the twilight. I like to run this test when the engine is warm. Just in case the engine dies, the heat will help dry things out. Make sure you have a can of WD40 handy to get rid of the water.
Again bpeebles has the right idea, what is really causing the problem(s)? Our Jetta would die on the road in the rain/slush snow. Wait 15 minutes and you could limp to a phone or home.
I had first replaced the spark plug wires and distributor, then the coil. The problem did not go away. I figure that the mechanic with the proper tools damaged the wire to #1. My point is that it was water on the electrical system which caused the problem.
When my sister-in-law came over with her Jetta, I did a side by side compairson. Just happened to look up at the raised hood and noticed one had a seal and the other did not. That was the cause, which let water get to the wires.
I took my car to a VW dealership yesterday to have it checked out, and they told me that I need a brand new transmission! Then the serv">ice guy told me that it will cost about $5000 (parts & labor) to fix my car!! Call me crazy, but I don't think a 7 year-old car with less than 65,000 miles on it should be having this kind of a problem. Any comments or advice would be much appreciated!
With the exception of the 5-speed Tiptronic transmission (which is supplied by Aisin Transmissions of Japan), VW-sourced automatics have been very unreliable (avoid at all costs). The main culprit was the weak differentials prematurely wearing out (a definite show stopper).
The manual transmissions, however, are quite good (probably has something to do with the fact that most VWs sold in Europe and other countries are manual transmissions). The manual transmission in my now deceased 1987 Golf GT lasted 429,000 miles.
It is no wonder that the DSG and Tiptronic transmissions used by VW are supplied by Aisin.
The only exception during the 2000+ years is the Tiptronic transmission, which has been quite reliable (the transmissions were sourced by Aisin of Japan). The current DSG and Tiptronic transmissions are sourced by Aisin.
You and I are on the same page. "But Dad, a homeless person could camp out in it down in the parking lot if it is not locked. :shades:
Umm anybody have any thoughts?
There are many reasons to NOT use an "oiled guaze" airfilter. They offer no measurable gains but can DESTROY your MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor)
The oil from the airfilter gets sucked into the intake. It coats the MAF causes it to burn out.
You have been warned.
If your MAF is OK, the CEL will go out (reset itself) after a week or so.
The factory VW airfilter has been measurably shown to filter better and last over 30,000 miles. There is no need to waste your money on a hyped-up "oiled guaze" filter that can destroy your MAF and cause dirt to get into your engine.
In ALL cases, the oil tends to migrate and coat the entire intake system over time. This, in turn, collects dirt and can mess up the idle-system and cause other maladies.
If you do some research about these "oiled guaze" filters, you will find that they are not really all they are hyped up to be.
A street-driven automible DOES NOT NEED more airflow. No one drives on the street at WOT (Wide Open Throttle) all the time. Under all other conditions, it is the THROTTLEBODY that is the limiting-factor for airflow...not the airfilter.
For a street-driven automible, it is FARRR more important to have an airfilter that actually FILTERS out the fine particals which can destroy the engine over time. It has been measurably shown that the factory PAPER filters excell at this task.
The "oiled guaze" filters are great on a racecar or dragster where WOT is used all the time. Also, many of these engines are torn down and rebuilt between races... so a little extra dirt is not a big deal.
Dont take my word for it, do some research on the internet. There is one website that actually TESTED many different airfilters and MEASURED the important charactoristics of each.
But even figuring that in, it still seems that you get the short end of the stick.
Even conserative figures tell us that you have an issue
250 (miles per tank) / 12 (gallons in tank) = ~21 MPG
What can you do about it? I am at a loss, this is a pretty new vehicle and I assume no CEL has come on indicating any outstanding issues. It is still under warantee, perhaps complaining to the dealership the next time you have service may get some resolution.... especially if you start to write down the odemeter and fuel each time you fill up.
I ALWAYS keep a log of every drop of fuel and the odometer for all my vehicles. That is how I KNOW that I get over 50MPG on my Jetta. (and have touched 56MPG!) At least 600 miles per tank if I flog it hard.... 700 miles if I baby it.
Higher octaine means SLOWER burning rate of the fuel. If "regular" is used in turbocharged engine, there is possibility of pre-ignition. (clacking sound you somtimes hear on a very hot day while lugging uphill) Pre-ignition can blow a hole in a piston!
Its your engine....
My 04 Jetta GLI (6 speed manual) can get an average of 21 miles per gallon without any passenger and drive 80% on freeway at average 75 miles per hour without A/C or heater on. I notice my car performs better with Chevron/Texaco and second with Sunoco premium gas.
It costs about $100 just to get a key made for a VW. Then, it has to be "coded" to work by sticking it in the door while a "known good" key is put in the ignition.
It is unlikely that anyone would go thru such a hassle....especially if you leave the "Valet key" with them which makes it almost impossible for them to create a usable key from that. (that is part of the design of the Valet Key)
You CANNOT change the signal which your dashboard reacts to. It is coded from the factory....Unless you wish to change the entire dashboard electronics and replace all the keys to match that.
The VW key system has many security concepts built into it-- one cannot just take a key to wallymart and have a key made for a buck.
Bpeebles, can you explain whats wrong with the keys please? Mine is 04GLI.
I have read that replacing the key-sensor that is near where you stick the key in the ignition can often fix such a problem. Although I have never done it, I understand that sensor just pluggs in somwhere under the dashboard and mounts near where the key is stuck in the ignition. I am not sure if the steering wheel (and airbag) has to be removed to get at it or not.
There is a relatively easy way for them to isolate the problem. With both front wheels off the ground, remove nuts from tie-rod-ends and pickle-fork them off of the spindles.
Now, each of the front wheels and the steering-rack can be checked individually for "stiffness" thus isolating the problem to the specific area.
BTW: I had a "used" steering-rack installed from a scrapyard. It saved me a lot a money. In many cases, there is no need to purchase "new" or "rebuilt" suspension components. Most of the stuff you already replaced could have come from a scrapyard.
Also -- Your car is not "fixed" until an accurate alignment has been performed. I hope you were not charged for an alignment if they ADMITTED that their equipment was having problems.
Apply power going downhill and the random jerks seem to disappear. No problem at all with any kind of uphill incline, applying power or not applying power. Don't notice anything with hard right or left turns on a snow covered parking lot with some some potholes. I was listening for clunks or feeling for jerks.
I grabbed each tire an try to move it. Nothing obvious. Kicked each tire at the 9 o'clock position, didn't observe anything. Looks like both rubber boots on the wheel side are not cracked.
It is off to the non-VW mechanic tomorrow. Ideas?
Re-programming the KEYFOB is not a big deal. Hold the button for unlock down for a full second let it go and use the key to unlock the door.
If that doesn't work you will need to reprogram the key which means you need at least 2 keys. It requires the key to be programmed to be stuck in the drivers door keyhole and the known-good key to be stuck in the ignition.
1 switch ignition key on and get out and close the door.
2 with the 2nd key turn the door lock to the unlock position and hold it there until you hear beeps from the horn.(When programming multiple KEYFOBS, you should get 1 beep for the first remote, 2 beeps for the second and so on. )
3 Quickly press the unlock button on the remote once,if you have more than 1 remote to do they must all be done within one minute.
4 again turn the key in the door lock to the off position and hold it there until you get 1 beep (about 10 sec)
5 open the door and turn the ign key off.
And to turn your auto up auto down windows back on, run the glass down then back up again 2x from the door lock.
- keep your tires inflated toward the higher end of what you can live with, in terms of comfort. Try 36-37psi cold. Check tire pressure often. You can fill your tires warm a bit higher, if close to home, and then measure again (with a digital gauge) in the morning, releasing any excess pressure.
- accelerate briskly (close to wide open throttle), but shift early (e.g., below 2600rpm). Just don't lug the engine (don't make it work hard under 1600 rpm or so).
- drive as if you just don't like to use your brakes. If you have to use your brakes a lot, this means you are wasting gas, because you accelerated too much, or kept using gas when you could have coasted to the stop.
- make sure you are using high-quality, VW certified synthetic oil, only.
If you already drive like this and/or all of this does not make a difference, your engine may need to be checked out. You should be getting close to or quite above 30mpg at 65mph highway.