Volkswagen Passat Engine Issues

in Volkswagen
I want to know if anyone else has had this problem. If it does sound like a ignition coil problem, is it too late to get it replaced free because of the recall?
Here is my problem:
I was sitting in a drive through waiting for my order and my 2003 passat started shaking like it wanted to stall. The engine light came on and luckily I was about a mile from home. I drove slowly home and when I got out the catalytic converter seemed unusually hot.
I have been googling this issue and ran into a couple others saying this is a misfire problem and probably a faulty ignition coil. I read there was a recall on this issue, but I never heard about it until now. Unfortunately I don't have records of every single oil change. So, I've read that VW may not cover this. Is this true?
Any help is definitely appreciated!
Here is my problem:
I was sitting in a drive through waiting for my order and my 2003 passat started shaking like it wanted to stall. The engine light came on and luckily I was about a mile from home. I drove slowly home and when I got out the catalytic converter seemed unusually hot.
I have been googling this issue and ran into a couple others saying this is a misfire problem and probably a faulty ignition coil. I read there was a recall on this issue, but I never heard about it until now. Unfortunately I don't have records of every single oil change. So, I've read that VW may not cover this. Is this true?
Any help is definitely appreciated!
0
Comments
To diagnose, I had my wife start the car and removed coil after coil until nothing happend, then I took that coil off and started car and removed the rest until it REALLY started misfiring. Then I took the suspected bad coil and switched it with a good one. Then, my misfire was on that plug.
Ignition Coil = $34.00
Very easy to fix. Just pop the coil off the plug, disconnect from the wire, and plug back in. Fixed my problem. The check engine light went off after a couple days as well!
Good luck to you!
I am having trouble receiving an accurate diagnosis on my 1999 VW Passat. I was experiencing hesitation when accelerating from a stopped position. I brought the car in and a repair was done. When I picked up the car, the “check engine” light was on. I brought this to the manager “Tyson”’s attention. He asked me if it was on when I brought the car in for service. I told him that it had not been on until I picked up the car right then. He then proceeded to tell me that the fuel in the NW was notorious for causing engine problems, and to buy a fuel additive. I was skeptical with this answer, but did as he suggested. The light stayed on. When I returned he told me that they would have to diagnose the problem.
I opted not to leave the car for any further work. Not long after, my car began beeping and other lights in the dash lit up. The oil light, ABS light, and brake light are always on now. The tachometer doesn’t work at all. The car won’t switch over to standard shift. The A/C stops cooling when the car is idling, it blows out warm air. I did not trust your service department, so I took the car over to Tom’s Performance. They could not get a reading from my car’s computer. I then tried Peter’s Automotive. They could not get a reading from my car’s computer. I asked for a recommendation, they said to try Rey Reece VW.
I brought my car to Rey Reece, who diagnosed the car. They found a wire unplugged, the “check engine” light went out when they reconnected it, and that light is no longer a problem They did not address the tachometer not working, nor the fact that the car will not manually shift. My husband and I fear that the problem lies within the computer system itself. Obviously, we are not auto mechanics, but why would all of these problems happen at the same time?
All I ask is that you give this problem a complete and accurate diagnosis. I would appreciate it if your best mechanic could look at this from all possible angles.
end of letter.
I don't want to spend thousands of $$$. I have not seen any definitive answers to these issues in this forum, but I may not have looked closely enough. The car beeps sporadically at least 5 times per hour. The brake, ABS, and oil light are still on at all times.
Any input would be appreciated.
Also have a '99 (V6 5spd) and would certainly be Concerned if it exhibited behavior such as you describe!
The local (SE MI) VW club has a lot of useful info, including recommended service shops - you might find a similar listing in your area.
And don't forget to check out AUDI references as well - local owners group site was very useful in resolving problem last year.
Reid / SE MI
Do I really need to use 91 octane or higher? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Krzys
PS I bet occasional use will not harm the engine but I bet its output would be significantly reduced.
will retard the ignition timing to compensate for the reg fuel. You MIGHT be able to tell the difference in performance if you clock it and drive hard, but who drives like that in town anyway?
Saving $0.20/gal using regular just isn't worth the hit in fuel economy...
In other words...like 3screwsloose said...:-)
any ideas on what the problem is...or do I have a car to part out. It has the 4 cyl in it and the starter was new.
Thanks a bunch.
http://www.morecompany.net/borescope.htm
Let us know how you make out.
Best Regards,
Shipo
If yes, then I hope you have a fair amount of experience in building engines as the VR6 is a fairly complicated beastie. A better approach might be to get a used motor from a bone yard and put that in. VR6 motors aren't the most common engine out there, but with a little perseverence you should be able to find one in good condition.
Best Regards,
Shipo
If after you've disassembled your engine and had it checked, you find that the block and head are still serviceable, you can buy all of the necessary parts for the rebuild from your local VW dealership. They won't be cheap but they will have the parts.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thanks!
If you read through the posts regarding the care and feeding of VW turbocharged engine (on this and other sites), you'll notice that a high quality fully synthetic oil is REQUIRED, and if you don't, sludged engine and coked up turbocharger bearings will be the guaranteed result. In your case, blaming VW for the failure of the first two owners to properly maintain your car is a tad disingenuous don't you think?
Best Regards,
Shipo
Im not going to disagree with you there, the previous two owners obviously didnt take care of the car. However, you simply cannot deny that there has been issues with the 2000-2003 Passats on the turbo issues and the sludge problems. I knew a person that bought the car brand new, that experienced sludge issues. the only thing I need to do is try to get an oil change every 1500.00 miles to make sure the suldge doesnt build up again. Yes I do blame Volkswagon of America for not looking into these issues, even the NSTA (hope i got that right) has statisics on these cars that they (VW) made poorly. Google VW passat, you find more problems than praises... :lemon:
The problem here is that many service centers, dealership based, chain (Jiffy Lube et al.) and independent shops chose to ignore the new directives and continued to use whatever oil was on hand. The obvious result was a bunch of 1.8Ts that were sludged to the gills. Once again, not VWs fault, they took action when they recognized a problem and then had to deal with the fall-out of folks not heeding the new standards.
FWIW, I've owned a couple of turbocharged engines myself, and after hearing the horror stories of oil belching turbocharger bearings, I always used synthetic oil in my engines. Not surprisingly (to me anyway), both of my cars made it past 100,000 miles with zero hint of any issue with the turbo. Back in the late 1990s when the 1.8T made its debut, I told everybody I knew who had one to make sure to use synthetic oil. Those who did never had a sludge or turbo problem. Those that didn't... Well, you can guess the rest.
Don't believe me? Ask around here; there are a number of folks who post from time-to-time who have your same engine in their VWs and Audis. They'll tell you that the 1.8T is a very good, very strong engine that will easily last the life of the car, IF properly maintained (i.e. VW 502.00 or 503.01 spec oil and no oil change intervals of more than 5,000 miles).
Best Regards,
Shipo
Good luck and keep us posted. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Being a current owner of two 1.8Ts (2003 Wolfsburg Jetta @ 107,000 miles and 2003 Passat GLS 1.8T @76,000 miles), I definitely concur... These engines will last a long time with proper maintenance...
Welcome to the era of personal responsibility (or lack thereof) - buy things on emotion without doing the proper research or homework (especially on a big-ticket item like an automobile), don't take care of said item properly, then find someone to blame (sue) when something goes wrong - the Great American Pasttime (nowadays)
Sorry to hear of your troubles with your Passat. Too bad you hadn't found this website before you made the purchase. I guess now you know why the guy sold the car. Being desperate is the worst condition to be in when car-shopping.
Personally, I would never buy a used turbocharged vehicle, period. Too many issues can come to haunt without full knowledge of the previous care and feeding of the engine.
Oh, and Shipo, the 2003 manual (see below) doesn't specifically say you need to use synthetic, but if you read between the lines and the specs they want, you'll realize it soon enough. When I bought my car, the recommended 5w-40 was only available in a synthetic formulation, to my knowledge. The manual, IMHO, could have been clearer.
Here is a link to Motul's outline of what the VW specs really mean:
Motul VW Spec Sheet.
One thing I find interesting is that your manual doesn't seem to allow for 502.00 oil. That seems to be contrary to what the bulletins that VW and Audi have published over the last couple of years have indicated. Hmmm. That said, I wouldn't use anything less than a 503.01 anyway so it won't be an issue for me if I end up with an A3 2.0T (I drove two yesterday and geez, what a fun car).
Regarding the Motul link, that was pretty informative too. That said, I'm stunned to see that they're recommending an OCI of 18,600 miles when using a 503.01 oil. I'm thinking that only a fool would go more than the recommended OCI on these cars regardless of whether you're running Motul, Mobil 1, German Castrol, or any other approved oil. :confuse:
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
And here is the Time/Mileage Chart from my manual (basically 5,000 miles or 12 months unless driven under severe conditions):
So, let me get this straight, the owners manual that came with your 2003 Passat specifically recommends 503.01 oil for your gasser Passat. Sometime after purchase, VW then sends you a suppliment that calls for 502.00 oil. Hmmm, odd.
BTW, thanks for the pages.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I just read in another forum that there could be a potential issue with the V6 engines on the newer B6 Passats.
Has anyone here ever experienced an Oil Pump Bolt failure in their V6 Passats?
Thanks!
The older Jettas had a ton of issues in the US, but hardly any in Europe. The design is the same, but the parts and final assemblies were different - with obviously different results.
The VW Bugs are so badly designed (electrical), even the Puebla plant couldn't possible make it any more unreliable like they did with the older Jettas.
I don't know about the quality of the Hungrarians, but from personal experience, the Mexican and Brazillian plants don't know the meaning of the word "Quality." The only VW cars I will ever buy have to have the major components from Germany or Japan - because VW has poor quality controls on their outsourcing / off-shoring operations.
That said, this is the Passat, and VW will be shooting themselves in the foot if they allowed an inferior built engine into their flagship product.