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Volkswagen Jetta Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • haases1haases1 Member Posts: 2
    my 99 jetta 2.o is doing exact same thing. did you ever resolve your issue, any help would be appreciated thank you
  • revmarketrevmarket Member Posts: 48
    Please have the ignition coil checked.
  • kbrewer1kbrewer1 Member Posts: 3
    I resently changed my alternator and notice it still wasnt charging the battery ..so with reasearch i found i need to change the 150 amp fuse in battery box..ive done tht but still can sovle the problem with the wire getting really hot. Ive cleaned the connection and made sure it was tight and it still getting scolding hot. Is it a fact the my bettery power may b to.low and the alternator is trying to hard to charge it? Or is it tht i got a bigger alternator 120 amp rather than the 90 amp alternator and its over charging? Please help
  • kbrewer1kbrewer1 Member Posts: 3
  • kbrewer1kbrewer1 Member Posts: 3
    Main wire linked to alternator to fuse box above battery is getting real hot, any sugestions?
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    edited August 2013
    I am formally trained in electronics and have worked in the industry for over 30 years. I can often diagnose most electrical issues with just a ohmmeter.

    I hope it goes without saying that a wire that gets hot means TOO MUCH CURRENT. However, there are many reasons why this condition may exist.

    The master fusebox above the battery is KNOWN to burn up if the connections get corroded. It is a good idea to slightly loosen and then snug up every nut. (Do this several times for each nut to wipe-clean to fresh metal-to-metal contact)

    The battery "+" should be directly connected to the alternator output (thru a fuse.)

    Your suggestion of the battery somehow having an internal short thus drawing too much current *may* be valid. However, you are not complaining about the battery going dead so we have to assume there is no short in the electrical system.

    My best-guess from your description is that the *sense* for the alternator output is not being measured correctly by the computer hence, the computer is mistakingly telling the alternator to push out WAYYY too much current. (I am assuming you have newer VW with regulator within the computer.)

    Older VWs have the regulator bolted to the alternator and are MUCH less expensive than replacing the computer.

    Have you used a DVM (Digital VoltMeter) to diagnose? If the output of the alternator is more than 15 volts while engine is running... THIS IS TOO HIGH for a VW. (VW electrical systems are usually around 14.7v)

    Here is a link which talks about VW voltage-regulator
    http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/multi/alternator-troubleshooting-voltage-regu- lator-repair.htm
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    naturally i agree with peebs re voltages & voltage regulator & probably no short in electrical system. here are some additional/hopefully-complementary ideas:

    it's probably not a short inside the battery, which would be dangerous and can result in an explosion/toxic-chemical-release. (it would make the battery hot - wires would not get so hot - and there wouldn't be much power (if any) available from the battery for accessories/starter.

    also i think the reported symptom may be nominal&expected if one is putting an mostly-not-charged battery into a car, with just barely enough power to start it, or also along with jump-starting or roll-starting. a possible way to test that idea is to charge the battery with a trickle-charger overnight. then put it in the car and see if the scalding-wire/too-much-current still occurs.
  • hooker999hooker999 Member Posts: 1
    when i put my car in park it idles up and down between 10 and 20 amps i been told its a aip in take leak we check that could it be a idle air control or throttle position sensor for a 2007
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    You did not ask any questions so I assume you are looking for validation of your statement.

    I can confirm that a 'hunting' idle could indeed be any of the items you mention. (and more)

    Have you tried unplugging the electrical connector from the MAF sensor (Mass AirFlow) and then start the engine? This WILL cause the CEL (Check Engine Lite) to come on but can help isolate your issue especially if the idle is now stable.
  • thatguystreetsthatguystreets Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 Jetta GLI that I bought about 4 months ago. I recently had to change the breather tube that was busted pretty bad. Before I changed it I noticed the loss of power and it started shutting off on me. After I changed the tube my Jetta ran a little better but it still wasn't running right. When I stepped on the gas pedal it would kind of jerk, lose power, but it would still pick up speed. The turbo did spool up but it won't blow off. I drove it to work this morning (a 2 hour drive) and I used a full tank of gas. I lost almost all power going up hills, it took a while to pick up speed, the turbo was spooling but wouldn't blow off, it shut off on my once. A couple of times it lost all power but didn't shut off. I had to turn the car off and restart it to get some power going. Any suggestions, advice, anything can help.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    It sounds as if you need to use diagnostic-software
    VagCom http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/
  • ndmike88ndmike88 Member Posts: 155
    Had the 40k service performed at the dealer today. $586.92 including tax using a 10% off coupon that VW mailed me.
  • floridabrn2009floridabrn2009 Member Posts: 1
    This has been driving me crazy for a while now. I've searched all over the web with no luck. My air filter box has 2 big hoses coming off of it. The primary hose goes up to the throttle body as you would expect, but the second one, slightly smaller, goes down to the bottom side of the engine to a small tube that goes into the engine. I've been wanting to take off the old intake tube and box and put a new one on with a cone filter, but I didn't want to do this without knowing what the function of the second hose was, or what it goes to. Does anyone know what this is?
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    It has been awhile since I was under the hood of a '98 2.0L...but here are some thoughts...

    I cannot believe this second hose is connected into the engine-block itself....as you surmise, there would be no reason for this.

    I am thinking the second hose you describe is likely a warm-air intake. Does this second hose connect near the firewall around the exhaust? Some cars use this to draw in warm air in cold weather.

    It is also possible this second hose is the PCV breather. (Positive Crankcase Ventilation)...does it connect into the valvecover?

    Finally, are you certain that this second hose is not the INTAKE hose which connects towards the front of the vehicle to draw in cold-air from infront of the radiator? Nearly every fuel-injected car on the road has a cold-air-intake right from the factory. (Waste of $$ to install a CAI kit!!)
  • mccloud2mccloud2 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1995 jetta my radiator cooling fan will not stop running.In allthe manuals i have read it only discribeshow to test the sensors and switchs if the fan wont run not if it wont stop
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    You did not ask any questions but I will assume you are curious why your radiator fan will not stop running... lets discuss...

    Also, you did not mention if a fan is running when the ignition is turned off... this would help to diagnose the situation.

    You should have two fans.
    1)One of them should run all the time when the AC is engaged. (which includes defrost mode!!)
    2)The other fan should only run when the temperature of the antifreeze gets high enough to turn it on.

    You need to figure out WHICH of the fans is running.... then we can have a further discussion about the possible routes to correct the situation.

    In the meantime, you can test the thermal-switch to see if it is shorted. A shorted thermal-switch is the ONLY way the second fan would run all the time.
  • mccloud2mccloud2 Member Posts: 2
    I have both fan connected by a belt so they both run at same time.they stay on wetherthe ignition is turned off or on. The only way i was able to stop them was to diconnect the battery orunplug cooling fan. Allso whhen this started it was the middle of the night and car hadn't been driven for at least aday. I also tryed unpluging both switchsthat i know are therethatturn the fan on.that didnt stop them either.im kind of stumped i thought if i unpluged switches they should shut off?
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    The two electric fans are connected via belt????? I have been involved with VW since the 1970's and have never seen this kind of set-up.

    In any case, have you tried pulling the fan-relay out.... that should stop the fan from running.

    The VWs I have worked on have no belt between the fans and each fan has its own relay.
  • angry_elfangry_elf Member Posts: 2
    bpeebles said:

    (skerew) ABSOLUTELY!! All the symptoms you describe point to the alternator (or regulator) being faulty. You do not mention the YEAR or MILAGE on your vehicle but alternators are a common failure item on ALL vehicles. The brushes or bearings will eventually fail.

    One way to VERIFY is to use a DVM (Digital Volt Meter) plugged into the 12V accessory outlet. The voltage under virtually ALL operating conditions should be around 13.8 Volts. (Anything less, and either the alternator or the regulator are faulty.) I would not hesatate to connect up my Fluke DVM and do some driving with all lights on to verify operation of the alternator. (I would not "GUESS" that it is the alternator because they are quite expensive.)

    There are other possibilties that may cause the symptoms you describe besides the alternator.

    There are several 'choices' when considering replacing an alternator. (New, remanufactured and rebuilt.) New ones are VERY expensive... trailing down to the cheeper rebuilt which may not last very long.

    BEWARE: There is a reason why alternators from Autozone-type stores have lifetime free replacement.... they fail quite often and NEED to be replaced. I have first-hand experience with these things and my labor is more valuable to me than that. After replacing an $80 rebuilt alternator several times (sure it was free replacement)... I ended up spending $250 for a NEW one that never failed again. As I said... my labor is worth too much for me to REPEAT the job over and over.

  • angry_elfangry_elf Member Posts: 2
    I just bought a used 03 Jetta for my daughter & we had similar electrical problems. My experience has been that is was related to a bad alternator as you 'bpeebles' indicate. My battery voltage was down to 10v but before I went down the path to replace the alternator, I had the battery tested & it had a bad cell, & I replaced it.
    The voltage was back where it should be & we were back on the road. I had an autozone tech check the alternator & tests indicated it was working fine. (I know, consider the source), but his explanation made sense.
    After saying all that, it happened again, but I haven't had a chance to troubleshoot it yet. I haven't charged the battery yet & the car won't start.
    Thoughts?
    Can the alternator be intermittently faulty?
    I didn't know there is a voltage regulator involved.
    I agree I need to get a list of ills from the dealer before deciding but I need to get it running 1st.
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    yes the voltage-regulator and/or alternator can be intermittent. more likely the former. often the voltage-regulator is integrated with the alternator - not sure if that is the case with your car.

    it's also possible there is nothing wrong: if the car is mostly parked and is used only for short/few-mile trips it is expected that the battery would become discharged. to ensure a full-charge, use a trickle-charger overnight. Or, after starting it via jumper cables, drive at highway speeds for an hour or three.
  • Joytammy728Joytammy728 Member Posts: 1
    My son just got a 2000 VW Jetta. Before we change the oil and other stuff that needs to be done, I want to find out what kind of oil, how much oil, and some specs on it. Can anyone help me please
  • thecardoc3thecardoc3 Member Posts: 5,747
    edited March 2020
    @Joytammy728
    What size engine is in it? Is it gas or diesel?
  • OlalekanOlalekan Member Posts: 1
    Hi there,

    The signal lights, blinkers, brake lights and parking lights of my 2011 Jetta is not working. The bulbs, fuse, fuse board and even the CENTRAL ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT had been checked but they are all good.

    Please can anyone help with a solution to this.

    Regards.
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