27
votes
Broken Coil Spring - How urgent is the repair?
That spring can rotate and rip out the tire - catastrophic loss when entering a bend could mean driver, occupants, other drivers, and/or bystanders could be singing with the angels...
Ground the car ...
- 34.6k
16
votes
Broken Coil Spring - How urgent is the repair?
My biggest concern with issues like this is causing additional damage since the spring is no longer being supported the way it was designed to be.
Also, the rear suspension is (obviously) compromised,...
- 12.1k
13
votes
Broken Coil Spring - How urgent is the repair?
The basic issue from a mechanical point of view is that the spring (not the shock!) is what supports the weight of that corner of the car. Clearly, with a piece missing, it is not doing that as it was ...
- 2,944
11
votes
Accepted
How can I flat tow a 2003 manual Jetta 5 speed?
No you cannot safely tow the Jetta as you'll exceed the towing capacity of your Outback. The Outback can tow (depending on the options) between 2,700-3000lbs. The weight of the Jetta by itself is ...
- 157k
7
votes
VW Jetta 2003 GLI 6 Speed manual stuck in gear.
I'm betting that the cable responsible for front-back shifting has either come loose at a mounting point (transmission or shift lever) or has broken completely.
You may be able to have someone ...
- 12.4k
7
votes
why does the VW dealers in NA have a different battery than OEM?
When I worked for BMW NA, I was the 'Merican engineer responsible for batteries, start, and charging systems on BMW vehicles stateside from about 1990-95.
There was some bean-counter thing that also ...
- 12.4k
7
votes
Broken Coil Spring - How urgent is the repair?
The last three quarters of a turn of the spring is flat, and coiled to a smaller diameter than the body of the spring, so that it can sit snugly around the locating nub welded onto the frame, with the ...
- 1,087
6
votes
Accepted
Damp leaking cabin, tips to trace leak and advice to dry it out
There are several places water can get into the cabin of a car, some of the more typical are:
Through tired door and window seals.
Through drain holes in the floor.
Condensation from your breath and/...
- 28.7k
5
votes
Reverse is now 1st gear on manual transmission
A little research leads me to believe (aka I could be wrong) that reverse gear in this car requires you to depress the shift knob and move it far left-forward. It also seems that some, but not all '02 ...
- 6,007
5
votes
why does the VW dealers in NA have a different battery than OEM?
I think the focus of this question is an understanding of Volkswagen part numbers.
The Volkswagen part numbering scheme is fairly straight forward to understand once you know more about it. ...
- 23.4k
5
votes
Damp leaking cabin, tips to trace leak and advice to dry it out
Nick C pointed some good things to look but forgave one important thing in my opinion.
First let me ask you a question : Do you have many trees near your house/where you park your car or near the ...
- 390
5
votes
Accepted
Error Stabilization Control (ESC)/ ABS warning shown on my car dashboard
Many modern cars have advanced traction control systems which aim to prevent a loss of control, most of these operate by adding computer control to each individual brake, with a central computer using ...
- 16.9k
5
votes
Accepted
Key won't turn unless I physically move my car (2001 Jetta)
It sounds like the steering lock is causing this.
Have you tried turning the steering wheel either way a little while turning the key?
By moving the car you are likely making the steering turn a ...
- 25.2k
5
votes
Accepted
manual trans really hard to get into gear
If it won't go into any gear with the engine off, then I'd say it's almost certainly something in the linkage - problems with the clutch or synchros would go away with the engine not running.
I did ...
- 28.7k
4
votes
Accepted
2006 VW Jetta TDI EGR cleanup
Get a bunch of carburetor cleaner and some oil picks
Really, it's not a big job but it's a little nasty.
Having some metal mixing bowls to put the EGR into when you spray it down will help to ...
- 32.9k
4
votes
Accepted
Are mutliple oil and filter changes necessary to 'clean' an engine?
The number of times the oil and filter are changed in the process of cleaning out an engine is not a fixed number. We keep changing it until it stays clean. Two changes is a common average. The change ...
- 11.6k
4
votes
Thermostat behavior and failure modes
Are there failure modes besides "stuck open" and "stuck closed?"
Absolutely. This has been the bane of many an E39 M5 owner.
If the coolant is able to navigate through an alternative flow path ...
- 39.1k
4
votes
Remove/Replace engine wiring harness on '02 VW Jetta TDI
I'm biased based on my experience, but perhaps it might be helpful. I spent time in the Army troubleshooting (and teaching mechanics to troubleshoot) vehicle electrical systems. After that job I ...
- 6,539
4
votes
Accepted
How warm should a relay get?
I agree with everything you have to say here. The relay is going to create some amount of heat. How much heat is really unknown. I believe relays will cut out if they get too warm, but I'm unsure of ...
- 157k
4
votes
Just bought a 2001 Jetta, the radio wiring is super screwed up... no clue what to do
Had to do this for customers before : start by removing all the non-original stuff.
Then with the key off use a meter and find the permanent live, next key to aux and find switched live, the ground ...
- 34.6k
3
votes
Oil evaporates/burns-off (becomes thicker), should top-up be thinner?
Suggest you ask the person who wrote the article. While oil is a liquid and all liquids have an evaporation point, engine oils are designed such that the evaporation point is higher than any temps ...
- 781
3
votes
Accepted
VW Mk4 TDI (ALH) – Suggestions for Removing Stuck Water Pump
So what ended up working for me was to cut a piece of 1x2 lumber (I couldn't fit a bigger piece from above) about 24" long and I braced it against the pump drive cog and pounded on it with a five ...
- 14.5k
3
votes
Identifying fastener on 2013 VW Jetta TDI brake rotor
You use this fancy tool.
You push and turn the 'screw' at the same time to release the disc.
It's in German Brake loaner tool kits from most of the big automotive parts chains.
The tools kits for ...
- 32.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Jetta mk2 petrol, reasons for loss of power other than fueling & ignition
I eventually bought the car. After a bit of searching it turned out the issue was caused by wrong choke plate setting - the bimetallic spring tension was to low and sometimes the choke was kept open ...
- 81
3
votes
Jetta mk2 petrol, reasons for loss of power other than fueling & ignition
Having much experience with this engine, I'd say that the likely cause of the problem is the rubber foot / gasket upon which the carburetor is sitting. These split and begin to pull in air which can ...
- 23.4k
3
votes
Can you replace only the rubber in 2008 Jetta (Mk5) wipers?
You change the whole wiper
Nobody makes just the rubber and sells it. They fit it to various wiper frame components that fit different models and sell the to the owners of the vehicle the wiper ...
- 32.9k
3
votes
VW Jetta parking brake loose after rear brakes replaced. Is it related?
They are lying to you.
The cables attach to the same calipers they worked on.
This leads me to believe they either forgot to reconnect them or failed to adjust it properly.
I would suggest you ...
- 9,015
3
votes
Jetta Mk4 TDI 1.9 - Hard to start when cold
There are a few things that could be going on:
If the battery is cold, it could be unable to get the engine up to speed. On the ALH engine, and maybe the BEW there is a minimum speed before the ECM ...
- 14.5k
3
votes
my engine over heated
I am fairly confident the plastic cover you are talking about is the oil deflector that sits above the camshaft under the valve cover (not sure if you have the 1.8l or 2.0l engine, but I believe they ...
- 9,015
3
votes
Accepted
Resonant humming noise at 118km/h
Turns out it was caused by one of the tires. All of them were pretty old but one was damaged a bit. I got new tires and the car now runs smooth and quiet. Thanks for all the help
- 171
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