Golf IV / Jetta IV :: 2003 - Hard Left Pull Under Acceleration
Jun 28, 2014
I have a 2003 Volkswagen Golf 2.0L 5 speed manual. Over the last 10,000 miles a problem started where on the highway in 5th gear, if i try to speed up by putting the pedal down, the steering wheel moves itself to the left and the car steers to the left. The wheel returns to the original position when i let off of the gas. its scary at high speeds and has become so bad that I can feel it accelerating at low speeds too.
The alignment is off and the steering wheel slightly to the right. when I put the gas down and it goes perfectly straight and when i release it goes back to the right. it has 126,000 miles on it. I know it needs tires, shocks and an alignment job but don't think that those factors are causing my problem. Could it be the motor mounts?
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I have to pull up really hard to get the parking brake to hold. If I'm on a hill forget it, I yank up really hard and then leave it in gear just in case. I have installed new cables and pads. I have also have the lever adjusted so it starts to catch when you pull it up about 2-3 inches. I've never driven another mk4 so I don't have any other reference to how well the parking brake should hold but I would think that I wouldn't have to pull up this hard to get it to habe any real holding power.
Any other vehicle I've driven with a hand brake I could easily lock up the rear tires. I'm lucky to get mine to lock while pulling so hard I think I'm going to break something. I've searched around and have only come up with threads about replacing cables and adjusting the lever. I couldn't find anything like the problem I'm having. Is this normal operation for a mk4 or is there something wrong with my calipers that needs to be addressed? My regular brakes work fine and the parking brake arms on the calipers allear to be functioning properly. They contract then spring back on their own
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I have a 1.8T with 152kmiles
Recently, both the coolant reservoir 'Y' connector and the driver side coolant flange cracked and I was shooting G12 all over the engine. I've replaced both of the parts and the coolant temp sensor with a "green top". Reservoir was refilled with the proper ratio of G12 to distilled water, ran for a bit and topped off accordingly.
This morning I started my drive to work and the engine temp was at 0 for a minute or so and started to climb slowly to 190. It stayed at 190 until I took the exit to the highway and the temp slowly started to rise while I was at 60mph. I immediately turned around and went back home with the heat cranked to high. With the heat on, the engine temp would slowly go down but then rise again if I, A. turned the heat off or B. made a hard pull up to ~55+mph.
I popped the hood and the coolant was not boiling and I couldn't see/smell/hear any leak. could this be the thermostat or is this a water pump issue? I plan on taking the thermostat off and checking the pump empellars for any shards. I'm not sure but I do believe the water pump was replaced by my parents while I was on deployment.
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The problem makes the car unsafe to drive. The quickest way to describe it is a hard pull to the left after a very linear steering feel. My perception is almost as something is holding on and then just fails and lets go and the car quite abruptly shoots left in a very unsafe manner. Here are the things I have done to remedy the situation, I replaced the struts with factory replacements 15,000 miles ago. At the same time i replaced the left and right axles, drove the car with the problem then last weekend, I replaced the upper tie rod arms, and lower tie rod ends, the sway bar bushings, and the control arms on both sides. I literally feel as though it is a darn near new front end.
Just yesterday I had 4 new Goodyear eagle tires and an alignment done and the problem became more pronounced and worst. I really like this car and want it to be a joy to drive as I know from others these little hatchbacks are a real joy on winding mountain roads.
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1.8T ... Well, initially, engine light came on with a violent shake from the engine compartment. It was really really bad. I thought the engine mount just broke off or something...
First I looked at the coil packs and the spark plugs. The spark plugs were pretty old (I got the 02 Jetta 1.8T at ~140k miles for 1k, so no surprises). Spark plug on cylinder 2 was real bad, and that was the cylinder with the misfire code. Got a new set of spark plugs first. It worked a lot and the violent shuddering mostly went away.
The engine still idled erratically jumping and dipping at idle, even with the A/C off. So I replaced the coil pack on cylinder 2 after doing the coil pack switch test... After replacing the one coil pack, the engine idles like like it's new.
When I put the car in neutral and rev the engine to the redline, it revs nicely, very smooth. When I drive the car, when I accelerate reasonably slowly with the traffic, the car drives just fine. If I keep the car in lower gears and use light throttle to accelerate, it is smooth even past the rpm range where the turbo would be spooled up.
It is only when I dip into the throttle a bit more (no where near full throttle) to try to pass a car or accelerate just a bit harder, a little past ~2200rpm ish which is when the turbo starts spooling from the sound of it, it starts shuddering badly, and check engine light comes back on. The code shows misfire in cylinder 2.
My guess is there's something off with fuel system. My non-mechanic thought process is that maybe the injector is clogged and when it's light throttle, light acceleration, it injects little fuel and its ok, but when under heavier load / throttle, it tries to inject more fuel, but can't because it's clogged...
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I just recently bought a 2001 Jetta with the 1.8t (AWD) because it had low mileage and a reasonable price. I've never owned a VW before so I know very little about them in general. This is my second vehicle with a turbo, my first was a Saab 93.
When I purchased the car it had the check engine light on and the codes were Vehicle Speed Sensor and Secondary Air Injection Pump. I was able to get it to stop throwing those codes just by cleaning off the components and reconnecting them. The only predominant problem I've been experiencing is that under hard acceleration in 3rd-5th the car will jump and jerk. Its almost like the car isn't getting enough fuel/air but I'm not entirely sure if that's an accurate diagnosis. I've ruled out transmission issues because there are no problems when driving at a slow-normal acceleration. Any insight on where I should begin to fix this issue would be welcomed because I feel as if my motor mounts will break due the force of the jerking.
My last issue has to do with what happened yesterday. My check engine light came back on randomly when I cranked my car. I had no issues the previous day (besides the aforementioned "jerking) so it seemed odd but what really worried me was when I started driving. Whenever I would release the accelerator the car would slow down suddenly as if I applied the brake. The problem continued throughout the day until I got the codes checked and they read Vehicle Speed Sensor (which I've seen has numerous issues from the factory installation) and the Bank 1 O2 sensor. Today I started my car and the check engine light wasn't on.
My car drove like normal (still the hard acceleration jerking but no dramatic deceleration when I release the accelerator). Now to my question, can an O2 sensor cause a problem like this? Maybe the MAF is bad? Not even sure if this vehicle will throw a code for the MAF ...
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2002 AVH Jetta Wagon. When I got the car back in 2012 it had 121K and I changed the wires (ngk blue 57021) and plugs (ngk platinum) and she drove like a dream. A couple of months later I started having issues with wet weather and moisture causing misfires so I did the JB WELD fix and though I'd still get the occasional misfire in hard rains it lasted me pretty much until very recently, when I decided I needed to put in a new coil because the problem was getting worse (hardly starting up after a rain and bucking wildly till things dried out). Yesterday, I replaced the BERU with a new HUCO and the car started up fine and drove fine all day. I think there was a lot of moisture in the air last night and possibly some rain but this morning, SAME PROBLEM with a new coil. Misfiring like crazy, no acceleration.
I thought the NGK wires and plugs I got were rated to last beyond 20,000 miles. At this point should I assume the wires are to blame? Split somewhere or something? It's definitely related to water and the electrical system.
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Last night it was just below freezing and the roads were a little damp so I figured I'd see at what point ESP would kick in on a hard 2nd gear pull. Sure enough power cuts off at around 4000-4500 rpm.
Turn "off" ESP, try another hard 2nd gear pull expecting some nice tire squeal but I get nothing and obviously still no traction from 4500-6000 rpm. Was my clutch slipping? Is ESP capable of knowing when the clutch is slipping (I would think it had nothing to do with it)? Maybe it was just damp enough that the rubber was spinning in one place but it wasn't making any/limited amount of noise?
Car: GTI, Manual, Stage 1, Winter Tires.
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I just had my EGR valve and hose and DPFE sensor replaced and the truck is running better than it has in quite a while except that whenever I turn to the left and pull into a parking space it dies.
I've read that it could be a bad power steering pump. This would make sense because mine is pretty noisy when I make a left or right turn. However, it has never caused the engine to stall before. This didn't begin happening until immediately after the recent maintenance.
Is there something I should be looking for that my be related to the new EGR valve/hose or DPFE sensor?
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I have seen a few thread about this on many VW sites. People with doors that when you unlock doors don't open from outside until you open from inside or you have to give the door a slight push closed and then it will click and open with 1 pull of outside handle. The problem is the door latch/striker whatever you wanna call it that mounts to the car body itself. It needs to be adjusted up or down just a bit. My pass door would not open with first pull then I read somewhere about people pushing door and then pulling on handle for it to open. So I went and played with latch. Moved it up about 3/16" and door works perfect.
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Recently purchased 2003 golf gti 1.8t that had a leak on left side of engine i think it was engine coolant hose flange it Didn't leak much and coolant stayed at 190. I took the car to a mechanic and he replaced the leaking hose but now the car rises past 190 at idle.
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Having issue with a 2003 jetta 1.8t. I bought it used and it seemed to run great. Sometimes going up hills i get white smoke for like a minute (probably in too low of a gear when it happened).
Happens on the highway sometimes too if i punch it to pass somebody (like already going 60, punch it to 80). I've read other posts here to get some ideas (turbo going bad, etc.) It seems to coincide with a lack of power or stumbling in the gear I'm in...
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So, I picked up my new car today, a 2012 obsidian ISF with 53,000. I'm driving it back from Texas to Georgia in the morning but after driving it for the first 100 miles I notice a pull to the left under hard acceleration and to the right when I let off. I've never driven an F before and I'm coming out of an IS350. I haven't had a chance to check tire pressures yet but I notice the right rear tire is a Dunlop and all other 3 are Bridgestones. Could this be the cause?
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My left side, rear door I have to pull the handle two times to open the door.
1st time: opens 1/4 inch
2nd time: fully opens
I checked the problem a bit, saw the same problem on a MKV where they opened the handle and they had to adjust a little thingy ?
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I have a 03 golf 2.0 with 82k on it. I am having a really weird issue with car pulling left under load and then going back to the right when letting off the gas. It's more noticeable at higher speeds....over 40mph or so. I did a quick check under the car at ball joints, cv joints and can't really see anything that would make this issue. Would a trans mount or motor mount cause this? Is there something I am missing?
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My 03 Gli 24v manual transmission has been acting up lately. First it started to get a little difficult to shift into gears about a week ago. Then tonight i was driving through a parking lot in 2nd, and after i came to a stop i tried to put it back in to first and it would not go into gear. As i was trying to get it into 1st i could tell it was grabbing a little bit and the car was inching forward.
I got it to a parking spot and starting reading about other peoples issues, one i read said they were able to get it to move after pumping the clutch some. After trying that i was able to get it into gear and drive it to my parents. Looked at my brake fluid and its full. Took it for a test drive around the neighborhood and it was shifting fine at first then started getting a little difficult to shift again. I tried taking off in 6th and it stalled. I tried going from 1st around 3k-4k rmps to 6th and it was still driving with very little lugging. My clutch feels and is still stiff, not loose at all. I do have to go all the way to the floor with the clutch before im able to shift
Finally to my questions. Could my clutch be going bad? Could my cables need adjusting? Something I read about a pressure plate maybe?
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I'm looking at purchasing a 2003 F-350 from a Ford Dealer, Drove the Vehicle last night and the Gear shiftier was very tight and hard to pull down. Is this a real concern? The Sales guys said its better to be stiff rather than sloppy. But they will say anything, right. The vehicle is a deal and so I'm looking to find out why.
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My 2003 Jetta GLS 1.8T just started doing this... I am not hearing the normal Turbo whistling noise when I give it a lot of gas, however I now hear a squealing noise. Sounds similar to a loose belt kinda whining/squealing. I do not hear this at any other time, only when accelerating quickly.
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I can't figure if it's a TB issue as I've just had it replaced or a mount problem. I only get the knock on biting point idle and pull away under load. This noise is driving me insane.
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Every time I hit a hill, loaded or empty, or get on the truck on level ground after about 15 seconds it acts like it's running out of fuel. The pump starts getting noisy like it has air in it, but it'll straighten out eventually. If you don't let off the fuel it'll eventually stall out. No check engine light, no codes. Truck has a ts chip but it does it on all settings. New fuel filter, changed oil with hot shots secret, new air filter, hutch mod done. I'm at a loss for what to do. Good fuel pressure also.
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I've been having some issues with the way my car is running today. Drove to the store, and he was fine. On the way home, he hit 4rpm and then dropped extremely fast. Then I stopped at a red light.. I went to go, hit maybe 2.5 rpm and it made this high pitched squeak and shifted really hard. I made it home fine after that, and no lights are coming on. I just changed my spark plugs not even a month ago.
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