Rough idle and then some

[alecseborp]

My girlfriends 2000 Beetle has a strange idle. It feels like it is sputtering, it also shakes the car. This morning her car would not start (thanks to sub zero temperatures) I got it started and running. I was going to take it for a good drive to let everything warm up but after my first light it wouldnt want to accelerate. It took about 5 seconds to actually accell. It got a little better after some more driving but it isnt the same. What are these problems and how can I fix them? There is only 42K on the car.

[LadybugEwa]

The only thing I can think of would be condensation.
Does this only happen when it's cold?

[alecseborp]

no, it happens all the time. i was thinking of just getting new plugs and running some fuel injector cleaner in it.

[speedie]

Could be many things:

Bad fuel filter (should be replaced at 40k mile service)
Dirty injectors
Bad plugs and/or wires (make sure you get wire boot puller tool)
Bad coil pack (on firewall plug wires connect to it)
A sensor going out (MAF O2)

[noR]

Have you done the 40K maintenance? [plugs in particular]

[alecseborp]

i only heard of 30K intervals for maintenance. but that is at ford. i was going to put new plugs in and fuel injector cleaner but she just had the car in for service and wound up with a 500 bill. she hit a chunk of asphault and it broke open her oil pan. i could have done it for her but it would have taken longer.

[noR]

Okay, then it sounds like it's time to catch up on the maintenance.

40K on a 2.0 is plugs & wires [get the tool or you'll work too hard on the couple in the back]. brake fluid flush. check the brakes so you know how close/far you are from out. Change the air filter, and the cabin air filter.

... I think that's about it.

See if the normal maintenance fixes the problem. before throwing other parts at it.

[pcb122]

Originally Posted by speedie

Could be many things:

Bad fuel filter (should be replaced at 40k mile service)
Dirty injectors
Bad plugs and/or wires (make sure you get wire boot puller tool)
Bad coil pack (on firewall plug wires connect to it)
A sensor going out (MAF O2)

Speedie's got it right. It's misfiring - my wife's 2002 does the exact same thing. I replaced plugs and wires and still had same problem. talked to a VW specialist (not the dealer) and he didn't even want me to bring it in - he said he's about 99% sure it's the coil packs. Beetle's are NOTORIOUS for BAD COIL PACKS. I might still take it to them to be sure before i drop the cash on coil packs but then again I might just go ahead and do the changeout.

[lucian]

Had to change the ignition coil on my 99NB at 65K, too.

[noR]

Beetles aren't really that bad on coilpacks.

01-03 had some bad style, lots of bad coilpacks on the 1.8t's ... but I don't think the coilpack on the 2.0 caused alot of problems.

I could be wrong though I suppose; just doesn't seem nearly as widespread as some problems.

[clive luty]

my nb did the same and found it to be the MAF sensor. If you have access to a vag-com diagnostics tool it should tell you what the problem is

[alecseborp]

she just got a CEL today, i am going to take it to autozone and see what it is then go from there. probably get the haynes manual for it also. how expensive do you think the parts should be? coil pack, plugs and wires, MAF

[alecseborp]

so here are the codes i got...
P0172 (bank 1 too rich)
P1255 ( pedal correlation low?????)
P0300 (multiple misfire)
P0440 (EVAP malfunction)
P0304 (misfire in #4)
P0134 (insufficient activity from O2 #1 in bank 1)
P0139 (slow response from O2 #2 in bank 1)

how could all of these things go wrong? i am going to replace the plugs, wires, fuel filter, pcv. i dont know what else to do, anybody know?

[GTRAFF]

Address the misfires first. Most of the other codes can just be a result of the misfires. I don't know if you have coil packs or not on your model year beetle. My 98 dooes not. Probably wires or plugs if you do not have coil packs.

[speedie]

I don't think pcv is the problem. O2 is definitely a problem...I can't remember if bank 1 is post cat or not. You could be getting a misfire from a bad plugs, wires, or a pack (multiple misfire because pack is not giving juice to the wires). Or it could be misfire from inappropriate fuel-air mixture due to bum O2 sensor (insufficent activity/slow response). The too rich is prolly from the misfire.

[alecseborp]

the CEL just disappeared!! but i am still going to make her get new plugs, wires, and O2 sensor. i dont know how it just stopped, hopefully it will get rid of the sputtering idle.

[speedie]

Don't trust it...sometimes a component going bad will cause an intermittent CEL. Then, one day it goes out and you get a persistent CEL. Seek to get the problems fixed and you and your car will be happy.