New Bug Old Tech

[yetterben]

New to the 2.0 not new to the wrench lol. So i picked up a 98 2.0 5 speed. HAd a cel light on came back 1&4 misfire and the general misfire. Car runs good over 1500 has a slight mis at idle not bad just a blurb every 10 seconds or so. if i jab the peddle it will misfire a little and stutter. Will stutter over 1/4 throttle till above 1,500 then its just fine. does not seem down on power either.

Kinda figured it need a new coil pack as the codes where linked on 1 and 4 for wasted spark setup. Was wondering if that is the case. I have plugs and wires on the way also.


Whats the skinny on plugs and wires intake must come off? Special tools?

[IndyTom]

Did you have it scanned for codes? Might shed a bit more light on the misfires.

Those coils do go bad and a set of new plugs is never a bad idea. Make sure they are gapped correctly. It amazes me how many people just assume that the gap is automatically set for their engine. Gap should not be more than .032
That's on my 1.8 but I think it is pretty similar on the 2.0
I don't think you have to take the intake off to get to the plugs. It's a bit tougher to get to than on the 1.8 Turbo motor but it's not impossible. Perhaps a swivel head and socket extension but that is about it.

Good Luck and Keep us posted!

This link might help!

How to : spark plug change on 2001 nb 2.0

As the link shows, check the vacuum lines if you still have those original cloth covered braded lines they $uck and do break easily from age and heat. Replace with more durable silicone tubing or heavy duty rubber tubing. Also don't use E3 Spark Plugs. They are terrible for our Beetles. Just FYI


Oh, Welcome to the ORG

Newbie Welcome Kit!

[yetterben]

Thanks for the info. the codes i got were for misfire cyl 1 misfire cyl 4 and general misfire they where all 300 codes

[yetterben]

E3 meaning brand or 3 electrode plugs?

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by yetterben

E3 meaning brand or 3 electrode plugs?

You can take your pick But I did mean the Brand E3. Now they may work okay in a 2.0 but I know of people that have used them in a 1.8 and they litterally broke or melted in some and caused some damage to the engine. I just don't care for the E3 typ brand. I know that Bosch has some 3 prong Electrode plugs but I was never a big fan of them either.
I prefer NGK Iridium or Double Platinum plugs. I heard good things of the Autolite plugs as well.

[yetterben]

I normally use just a single electrode copper ngk. I was gonna grab the 3 prong ngk from ecs while i was grabbing a coil. multiprong in a turbo car is always bad

[yetterben]

Also what vag-com/software to use

[geniushanbiao]

I wouldn't choose the multi-electrode plugs since they suck. Also don't choose platinum ones they suck too. Choose either copper ones or iridium ones. Copper ones have around 50k miles life while iridium ones can easily go beyond 100k.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by yetterben

Also what vag-com/software to use

This is the unit you want. It will diagnose any VW/Audi/Skoda/SEAT etc car out there.

Ross-Tech Store: VCDS License with HEX-USB+CAN Interface

[geniushanbiao]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

This is the unit you want. It will diagnose any VW/Audi/Skoda/SEAT etc car out there.

Ross-Tech Store: VCDS License with HEX-USB+CAN Interface

Hey this CAN interface is not compatible with the '98 model. They use K bus.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by geniushanbiao

Hey this CAN interface is not compatible with the '98 model. They use K bus.

Wrongomundo my friend. The Hex/Can/USB unit covers ALL
1996-2012 Model cars. K II as well as the newer model Can Bus.

There is a model that only covers the K Bus and it's 100 dollars cheaper but he might as well purchase the one that can do both just in case he ever buys a 2006 (or whenever the CAN bus was first introduced) or later VW/Audi/ etc type of vehicle.

[geniushanbiao]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

Wrongomundo my friend. The Hex/Can/USB unit covers ALL
1996-2012 Model cars. K II as well as the newer model Can Bus.

There is a model that only covers the K Bus and it's 100 dollars cheaper but he might as well purchase the one that can do both just in case he ever buys a 2006 (or whenever the CAN bus was first introduced) or later VW/Audi/ etc type of vehicle.

Really? I was told that CAN bus cable doesn't work properly on K bus cars so I bought 2...Seems I wasted my money
But it's fine I bought them on ebay just less than $20..
I'm not quite sure about my memory but I remember I bought the CAN bus cable first and then I tried it on my '99 beetle and it didn't work so I bought the K bus cable. Perhaps this CAN cable is not the same as the one sold on Ross-tech...

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by geniushanbiao

Really? I was told that CAN bus cable doesn't work properly on K bus cars so I bought 2...Seems I wasted my money
But it's fine I bought them on ebay just less than $20..
I'm not quite sure about my memory but I remember I bought the CAN bus cable first and then I tried it on my '99 beetle and it didn't work so I bought the K bus cable. Perhaps this CAN cable is not the same as the one sold on Ross-tech...

Definitely Not the same cable. Those cheap E-Bay cables don't work. I bought two of them from different vendors and neiter one of them worked. Even if you get them to work you can not use them with the "Full" VCDS software only the VCDS Lite which won't let you do a lot of things the full software lets you do.

VCDS License
with HEX-USB+CAN Interface

Works with all diagnostic-capable VW/Audi cars in model years 1990 through the current model year, even the latest models which require a direct CAN connection for diagnostics.

That's directly from the Ross-Tech website:
Ross-Tech Store: VCDS License with HEX-USB+CAN Interface

You get what you pay for.

[geniushanbiao]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

Definitely Not the same cable. Those cheap E-Bay cables don't work. I bought two of them from different vendors and neiter one of them worked. Even if you get them to work you can not use them with the "Full" VCDS software only the VCDS Lite which won't let you do a lot of things the full software lets you do.

VCDS License
with HEX-USB+CAN Interface

Works with all diagnostic-capable VW/Audi cars in model years 1990 through the current model year, even the latest models which require a direct CAN connection for diagnostics.

That's directly from the Ross-Tech website:
Ross-Tech Store: VCDS License with HEX-USB+CAN Interface

You get what you pay for.

You're right but I think it's a very good cheap alternative since the genuine VCDS plus cable cost $350 but mine only cost $110. I can use it to retrive codes, erase codes, do TBA, do READY test, and transmission codes, abs codes and that's all I want. I don't think it's worth spending the other 240 bucks for the genuine product for a home mechanic like me.

[IndyTom]

Which cable did you get that works with VCDS lite? I have bought a couple of cables and never got them to work with my laptops.

[geniushanbiao]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

Which cable did you get that works with VCDS lite? I have bought a couple of cables and never got them to work with my laptops.

I can't find the transaction record since it's too old. Here's a link USB VAG-COM OBD 2 II KKL 409.1 Interface Cable for Audi | eBay I think it's the same as which I bought. KKL 409.1

[IndyTom]

I tried these cables and they just don't work. Especially not with Windows 7 or Vista. They told me to install XP but I am not willing to do that just to "Maybe" get this cheap cable to work.

[geniushanbiao]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

I tried these cables and they just don't work. Especially not with Windows 7 or Vista. They told me to install XP but I am not willing to do that just to "Maybe" get this cheap cable to work.

I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit. No problem at all and I tried both on my Thinkpad X200 and my wife's Thinkpad T400.

[IndyTom]

What drivers did you use?

[geniushanbiao]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

What drivers did you use?

No drivers needed. It recognizes the USB-RS232 port by using windows update. I opened device manager and saw the 2 RS232 ports they are COM3 and COM4. Then in the configuration of VCDS-Lite I select COM3 then test. Make sure that when you hit test the cable has to be connected to the OBD2 port on your car and key is turned to ON.