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Question about VW Golf MK4

  • 23-02-2014 01:53AM
    #1
    buzzkill88
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15 ✭


    Hello everyone,

    I recently bought a 2001 VW Golf Mk4 1.4L Petrol (16V), and I've had some problems I need help with, so I hope everyone can bear with me as I give you the details.

    First day I got it, it drove very smoothly from Dublin back to Cork, though the Engine oil light was on. Next day, I took it for a full service at an independent garage in Cork. The service included an oil change (generic 10w40), oil filter, spark plugs, cabin and intake filter. I also had a new thermostat and engine coolant sensor switch put in.

    For the first few days after the service, the car seemed to run well. I should say at this point that I cover very little mileage daily (<10 miles), mostly within Cork City.

    However, during the massive storm and consecutive days of rain a few weeks ago, the car suddenly experienced loss of power while driving on the motorway. Not sure if this is concidence or a result of the rain. Acceleration was extremely sluggish, and I couldn't accelerate to go above about 40-50mph even when I floored it.

    The next day, the problem went away on its own. A few days later, the Check engine light came on, and the mechanic diagnosed it in his own words, as a "sporadic fault from catalytic convertor sensor". I assume this means the O2 sensor. The previous owner had a brand new cat converter put in just before he sold the car to me. Anyway no work was carried out and the mechanic turned off the light.

    A few days later, the engine light is now on again (came on during motorway driving at 65mph). I am waiting for an OBDII scanner to arrive in the mail to diagnose the problem myself.

    Not sure if this is related, but I have noticed that the engine sounds quite rough idling (almost like an old diesel engine) when it is COLD in the morning. I have also noticed that the whole engine also vibrates at idle. Google tells me that the clattering could be due to hydraulic tappets, which may be solved by using Wynn's Hydraulic tappet cleaner.

    I really want to get to the root of these problems, so I'm just throwing some thoughts out there :

    Could the 10w40 oil be causing problems for the engine?
    What about incorrect installation of the spark plugs?
    Could it have something to do with water getting into parts during the rain?
    Are hydraulic tappets causing the clattering noise, and if so why was there no noise before I got the full service?
    Are the engine mounts worn and causing the slight vibration of engine at idle?

    I hope all you mechanically minded people out there can give some insight into this, I would really appreciate all the input I can get, thanks!:):)


Comments

  • #2
    lomb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,016 ✭✭✭lomb


    Sounds like limp mode to me. Could be a coilpack possibly. These engines should on be run on the best 5w 30 or 5w 40 although the 10w wont be causing your problems.
    You need a VAG com scanner and laptop. I got mine on ebay for 20 quid or so a few years ago and its been money well spent. Its probably a knock off of a ross tech scanner as it has their software.


  • #3
    buzzkill88
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15 ✭buzzkill88


    Thanks lomb. When I was driving on the motorway, the car went into "limp mode" for seemingly no reason, and the Check engine light did not come on either. The next day everything was fine. If it was a coilpack issue, wouldn't the limp mode persist?

    As for the scanner, I bought an ELM 327 bluetooth scanner like this http://dx.com/en/p/elm327-bluetooth-odb2-v1-5-car-diagnostic-interface-126921. What do you think? Is this any different from the VAGcom scanner you mentioned?


  • #4
    Thornton
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1 ✭Thornton


    Hi buzz,
    If the engine idle is rough the car may have run on 3 cylinders as mentioned all ready, if your car is on pencil coils then locate the misfire by opening the retainer and lift the pencil coil one by one, listen to the engine tone and as it changes that coil is ok, on to the next coil same thing until you find the one that does not make a change when removed off the spark plug.
    If the car has a coil pack ie a cluster type then one by one remove the lead to that spark plug same as pencil coils listen to engine tone and replace as needed. Oil spec should be followed as per manufactures spec.
    Check that the engine breather is clear and generally the cars are very good.


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