Ok well some of you know i had major issues with the car, kept shutting off randomly. Ended up replacing:
Distributer
Rotor
Cap
Plugs
Wires
Coolant Temp Sensors
Engine RPM Speed Sensor
Waterpump
Timing Belt/Tensioner
Thermostat
Fuel Pump Relay
Fuel Filter
(basically tossed parts at it, cause it was a mystery…)
Car DOES run, and runs good! However heres the issue now:
When i get to about 4.5krpms the engine noise changes (kinda like VR…haha) but then it only revs to 5.5krpms and sounds like its hitting the rev limiter but VERY harsh. Car stops accelerating while its doing that. Ive even held it to see if it will creep to 6krpms and it does barely (while doing that rev limiter/back firing combo)… The engine noise changes completely, while it does sound “cool” something is up. I have no CEL, (well besides the one ive had for a year now P0172 which is an o2 im guessing)… Any info on this?? Car never did this before…
So the car runs perfect until 4.5krpms, also when i start it up after sitting all day/couple days (barely drive it anymore). It has a lumpy idle, but once warmed up it idles just fine. Maybe that will help… Lets hope this fix wont be a pain in the ass like the last fix. What happened to mk3’s being reliable???
As of tonight 4/8: Heres my timing marks…
would this be enough to make the car not run to its full potential?
Diagnosis can be costly. Shops charge by the hour, and troubleshooting can obviously be very time consuming. About all 80 bucks gets you these days is a code scan, which has already been done. Good luck with it.
I don’t put much faith in professional diagnosis, in particular stealerships, you’d think your getting the best trained tech for your car but its not the truth. My poor roommate has been going around with a local stealership for a few months now and has just given up, $1300 in repairs and the CEL is still on, go figure it’s also a VW.
Post this on Vortex, your going to get people who have had similar experiences, my guesses would include 02 sensor(s), ECU, faulty coil/connection at coil but all are just guesses based on what you’ve said.
yah its posted up on 2 other forums (vortex and cava). I will not take it to a shop, i can do my own work just when the thing isnt throwing a code saying whats wrong and/or not a ‘broken’ part…im screwed. Ill figure it out, at least it runs… Maybe the plugs i put in werent gapped correctly?
EDIT: So far ive got this on the list to do:
-Remove o2 sensor in cat, if car still wont redline than its not a ‘clogged cat’
-Remove/Check plugs for proper gappage(sp?ha)
-Re-Check timing for the 100th time, i know one mark is a little off but ive been told it wont hurt it. The ecu corrects it apparently IIRC.
No offense but thats the dumbest thing ive heard lol. Car has 104k, it runs perfect just until 5.5krpms. On a side note, yes you can get a 2.0 for 300 bucks
And that was the 2nd dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
A used engine doesn’t solve all, if any, problems. It’s not like he’d be getting a new engine with all new sensors. He’d be getting a new mystery, which prolly does not include the part(s) he’d need for his car to run 100% again.
yah buying a new motor doesnt solve anything. I know for a fact all my gaskets are good, and now i know that 50% of the sensors/items under the hood are brand new. Id rather keep putting more money INTO this motor and KNOW all of it is new than to buy a old burned up 2.0…Plus if i swapped anything it wouldnt be a 2.0…