97 Jetta Problem (electrical)

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97 Jetta Problem (electrical)

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Volkswagen Forum >> VW MODELS >> Volkswagen Jetta >> 97 Jetta Problem (electrical)

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97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 9/8/2006 12:30:20 AM

beat cj

Posts: 4
Joined: 9/8/2006
Status: offline

A few problems....
I have a 97 jetta with a 2.0 liter, 5spd.
My first problem is when it rains...my car will run horrible from start up until its operating temp. I can't pinpoint the cause of the problem though. The car will sputter/miss. I thought maybe it was the coil mounted on the firewall ( getting wet?) I cant see any water around it though. Any help would be wonderful!

The next problem is a complete mystery to me.
My car will not start now...unless of course i drift start it. When i turn the key, i get lots of clicking noise..and the car alarm will go off, but i had the battery checked..and it is fine. The alarm will also not set when i lock the doors anymore? I have no clue what is failing here. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Post #: 1

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 9/8/2006 8:33:07 AM

bagel

Posts: 1338
Joined: 8/16/2005
Status: offline

No check engine light? Get a tester, can't remember off handwhat it's called, it's 0630 in Utah right now.ha ha. You cna test your battery and Alternator at the same time. All the fuses are good? If everything checks out, then I'd really have to sit and ponder over it, it is def weird.

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(in reply to beat cj)

Post #: 2

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 9/28/2006 4:17:08 PM

Anjou

Posts: 12
Joined: 9/28/2006
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: beat cj

A few problems....
I have a 97 jetta with a 2.0 liter, 5spd.
My first problem is when it rains...my car will run horrible from start up until its operating temp. I can't pinpoint the cause of the problem though. The car will sputter/miss. I thought maybe it was the coil mounted on the firewall ( getting wet?) I cant see any water around it though. Any help would be wonderful!

It could be the spark plug wires, the distributor cap, or the ignition coil. I've had this problem with my 1996 Jetta GLS (237,000 miles). All it takes is a little dew in the morning to cause starting problems. Have someone crank the ignition (when it's damp and dark out) while you look for the sparking near the coil or distributor cap. The problem is very severe in your case and you will see the arcing, whereas you might not if the problem were not too bad. I had a cracked cap and coil. Incidentally, if you keep cranking the engine, you will eventually get it to fire up.

(in reply to beat cj)

Post #: 3

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 10/4/2006 5:10:00 PM

beat cj

Posts: 4
Joined: 9/8/2006
Status: offline

ok..thanks very much...i will try this

(in reply to Anjou)

Post #: 4

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 10/19/2006 4:46:28 PM

carsonplunkett

Posts: 1
Joined: 10/19/2006
Status: offline

i'm having a very similar problem. it's not always in the rain, because it's happened to me once or twice when it was sunny, although not as drastic. mine is a 1998 jetta GL 2.0, with almost 99k miles. today, on the way home from school, when i would go about 35 and in about 3rd gear, the engine would sputter like crazy, and the check engine light would blink, then stay solid. it did this the entire ride home, and really scared me. what can i do that won't cost me a lot of money?

(in reply to beat cj)

Post #: 5

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 10/25/2006 12:28:24 PM

daghstdrummer

Posts: 3
Joined: 10/24/2006
Status: offline

it sounds to me like a coil problem or a plug problem... it may also be your ecu (but highly unlikely).. i suggest u scan it for codes, sometimes if the cel blinks means there are codes just not serious enought to warrant the cel... i used to have the same problem, turned out to be the coil.. it had a very hairline crack in it. i changed the ignition coil and no more problems

97 jetta gls

(in reply to carsonplunkett)

Post #: 6

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 11/10/2006 7:02:32 PM

beat cj

Posts: 4
Joined: 9/8/2006
Status: offline

hi guys...its been a while since i have been on, but I started with the cheapest item first to replace, which was the distributor cap and rotor. I have ran my car in the rain several times now and have had no problems. Im guessing there was a crack in the distributer cap, because I have no problems now. Thanks for all the help guys!

(in reply to daghstdrummer)

Post #: 7

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 11/10/2006 7:06:06 PM

beat cj

Posts: 4
Joined: 9/8/2006
Status: offline

carsonplunkett, i believe the check engine light flashed 8 times when mine would sputter like that. Also, I would just start replacing ignition components starting with the cheapest. Spark plugs $10, Distributor cap and rotor $25, coil $115, and i believe the spark plug wires were a rediculous $140

(in reply to beat cj)

Post #: 8

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 12/30/2006 4:22:58 AM

kinky19777

Posts: 23
Joined: 12/30/2006
Status: offline

A big possibility is the coolant temp sensor. These cars are Notorious for them and that will make your car sputter and miss because the coolant temp sensor tells the ECU that the car isnt warm yet and needs more fuel. So what is happening is your car is trying to flood out. Might wanna start with that first before you start playing around with an ecu. and a nice new set of plugs and a cp n button wouldnt hurt. But dont waste your money on Plug wires because the ones you have should outlast the car. Also the plug wires are probably around 120 -150 $ a set. And aftermarket one that CLAIM to be better arent worth a Crap. They just look prettier. As for the battery Coudnt tell you sounds like an electrica;l grimlin to me but you might wanna clean your battery connectors and make sure your ground is still grounded well sometimes they loosen up over time......Just like a nice white gitl......LOL

(in reply to beat cj)

Post #: 9

RE: 97 Jetta Problem (electrical) - 3/6/2007 12:54:40 AM

shoughun

Posts: 75
Joined: 1/25/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: beat cj

hi guys...its been a while since i have been on, but I started with the cheapest item first to replace, which was the distributor cap and rotor. I have ran my car in the rain several times now and have had no problems. Im guessing there was a crack in the distributer cap, because I have no problems now. Thanks for all the help guys!

Good to hear that you have managed to fix your VW with some help from the guys here in the forum... Once, they helped me too when I had a problem with my Volkswagen distributor rotor... I'm really thankful this forum site is here to provide us with the necessary information... Thanks guys...

(in reply to beat cj)

Post #: 10