vw passat tdi is having problems getting into gear especially 1st and reverse. the other gears are usually ok.?

vw passat tdi is having problems getting into gear especially 1st and reverse. the other gears are usually ok.?

i.ve been told the gearbox needs replacing and could cost me a fortune. could the problem be anything else.

Asked by: Steven @ 2009-04-30 08:46:41

Answers ::
Could also be the clutch.

Simon B

I would have someone look at the selector first (where the gear stick goes in). There will most likely be a plastic guard to stop you selecting reverse by mistake at speed. This guard would be close to first gear on most cars so could have moved/broken causing a problem?

got to be worth a look before buying a new box,

Steve D

I agree with Steve D I had the same problem with my Saab and it just turned out to be the gear selector and is not an expensive job to replce.

Neran

it is maybe clutch adjustment 1st and reverse are not syncro the rest of the gears are that is why the other gears are ok, so i think it is a clutch problem.

J R

Either clutch or the slave cylinder. How can anybody condemn a gearbox on those symptoms alone ? Take it a to a bona fide garage or clutch fitting centre for a proper opinion !

L G

if it works once you are in the gears, and everything else is good, I'd guess the transmission is fine. It is common that these cars need a shift cable adjustment (on top of the transmission under the airbox) and sometimes the shifter relay (a plastic piece wears out which sort of puts your shifter between two gates not allowing it in...I'd take it to a good independent VW shop and see what they say.

Good luck!

Matt P

I have a 1999 passat that died on me today when I was driving any ideas?

I was just crusing along and I lost all power and started to slow down. I pulled over and shut the car off and tried starting it again. I just sounds like it cant turn over. Its just a whinning sound. The starters not kicking in at all. I think it is the alternator. The radio turns on and and all the lights work. Please let me know what you think.

Asked by: Dalton @ 2009-05-01 11:27:19

Answers ::
Yikes, you might have stripped the teeth off you timing belt. Sounds like you are going to need a qualified mechanic for this one.

On a 1.8t the timing belt cover is right up front. It's a plastic cover with a couple of metal clips holding it on. It has a couple of hoses clipped to the front. First remove the engine cover, it has 4 plastic screws that you turn 1/4 turn to the left. Then u can unclip the cover, pry back on it a little and have someone crank the car for you. If that upper cam sprocket is not turning then you are in trouble. A bad starter will not make the car die like that and a bad alternator will not make it whine like that.

dubdubious1

Odd. I had a 2000 passat v6 where that happened to me. Just died while cruising at 70. This was back in 2002, so I was still under warranty. It was the alternator with me.

If I could have done it again, i would have gotten the 1.8 turbo 4 cyl. I had too many problems with my 6.

mark

well maybe your alternater went bad and wont charge your battery so have a mecanic check it

Kawasaki 250

no check engine light not alternator for sure check your timing belt i think is timing belt if it not the belt check your fuel pump...good luck

Jimmy

your alternator probably does not charge your battery. Your car engine always took the power from the battery. When there was no more power in the battery your car stalls. Before you touch the timing belt charge your battery and try to start your car. If the car starts disconnect the negative or positive cable. if your car dies this means your alternator does not work properly.

VW Man

are Volkswagens good cars?

I am looking at the Jetta or Passat- what are their reputations & are maintanance/repairs more costly than they would be for a Toyota or Honda?
also- is there a style or year that doesnt have a silver grill that drops down like this?- http://greenbay.carsoup.com/used/detail.asp?usedvehicleid=6062259&xdealerid=4105&makeid=76&minyear=2006&maxyear=2010&searchid=H1678&vehicletypeid=1&uvviewid=4&page=1&certified=0&dealergroupid=262

Asked by: cupidgirI @ 2009-04-30 07:57:42

Answers ::
Yes they are good cars, but at the same time just about any car sold in the U.S. is "good" if you keep up on the maintance.

JD

I love my cousins Jetta. I wish I had one. :p Is all I am saying.

* B.T.S. *

their good cars.....but it cant compare to a honda or toyota...

john m

My wife and I have owned/leased many makes of autos, including Fords, Mazdas, Toyotas etc.
A few years ago, we bought a VW. We loved the car and have since then had nothing but VWs.
Why? To us VWs have an almost indefinable prescence about them. Just the way they comport themselves when weather conditions turn ugly makes us feel safer than other cars we've had.
Remember, VWs were designed in Germany where they still have unlimited speeds on the Autobahns. They must meet strict safety standards for this reason alone.
In our experience VWs cost no more to maintain\repair than other cars we've had. In fact they have been more reliable which is why we have a 2005 Jetta and a 2006 GTI! As far as costs go, lets face it this day and age nothing is 'cheap' anymore. We dont know how much parts cost for our VWs simply because we have'nt had to make any repairs on them. But I'm sure they would be in the same price range with any car make.
As I type this, my wife is packing our gear (Ive already loaded the bikes on our rack) and we're off on another vacation\adventure in the Blue Ridge Mts. The GTI is the perfect car for the twisty roads!
Oh, if you don't like the chrome Smiling Grill on the Jetta try the GTI. Its grill is black and features a honey-comb style with red trim.
Or if you don/t like that the 2004 and older have a more traditional grill.
A friend of ours has a 2005 Passat and they are quite happy with it.

fenton

Get an aircooled Beetle. Parts are extremely cheap and easy as hell to find (any Autozone). You can do 90% of the maintenance (scheduled and non scheduled) yourself in your driveway with a screwdriver and a wrench, which means no more $100/hr at a garage. They are very fun to drive. As long as they are kept stock, they appreciate in value. In other words, you buy it now for $5K in excellent condition, drive it 20K miles in two years and keep it stock, and it's worth $5600. What modern car can do that for you? On top of that, wouldnt it be nice to get daily complements from people that you don't know, and to have the ability to turn just about every head on the road? Take it to shows, get recognized for your beautiful Volkswagen. Get one, keep it stock, love it.

Prime

what mk golf is a K reg please?

is it mk2 or mk 3?

Asked by: richT @ 2009-04-30 10:26:51

Answers ::
3

WOGS OUT

the k reg golf is a mk3 i have one myself

shaun d

yup,tizz a mk3

desert camel

Mark 3

L G

Unless it's a Convertible which is MK1

tali122

can i drive it this way?

I have a little convertable vw cabrio, and when you put the top down there is a skirt that is supposed to cover the top from wind and such, well mine is broken and i'd like to put the top down and i wanted to konw if it would damage my car to drive it on the freeway with the top down but no skirt cover.

Asked by: K Layne @ 2009-05-01 16:28:05

Answers ::
only if the pantys dont show

ken k

It never did mine, and I had it for 2 years and sold it to a girl that
fell in love with it!

RiverRat

Probably,but for reassurance i would get a small bungee cord or two and hook it down to something solid until you get it fixed

jason r

The skirt is only there to look good. As long as the top itself is locked into the down position you are golden.

dubdubious1

i have a 1958 bug...?

i have an 1835 in it but have noticed that though my car is converted to 12 volt,the flywheel hasnt(that would explain my grinding at start).my question is does a 12 volt flywheel fit on there?i know id have to grind the transmission housing a little wider,but my question is would it bolt up to the motor the same?there are 4 pins sticking out on the crank where it bolts up to and ive seen 5 on some 12 volt,but that was on a pancake style.anyways,would it work?

Asked by: jayocular @ 2009-04-30 20:45:27

Answers ::
Get it back to 6 volt if you can. Those things simply werent made to run on 12 volt. Great car BTW. Keep that 58 completely stock, it is extremily rare and worth a lot of money stock and it will continue to rise like hell in value.

Prime

The make a 12 volt conversion for that car, or at least they used to. Try some of the VW web sites like SAMBA. com.

uthockey32

You can change the solenoid off a 12 vt starter to the 6vt and run a 6 vt starter there, There is a different front bushing for the 6vt than the 12 vt- make sure you have the right one.( I've used the 12 vt auto-stick shift starter-it had no front bushing.) Thats one solution- but only if your engine starts right up- no running the starter for any length of time.

The 12 vt flywheel will fit the engine, but not the transmission. If you go that route, you will be able to put the big bus clutch and flywheel package in there. If you search "answers" this cutting process has been explained--though with some risks.

The pancake (the big one) has nothing in common with the up rights.
and that flywheel was bigger still and would only fit a pancake.

Your best bet would be to search out a 36hp engine and struggle along like the rest of us old farts did. My first was a '54.

Hope this helps- as VW looks like anything will fit anywhere, but truth is there were lots of changes which have been worked around over the last 50 years -and some were more successful than others.

gaston

My newly bought 1985 Westfalia turns over but won't start. (Distributor cap/spark plugs already replaced.)?

A mobile mechanic already took a peek at the van, checked and replaced the obvious things that go wrong with these vehicles, and deduced that it needs to go in the shop. Don't have the money yet to do this, so trying to figure it out on my own for now.

Asked by: Kelsi @ 2009-04-30 12:06:59

Answers ::
Check the battery and cables

Harley guy

Only two things make the car turn over: Fuel, in the correct mixture and quantities with air; electrics.

Electrics are the tricky item. The gap in the plugs, the timing and the voltage are the parameters to watch. There may also be the swap over from battery to alternator. If the thing's turning over, your battery's OK. Try a 'bump' start in second gear, assuming it's a manual shift. This would check the alternator.

As for fuel: Is the throttle working correctly? Not stuck? Is it an automatic choke? Is that dodgy? Has anyone been playing with the tick-over screw? Have you put the wrong fuel in by mistake? Do you have any fuel in the tank?

These are your search criteria. I hope that helps.

Mickypoo

OK.. lets do the basics

IGNITION:

1) Unscrew a random spark plug and , wearing rubber gloves, hold it against the metal tin of the car or any other part of the cars ground. You should see a spark jump the plug... no spark means:
Cap is bad (new caps go bad too)
Coil is bad
Points are badly set (perhaps fully closed or fully open)
Ignition lead to coil is bad (check the lead to the distributor also!)
Condenser is bad
Wiring at the ignition switch is bad.

So. check to see if you have power at the coil when your key is on. If so odds shift to the coil itself. If not, the odds are on the ignition switch or its related wires. Everything else is adjustment or complete replacement (BTW.. considedr electronic ignition)

Ok, next..

FUEL

1) With that plug out.. can you smell gas in the cylinder? You should after it has cranked.

2) Is the linkage connected from the gas pedal (dumb to ask but a possible source).

3) Check the choke.. is it jammed on .. (all gas - no air).

4) No gas? Check your hoses and your fuel filter... is gas delivered to the carb.

If none of these problems seem to solve it, you may have a bad carborator.

5) You might have a vacume leak, but generally your car will start and then run really rough or die.. that is not the problem that you described.

6) Compression.. all the gas, air and spark will not help you if your pistons are not compressing it into a neat little vapor . Check each cylinder to see that all of them are about equal. If you have a bad cylinder (or several) get ready for the bad new$.

AIR:

check the airway on the Carb.. take the air cleaner off and try to start it (just plug up any vacume hoses that you had to disconnect)

Crank the engine and feel if air is being sucked into the carb. (Put your and over the top.. it will suck but wont hurt. If there is no suction then you have a problem with your valves.that is going to require some $erious work

SOme where in those steps you should find your problem. Since it is basic physics and chemistry (mix air, fuel and spark to get ignition and power).

good luck..

.

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