Automotive-Related Questions

[CrBoy]

Hola Polkies :), I have 2 questions for you today... (I'm gonna try to be as clear as possible but when it comes to cars my english is very limited)

1. Q
Everytime I back up with my car (Jetta Trek) the reverse gear gets kicked out... if I go very slow this doesn't happen but as soon as I accelerate a little bit BAM! back to neutral... is this caused by a faulty tranny or a worn out clutch? or both?

2. Q
I'm gonna replace the spark-plug cables and I'm wondering if there is a noticeable difference between the $20 8mm NGK cables and the $100+ 8.5 mm MSD cables? Regular, Iridium or Platinum plugs?

thanks for the input fellas :D

[jcaut]

I'll give my input:

1. Not a clutch problem- Something internal in the transmission.

2. Yes, there is a difference in the parts, BUT if the car is stock otherwise, you won't gain enough performance to justify the higher cost. Not even close. Just use the stock replacement parts.

Jason

[heiney9]

Not a clutch problem. Perhaps shift bushings are worn or sometimes the shift linkage needs realignment. Probably something minor but still a PITA. Check the tranny fluid as well. Have you noticed any leaks? On my GTI with 200K miles when the tranny fuild got low because of a leak it would pop out of 5th gear sometimes will going down the road. Perhaps this is what's happening, more likely it's an alignment or bushing issue though. That year has a cable shifter so perhaps alignment/adjustment is in order.

H9

[mrmusicman]

crboy,

My first car was a 69 VW Baja bug,I had the same problem and was told by a mechanic reverse is usually the first gear to go when the tranny's taking a dump.I was young and broke so I just payed attn to where and how I parked. :D Good luck.

[CrBoy]

^ gotcha! :D

[heiney9]

Only thing to consider Crboy, your Jetta is generations away from an "air-cooled" '69 bug. Completely different animal so don't just assume the tranny is cashed. Those tranny's generally are very reliable from your generation car and don't fail too ofen unless heavily abused. My car is from the generation of tranny's that had the self-machining problem and it's still going strong with 200K miles on it.

FWIW

H9

[CrBoy]

Thanks H9... I think the best thing to do will be to take the car to the shop. What about the spark plug cables? any opinions on that matter... I want the best I can get for my little piece of junk... but only if is worth it...

PS. what does FWIW stand for?

[heiney9]

Thanks H9... I think the best thing to do will be to take the car to the shop. What about the spark plug cables? any opinions on that matter...

It's like cables in audio....go with the best you can afford. Cheap spark plug wires usually don't last as long. In my experience up to 50% less life. Cheap cables also can have serious RFI issues. I use bone stock OEM Bosch cables, but the upgrades may be worth it, I wouldn't get too crazy though. In fact for ignition parts I always use OEM Bosch products or high performance upgrades. Just be aware you may get a good product buying high performance aftermarket, but they may not be any better than stock Bosch parts. I used to be pretty plugged into the VW aftermarket, but really can't recommend anything specific as I'd have to research it again.

H9

FWIW= For what it's worth

[CrBoy]

its good to have somebody around with knowledge about VW... this is my first Jetta so I know basically nothing about it.

Aftermarket parts? I don't see many on the net... adjustable camshafts, ECU chips, shortshifters...

[heiney9]

There aren't too many "go fast" parts for the 2.0 engine that's in your Jetta. A chip and a nice Techtonics sport exhaust will gain you a net HP of between 12-15 hp. As far as cams, there's not any advantage until you do some head work on those "cross-flow" heads. The trick set-up is take the previous generation 8V GTI head (they have bigger valves) and mate it to the 2.0 liter long block (better bore & stroke) in your generation car. That along with less restrictive air intake and close ratio gear box (not the one you currently have) and that's a pretty good set-up. Not very cost effective, however.

My brother has '97 GTI VR6 and that's where the performance is if that's what you're looking for, or a Jetta GLX which is the VR6 version. Trying to do alot with your 2.0 is really not the best way to go. You could buy a used VR6 for about 20% more than the toal cost of all the mods to your 2.0 and have a much more fun car with better resale in the end.

For me I'd like to come across a well maintained last year '94 Corrado VR6. Almost impossible to find and then people ask insane prices. I always liked the Corrado because it's based on the A2 platform (same as my GTI) that was VW's best performance platform until recently. Anyways I'm rambling now.

H9

H9

[sda2mike]

if you wanto to keep her running 'on the cheap', just keep the shifter in the reverse gate with a little force. as far as wires, the cheaper ones are what i'd go with. assuming you have no test tools, when it's dark out, let the engine idle. take a look at the wires. if you see arcing (sparks), change 'em. if not, leave 'em. there will be no difference.

[heiney9]

if you wanto to keep her running 'on the cheap', just keep the shifter in the reverse gate with a little force. as far as wires, the cheaper ones are what i'd go with. assuming you have no test tools, when it's dark out, let the engine idle. take a look at the wires. if you see arcing (sparks), change 'em. if not, leave 'em. there will be no difference.

While I agree, let me just reiterate.....go with atleast OEM stock parts from Bosch. I've been down the road with Farm & Fleet, Pep Boys, Whitlock, Walmart, AutoZone parts and they just aren't as consistently good. They have poor fitment, wear out much sooner and don't do a good job of noise rejection. The last set of OEM Bosch plug wires cost me like $60, it's worth it. Aftermarket high-performance may or may not be worth it.

Believe me I've been down this road and cheapie wires are bad news. Now if the ones you have aren't acting up, why change them? I can always tell when I need a tune-up as when it gets damp out the car hesitates and is especially hard to start and runs pretty lumpy, usually due to arcing.

H9

[CrBoy]

I want to change the wires, the plugs, belts and some other things because I bought the car recently and I don't know if the previous owner took good care of the car... I want to keep it for a couple of years while I save enough money for a Audi A3 1.8T.

The car runs very good but in idle is not smooth, it jumps a little bit... this leads me to think that I need to change some of the parts I mentioned above or do some work on the fuel injectors. New exhaust system is on the way.

Some guy at the vwvortex forum put a -16v Passat head- on his 2.0 Jetta... I guess this is not easy to do...

[sda2mike]

if you want to save $, you can't chase little insignificant 'problems'. you'd be surprised how long a car will run on just basic maintenence. one of the best things you can do is, preventative maintenence. take the plugs out, clean, gap, then put 'em back. if the the wires are clean and not arcing, leave 'em. if they're dirty and not arcing, clean 'em and put those back too! check your hoses and belts for obvious trouble spots. the absolute best thing you can do is, change the freakin oil every 3-5000 miles!!! depending on the age and condition and the type of driving. and keep the tranny full of lube..oh yeah, make sure the water pump is good and the whole cooling system is tight. with MINIMAL effort, you can drive thousands and thousands of miles more. it's like cheating... :D

[CrBoy]

I'm used to change the oil every 3k miles... I'm using Quaker State Syntec Blend on this one, is supossed to be good...

I replaced the air filter about a week ago.

[keith allen]

Sounds like the dogs are worn,pull it out,pul it apart and have them undercut

[SCompRacer]

If you want a good test for spark plug wires, get yourself a spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle and fill it with water. Adjust it so it mists and spray the wires down. Any secondary leakage will be real obvious as it will start to run rough. I do this before a tune up to find problems and after to make sure I didn't cause any. Good wires can be saturated with water and it won't misfire at all. The insulation is the first thing to deteriorate on cheap wires.

Ensure you twist and pull on the boot when removing plug wires. Pulling on the wire alone can stretch and cause breaks in the condutor. A dab of dielectric grease in the boot will allow it to slide on the plug easier and help prevent the boot from sticking.

One soure of RFI from plug wires can come from the spark jumping from the conductor in the wire to the top of the spark plug rather than flowing through the terminal. Packing the terminal with dielectric grease can prevent that. A spark jumping that gap will also cause the conductor to deteriorate and eventually cause a miss as the conductor turns to dust.

[ND13]

Do you notice the preponderance of simple one word terms that serve as the glowing exemplar of the rapid debasement of our language into a tawdry jumble of nondescript banality?

Rich,
Damn son!!!!!

[audiobliss]

^^ Oooh, that's a good one! From whence did it come?

[SCompRacer]

10 years of self imposed exile to a midnight shift has dulled my communication skills, so I found myself using fewer and more profane words to describe situations. I've been trying to be faithful to my New Years resolution and use the F word less. Notice I said less cause I still enjoy using that word at times. Anyway, that statement helps me remember to expand my vocabulary. I used to read an awful lot, could be I read something similar and added to it.

[audiobliss]

Awesome. I just might have to add it to my sig. That way, you'd be reminded even when you read my posts! :D :p

[ND13]

The English language, when used correctly, can be just as eloquent as the romantics(French, Italian, etc). Too bad, but we just don't talk like that anymore. If one were to walk into your average college's English class and spoke like that, the majority would have no clue what was just spoken. They'd all look at you with that dumbfounded look of HUH????