Acceleration Stutters - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

mpedrummer2 · 10-14-2004, 07:56 PM

The car:
1996 Volkswagon Passat GLX Wagon, VR6, 5-speed manual
145500 miles
oil changed at 145300 miles

The background:
On Sunday, the check engine light came on, yellow. The car had been noticeably louder for a while, I had suspected something, but that sealed it. I took it in to Pep Boys on Wednesday for them to check it out.

The dummy light, they said, was from a leaky gas cap. No big deal, $15 replacement.

The noise, however, was a combination of things. #1, loose bearings, right front wheel. #2, torn CV boot/bad CV joint. #3, the spark plugs were apparently OEM.

So, they did all that, and I paid too much for it, and I got it back late Wednesday. The idiots blew a fuse, so my radio was dead, but that's not a big deal...fixed that.

This brings us to...

The Problem:
Ever since getting it back, it no longer accelerates smoothly. It stutters, especially low in the gears. If I shift around 3500rpm, I can accelerate smoothly, but otherwise, no luck. Taking a corner where you should probably downshift to 2nd in 3rd results in the worst stuttering...it's almost bucking at that point.

It really feels like there's just no power getting to the wheels...the RPMs seem smooth, they don't jerk around, but it's definately noticeable to the driver and passengers.

A co-worker of mine (who works for a garage) suggested a fuel injector cleaner, so I did that. About 2 miles after putting it into a half-tank of gas (8-9 gallons) the engine light came back on. I filled the tank, and have since put another 15-20 miles on the car. Idiot light is still on, and it's still stuttering.

The questions:
Question 1: do idiot lights turn back off on their own, or do they stay on?
Question 2: How do I reset the idiot light and clear the codes?
Question 3: What the F&^@ is this stuttering, and what can I do about it?

If something is really wrong with it, do I really want to go back to Pep Boys? I mean, if they screwed it up the first time, I don't really trust them to get it right the second time. Then again, they should really do it for free, if they messed something up.

Thanks
MPEDrummer

shakran · 10-14-2004, 08:00 PM

1) They replaced the spark plugs because they were OEM? Why didn't they replace the entire car if that was their logic?

2) It sounds like the goobers at pep boys forgot to gap the spark plugs. If they're at the wrong tolerance, they can cause all sorts of firing issues.

mpedrummer2 · 10-15-2004, 05:29 AM

Oh, sorry...they replaced the spark plugs because they were rated for 75000 miles, and they had 145000 miles on them.

10-14-2004, 07:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
mpedrummer2 Insane	Acceleration Stutters The car: 1996 Volkswagon Passat GLX Wagon, VR6, 5-speed manual 145500 miles oil changed at 145300 miles The background: On Sunday, the check engine light came on, yellow. The car had been noticeably louder for a while, I had suspected something, but that sealed it. I took it in to Pep Boys on Wednesday for them to check it out. The dummy light, they said, was from a leaky gas cap. No big deal, $15 replacement. The noise, however, was a combination of things. #1, loose bearings, right front wheel. #2, torn CV boot/bad CV joint. #3, the spark plugs were apparently OEM. So, they did all that, and I paid too much for it, and I got it back late Wednesday. The idiots blew a fuse, so my radio was dead, but that's not a big deal...fixed that. This brings us to... The Problem: Ever since getting it back, it no longer accelerates smoothly. It stutters, especially low in the gears. If I shift around 3500rpm, I can accelerate smoothly, but otherwise, no luck. Taking a corner where you should probably downshift to 2nd in 3rd results in the worst stuttering...it's almost bucking at that point. It really feels like there's just no power getting to the wheels...the RPMs seem smooth, they don't jerk around, but it's definately noticeable to the driver and passengers. A co-worker of mine (who works for a garage) suggested a fuel injector cleaner, so I did that. About 2 miles after putting it into a half-tank of gas (8-9 gallons) the engine light came back on. I filled the tank, and have since put another 15-20 miles on the car. Idiot light is still on, and it's still stuttering. The questions: Question 1: do idiot lights turn back off on their own, or do they stay on? Question 2: How do I reset the idiot light and clear the codes? Question 3: What the F&^@ is this stuttering, and what can I do about it? If something is really wrong with it, do I really want to go back to Pep Boys? I mean, if they screwed it up the first time, I don't really trust them to get it right the second time. Then again, they should really do it for free, if they messed something up. Thanks MPEDrummer __________________ My sig can beat up your honor student.

10-15-2004, 05:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
mpedrummer2 Insane	Oh, sorry...they replaced the spark plugs because they were rated for 75000 miles, and they had 145000 miles on them. __________________ My sig can beat up your honor student.

10-14-2004, 08:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	1) They replaced the spark plugs because they were OEM? Why didn't they replace the entire car if that was their logic? 2) It sounds like the goobers at pep boys forgot to gap the spark plugs. If they're at the wrong tolerance, they can cause all sorts of firing issues.