New Jetta, new problems

I recently acquired another 06 jetta TDI with DSG a couple weeks ago with a bad cam. The DMF is a little noisy but will be taken care of in the near future. I originally bought it as a project and was planning on selling it but the wife ended up really liking the car so it looks like its a keeper.

The cam, lifters, and related components have already been replaced and the engine runs very well now. But now it has a slight stumble on startup. Once the engine is running it runs smooth without any hesitation or hiccups. My 5 speed brm jetta that I've had for 10 years now starts effortlessly. My wife's jetta feels like it starts but if you dont hold the key in the start position just a little longer then it stalls. The engine usually doesn't crank for more than two seconds and once its running it runs smooth immediately. Torsion was set to +1.5 and I used the cam/crank locking tools to set the timing. No codes stored in the engine and nothing else seems out of the ordinary. Fuel filter has not been replaced yet but it will be replaced in the near future.

Any suggestions on where I should start looking? I have my 5 speed jetta that I can swap parts from for testing purposes.

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I’ve been seeing this a ton lately on the board and have given the advice from my experiences with this issue.

With 99% certainty I can tell you that your problem is your starter. Replace it with a Bosch reman.

Here is the starter for your DSG: https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-SR0496...oding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

banshee365 said:

I’ve been seeing this a ton lately on the board and have given the advice from my experiences with this issue.

With 99% certainty I can tell you that your problem is your starter. Replace it with a Bosch reman.

Here is the starter for your DSG: https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-SR0496...oding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Click to expand...

Thanks for your input. I did notice that it does turn over slightly slower than my 5 speed jetta does. Is there a starter reconditioning kit available for these by any chance?

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I don’t know. But, if there was, I wouldn’t even bother.

If you want it to work properly and reliably, that link is the way to go. You get $70 back after sending in the core.

banshee365 said:

I don’t know. But, if there was, I wouldn’t even bother.

If you want it to work properly and reliably, that link is the way to go. You get $70 back after sending in the core.

Click to expand...

I didn't see the bit about the core. Well I guess that's not too bad for a oem starter. Are dsg starters prone to failure? My original 5 speed jetta starter is still going strong at 287k miles.

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It's not bad at all. When you install it you'll wonder why you didn't do it earlier and want to send Bosch another $75 because it's so great. Okay, maybe not that last part, but definitely the first part.

These starters fail in the matter that yours is. They don't usually just quit working like many starters. They get weak and exhibit exactly what you're is doing. In my experience, ones like yours will work decent when cold. But, when it's hot it will stumble through a start and you have to hold the key through the stumbles until it's up and running and it's smooth after that. When I first encountered this I questioned my cam torsion, fuel pressure, new cam I just installed recently and all sorts of wacky crap.

At the end of the day, it's simple. Replace the starter with that one. It will explode to life when you turn the key.

banshee365 said:

It's not bad at all. When you install it you'll wonder why you didn't do it earlier and want to send Bosch another $75 because it's so great. Okay, maybe not that last part, but definitely the first part.

These starters fail in the matter that yours is. They don't usually just quit working like many starters. They get weak and exhibit exactly what you're is doing. In my experience, ones like yours will work decent when cold. But, when it's hot it will stumble through a start and you have to hold the key through the stumbles until it's up and running and it's smooth after that. When I first encountered this I questioned my cam torsion, fuel pressure, new cam I just installed recently and all sorts of wacky crap.

At the end of the day, it's simple. Replace the starter with that one. It will explode to life when you turn the key.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the input. I was thinking the same thing since I just installed a cam in it also. Its a new car to me and thought it had some fuel or electrical issue. But I'm glad that its only a bad starter and nothing else. My 5 speed brm tdi has been mostly trouble free since ive owned it.

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Let us know how the car is after the new starter.

Update: I never got around to replacing the starter but the battery died after the wife left the running lights on for about an hour or so. I recharged the battery but it would not hold a charge so I got a replacement. Now the starting issues are 95% better but the starter may still get replaced sometime in the future since its still not quite like my 5 speed brm.

Update #2: Problem solved! A new battery seemed to help but the issue was still present. The other day the car was parked facing uphill for close to 48 hours. It turned over but didnt start. It took close to 20 seconds of cranking before the engine came to life.


The two small sections of hose on the top and bottom of the tandem pump looked wet and was allowing air into the fuel system. Luckily I had some fuel hose laying around that was the appropriate size. After replacing the hoses and the crappy hose clamps the engine starts immediately without hesitation every time now. I thought I would let you guys know. These cars are getting older now and after over a decade the original rubber hoses are showing sings of age. Also the hoses close to the fuel filter have very small cracks but no wetness yet. They will also get replaced in the near future.