Intermittent clacking sound in engine, sometimes car shakes, any clues?

The SO loved my 96 B4V so much she got her own 2011 TDI Golf. Bought it from a guy in CT. We haven't had it for two fillups even, when it develops a nasty intermittent clack from the engine. 50k miles exact on odo.

SO wants to take it to the stealership for a diagnostic. I'm trying to avoid that money hole.

• It only happens at or near idle.
• It sounds RPM related; not a random rattle.
• It's a clackety sound almost like a super-loud version of the fuel pump sound.
• Source is drivers side of engine. I can hear it from insider the cabin in either seat, but oddly enough if I pop the hood and stand in front of the motor I can't hear it at all. If I stand outside by the left fender I can hear it again. If I put my head in the wheel well it becomes super loud.
• Could be weather related; only seems to happen on cold days.
• Doesn't happen when car is first started, but will show up before the temp gauge rises.
• Sometimes (rarely) also comes with the whole damn car shaking. It's like the motor is skipping a cylinder or something and the whole car goes whump whump whump.

Ran some diesel injector cleaner. It might have reduced the noise but not eliminated it.



Pokes around on various threads and it seems like it could be anything from a balancer to a tensioner to the EGR. Anyone have thoughts on how to troubleshoot this one or what to look for?

You should still have powertrain warranty (5yr/60k).. take it in and see what they say. Then when they say it sounds fine, or that warranty doesn't cover noises, take it to an independent shop and see what they say.

Has it been especially humid and chilly (relatively speaking) in San Jose the past days?

It's been humid and very cold here in NJ. I've been out of San Jose for a couple of year.

Unless the warranty transfers to a third owner I don't think it has any drivetrain warranty left, does it? That would be great if it did.

I have an appointment with Mike's VW in South Orange NJ for next week. Would rather DIY and save the bucks, but Mike seem reliable.

Tell them to check the intercooler hoses for any accumulated moisture.. check out the "is your intercooler frozen?" thread.

Do you usually drive your car "gently" for max fuel econ, or do you drive it hard every now and again?

And warranties are usually transferrable to a million different legal owners, so there shouldn't be an issue there?

If you're in NJ and need someone to check VAG-COM, let me know. There may be codes stored