crazy smoke, engine stuttering/shuddering, after oil change ***

ParkBaker

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Location
North Carolina
TDI
'99 Jetta TDI
I got a 99 TDI 5 speed, bought it from my friend who's uncle gave it to him, so single owner and 165k miles. Had the car about two months.
Got an oil change on Friday at the local Jiffy Lube...was in a rush to get out of town and had to do it.
Driving down the road leaving town and the engine starts stuttering and smoking out the exhaust. The engine is also shuddering when on the gas. Sounds like a death machine. It still shifts fine and idles with a slight tick, per my mechanic friend. My friend says the exhaust smells more like fuel than burning oil.
Had a mechanic friend with a computer hook up test it when I got the car and needed a new Mass Air Sensor, so I replaced it and bought new shocks for it also. Also need a glob plug heater warmer but haven't bought that yet. No other codes are showing on the hook up. He checked the valves, cleaned a bunch of sensors, checked the filters, etc. He admits he is not a TDI guy and suggested I post on here.
So, TDI friends, what is going on with this car? It was literally running crazy smooth Friday morning, getting great mileage, even the headliner on the interior is brand new looking.
I love this little car, help me save it and my $$$.
Thank you diesel karma gods.
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
Check the pipes down under your car behind the front passanger wheel. One of the jiffy lube people probably knocked one loose doing the oil change. Make sure the are all connected and properly seated.

Those are the pipes to your turbo.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
I hate to bring this up but when was the timing belt last changed?
This may have nothing to do with the oil change and may be belt related.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Too many Jiffy Lube horror stories. Did they even use the right oil? Not that that would create those symptoms.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Were you within view of the car during the oil change? I wonder if the tech did something like let the car rev, did a burnout, or something else. Or revved it up and caused a brief runaway. If so the timing belt may have moved a tooth or two. White smoke and rough running could be retarded timing. I'd get it on VCDS and check the timing.
 

ParkBaker

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Location
North Carolina
TDI
'99 Jetta TDI
well i tried to post the photo of whatever this hole is under my skid plate, but it wont let me. There's some kind of gouge in the bottom of the engine and I can see into it...guessing this is the problem.
 

flee

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Location
Chatsworth, CA
TDI
2002 Jetta GLS wagon
While I'm thinking of it:
TDI's should only get synthetic oil and can go well past 10k miles on a change.
So there's no such thing as having to change the oil immediately. Just top it up.
What did the good folks at Jiffy Lube put in it anyway? Maybe you need another one.
Also check your drain plug. For some reason they tend to strip them or cause a leak.
 

fouillard13

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Location
Pincher Creek, AB
TDI
03 Jetta TDI Standard
yeah whats the deal with panicking and cancelling a road trip because you might end up a few hundred km over the "recommended" interval on your way back home from said trip?????

hell, im like 3000 miles over my 10,000 mile interval and am not too worried... especially considering I need to add 1L every 2500 miles. its basically always fresh.

we got young girls and grandmas out there with 100,000km on their oil....
 

ParkBaker

Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Location
North Carolina
TDI
'99 Jetta TDI
yeah, mechanic friend said the hole is prob from battery acid leaking out and pooling on top of the skid plate. But he said this would not cause the smoking and sputtering. I searched for loose pipes and hoses coming out the turbo but I cant find anything, and neither can he. I guess I am taking to a shop whenever I have extra cash. Thanks.
 

blis

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
Location
Australia
TDI
1.9 TDI Polo 2006 (2005 built)
Have a look at this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4toi17XXMs

It's not oil, it's fuel... unburnt, smell like sulfur, it's dense, lingers and smokes the whole neighbourhood out..

I get why people will think it's oil, as it's the most common cause and it's hard to tell if it's while or gray etc... But this is DIESEL...

I've had a lot of weird issues happening, and whether it was coincidence or not, I cleaned the MAP sensor and ensured my ducts were free of pressure leaks and it stopped... It would also hesitate, but that I think has something to do with the EGR flap (throttle body, Air valve, call it what you want...).

Everything seems to check out, but I also disconnected the EGR flap to ensure the intake was getting enough air to combust it.

I still have no conclusive evidence as the cause but the moral to this story is that we all seem to think it's oil and it's not always the case.

As to whether the injectors were overfueling, whether the ECU was learning who knows. And with the age of the car, it's probably all run by vacuum and not electronic actuators that can be measured...
Really a poor 2 cents worth, I know... just saying!
 
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