2000 Jetta 5 speed wont move

Maxg1850n

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Location
Iowa
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS Auto
So heres the story: I let my car sit and run for about an hour to use the headlights. When I get back in I put it into gear and it wont move. The speedo (which measures diff/fd speed) still reads my speed. So Im pretty sure its not a clutch problem. It has the symptoms of a broken cv shaft but I checked and both are good. No noise either... Did something break internally in my diff?

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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
Does the clutch feel,normal? Does it shift through all the gears? Will it go into each gear with the clutch depressed and the engine running? If you put it in second and begin to let the clutch out will it start to move?

What do you mean the speedo still reads the speed? The needle is not at 0?
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
If the speedo is reading, but the car won't move, then you definitely have a problem in the final drive. The remarkable thing is that if something is indeed broken in there, you should be hearing expensive metallic noises coming from the transaxle.


Maybe CoolAirVW has some advice?


Good luck,


PH
 

Maxg1850n

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Location
Iowa
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS Auto
Goes through all the gears perfectly and it doesnt even bog down if I let the clutch out. By speedo still reading I mean that if I put it in 5th gear and rev it it to 2k the speedo says im doing 60 mph... Not im not moving an inch
Does the clutch feel,normal? Does it shift through all the gears? Will it go into each gear with the clutch depressed and the engine running? If you put it in second and begin to let the clutch out will it start to move?

What do you mean the speedo still reads the speed? The needle is not at 0?
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Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
That is bazaar. 60 MPH indicated with the car not moving and the axles still intact is certainly a sign of a serious final drive failure.

So that would be Zero MPG for people that track such things.....................
 

Maxg1850n

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Location
Iowa
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS Auto
That is bazaar. 60 MPH indicated with the car not moving and the axles still intact is certainly a sign of a serious final drive failure.

So that would be Zero MPG for people that track such things.....................
Im planning on getting both front wheels in the air and spinning one wheel to see if the other spins

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jettawreck

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
Northern Minnesota-55744
TDI
2001 Jetta and 2003 Jetta
Especially bizarre since apparently it didn't make any horrendous noises ($$$) while it sat idling providing you light.
I'm guessing a "new" transmission is in your future. Having taken one fully apart, including the differential, it's hard to imagine it hasn't ground itself to bits and spit something out thru the case by now. Clearances are very tight in the differential.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
I'd say the spider gears in the diff are itty bitty pieces of metal laying in the bottom of the transaxle housing.

Spider gears transfer the power to the axle of least resistance.

So strange that the OP heard nothing still doesn't hear anything unusual in and about the transmission.

Lastly, ........... just noticed the OPs car is an automatic! Hmmmmm..... comments still apply in reference to the spider gears though. Back to my "lastly" ... seems there is a pin or dowel that can and does break, come loose, fall out, etc., that results in the diff going kaput... I have seen this happen with a Gasser NB tranny, but the bottom of the diff housing was busted open and all the oil ran out.
 

Maxg1850n

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Location
Iowa
TDI
2000 Jetta GLS Auto
My car use to be an auto... I did the 02j swap about 3 months ago. I should probably change my bio.
I'd say the spider gears in the diff are itty bitty pieces of metal laying in the bottom of the transaxle housing.

Spider gears transfer the power to the axle of least resistance.

So strange that the OP heard nothing still doesn't hear anything unusual in and about the transmission.

Lastly, ........... just noticed the OPs car is an automatic! Hmmmmm..... comments still apply in reference to the spider gears though. Back to my "lastly" ... seems there is a pin or dowel that can and does break, come loose, fall out, etc., that results in the diff going kaput... I have seen this happen with a Gasser NB tranny, but the bottom of the diff housing was busted open and all the oil ran out.
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gaddman

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2006
Location
Southern Indiana
TDI
06 Jetta (RC3, PD150 Injectors, GTB1749V, 2.5" Downpipe), 04 Touareg V10 (RC1)
You said the axles are good. I've replaced a couple that came loose in the CV joint. If you put it in gear and let off the clutch, did you check to see if an axle is spinning?
 

Franko6

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2005
Location
Sw Missouri
TDI
Jetta, 99, Silver`
I recently had exactly what gaddman claims. The axle popped out of the CV. The circlip broke that holds the axle in the CV joint.

If the transmission was running fine, you stop and idle for an hour and your transmission quits, it could be the clutch. I doubt it's anything to do with the slave hanging up, but if you loosen the slave and it engages, you have a simple fix.

One thing is for sure, with what you are facing, you have to go by the clutch to get to the main drive. Check for the diff: the axles should both need to turn,either together through the gearbox or opposite of each other if the gearbox is stopped. If that happens it's not the differential. If the two axles spin easily, no gear box drag, it's unreasonable to think, but your main gear is toast? I doubt it.
 

Metal Man

Vendor
Joined
Sep 29, 2001
Location
Sunbury,PA 17801
TDI
1998 NB TDI, 2006 Jetta TDI, 2014 Tiguan gas, , 2019 E Golf X2
I've seen an axle where the splines for the CV wore out and the joint would spin on the shaft. The car had about 400k on it.
 
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