02 with Vibration on hard Acceleration

comsult

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2002
Location
Terrace, BC. Canada
TDI
02 Dk. Blue
I have an 02 with a problem that cropped up over the winter.
With hard acceleration, I feel a vibration in my steering and on the floor.
No vibration in Shifter and non in the seat of my pants.
Wheels have been checked and double checked for balance, I have no vibration when driving at any speed.
I've had my indie VW mechanic go over the whole front end suspension, and also had him check the engine mounts.
No problems found.
This indie mechanic is VW trained, worked as their head mechanic for a dealership in town until it closed down.
He now has his own shop and services mostly VW.
He has actually done all my servicing on the car since it was new.
So he knows the history of this car.
The closest VW dealer is 8 hours drive away.
Has anyone experienced this and if so what was the problem. :confused:
 

DIESEL DAZZLER

Veteran Member
Joined
May 20, 2001
Location
Dorchester
TDI
81VW TDI PU,94 GOLF TDI,97 PASSAT TDI,03 ,06 JETTA TDI's,KABOTA DIESEL LAWNMOWER
vib on hard acell

Remove LH drive shaft and inspect inner CvJ. LH shaft wears more than RH because of length
 

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(!)
A shimmy in the steering on acceleration is one or both inner CV joints. Probably both. The cheap (and just as good as the more expensive cures) fix is to swap the inner CV joints side to side, clean and re-grease them, and motor on. The more expensive solution is to buy new OEM inner CV joints and replace the ones on the half shafts, and motor on.

The second most expensive solution is to buy cheap chinesium half shafts and throw your old ones away. It is the 2nd most expensive because in a very short period of time you will be lamenting the return of the old problem or wondering why you have vibrations in the drivetrain that are really hard to track down. After months of not being able to find reasonable solutions you will finally find someone that can convince you that you need to buy quality half shafts and throw out the chinesium C.R.A.P. The only reason this would be the second most expensive solution is because of the tall price of the most expensive solution due to its source. It is absolutely the most expensive in terms of stress and frustration, and by at least one order of magnitude.

The most expensive solution is to go to the dealer and let them sell you a new pair of half shafts and install them. The price of this option will make the blood drain from your face. And it should, for no other reason than the simplicity and relative ease of the cheapest solution already explained above.
 
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PeterV

TDIClub Enthusiast, HO5G Doyen & Zen Master
Joined
Aug 17, 2000
Location
So, NH.
TDI
2000 Jetta 5 sp.
New front wheel bearings are needed and since the front is apart do everything.

How many miles?
 
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07ktm250xc

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2011
Location
West Virginia
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI DSG
Mine did this also but its wasnt terrible so I didnt worry about it. I am not saying dont do anything about it but what solved it for me was that I bought a used set of wheels/tires off of craigslist and they included wheel centering rings. So I dont know if it was the centering rings or wheels/tire but it drives perfect now. Hope this helps.
 

comsult

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2002
Location
Terrace, BC. Canada
TDI
02 Dk. Blue
New front wheel bearings are needed and since the front is apart do everything.

How many miles?
385K kilometers.
The Bearings were changed about 6 months ago.
The vibration under hard acceleration started about 3 months ago.

Originaly quoted by POWDER HOUND> A shimmy in the steering on acceleration is one or both inner CV joints. Probably both. The cheap (and just as good as the more expensive cures) fix is to swap the inner CV joints side to side, clean and re-grease them, and motor on. The more expensive solution is to buy new OEM inner CV joints and replace the ones on the half shafts, and motor on.

It's not really a shimmy, just vibration, I feel it in the steering, but not on the Shifter or my seat.
It is definitely front drivetrain.
And I'll talk to my mechanic about swapping the inner CV Joints.

Thanks
Greg.
 

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(!)
The experience I had with this was a shimmy - a small actual movement in the steering wheel. Mine wasn't felt elsewhere either. But it was very on-off, determined by whether I was pressing on the go-pedal or not. And mine was seen/felt at gentle application as well as more. I noticed it in a car I just purchased used, so I didn't experience it building from zero. That car had been used for commuting and had not been abused. It had 200k+ miles on it.

The problem with these inner CV joints when they fail is that you can see pits develop on the driven side of the races. Since there is no way the CV joints will always remain exactly in synch with each other, the shimmy comes from the back and forth movements of the respective CV joint when the ball falls in and out of that pit in each race.

Swapping them cures it because when you change sides, the pits are not in the driven sides of the races any more. You will get many tens, and perhaps hundreds of thousands of miles out of the 'new' sides of the races.

If yours is just a vibration at this point, it is either just starting, or possibly it is something in the final drive of the transaxle. How is the fluid level in it? Has the transaxle fluid been changed recently?
 

comsult

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2002
Location
Terrace, BC. Canada
TDI
02 Dk. Blue
The experience I had with this was a shimmy - a small actual movement in the steering wheel. Mine wasn't felt elsewhere either. But it was very on-off, determined by whether I was pressing on the go-pedal or not.

Swapping them cures it because when you change sides, the pits are not in the driven sides of the races any more. You will get many tens, and perhaps hundreds of thousands of miles out of the 'new' sides of the races.

If yours is just a vibration at this point, it is either just starting, or possibly it is something in the final drive of the transaxle. How is the fluid level in it? Has the transaxle fluid been changed recently?
Thanks for the clear concise description. Exactly the same as mine.
ONLY felt under accelleration. No Noise, but felt in the steering wheel.
She's due for a Transmission & transaxle fluid change.
Bearings have been done. (I know the Sound and feel of worn Bearings)
Recent Front Brake pads and rotors.
This vibration did not occur after any work was done on the front end. So it cannot be contributed to any changes. It just developed to the point over the winter, when I noticed it.
Of Course winter is not the time I use the GO pedel heavily, so when the weather improved, my driving habits also got a little more.....Shall we say agressive? and thats when I noticed the vibration.

Going to talk to my mechanic on Tuesday. He is closed on Mondays.

Thanks for the detailed post.
Greg.
 

JETaah

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
mi 48836
TDI
96 B4V, 1999.5 jettaIV,2005 BEW Beetle
Inner CV joints...
You might plan on inspecting both of the inner CV joint boots as well; they tend to crack in the valleys of the small ends. Look for it.
 

03Springer

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2003
Location
Southern Nevada
TDI
2003 Golf GL+ 2013 A3 TDI
Have you replaced the transmission mount, upper and lower, and possibly the engine mount? If this vibration happens only under load the mounts are being exercized and possibly metal to metal somewhere is being transmitted to the frame. Hope you find it. I had a vibration buzz when I accelerated in first and second, I lived with this for two weeks until I found the transmission mount was worn out and overextending.
 
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