Hesitation at partial throttle when cold

[Big Red]

Anyone else notice the engine stumbling a bit at very light throttle application and when the engine is not warmed up. Happens some when warm but less. It seems to happen in 3-4 gears when trying to maintain speed in town.

 

[MyAvocation]

A very cold TDI is a sluggish dog. Given temps are unusually warm, sounds like you may have a problem. This is a general statement, so better advice will come from actual Passat owners living in northern US.

 

[TomB]

I have not noticed this and had driven the car during the 35 degree temps before I went on vacation.

 

[under2x]

I have noticed this occasionally as well. I stayed over night at keystone last night and it was around 5 degrees when I started it this morning, no problems, so i don't know.

 

[no-blue-screen]

I have notice this in mine. It has been fairly cold. Mine only does it in 3rd gear when the engine is not at operating temp. It doesn't bother me as I just goose the go pedal a little to wake it back up.

 

[tao]

Same as blueScreen for me. Cold temps + cold engine + 3rd gear = occasional sluggishness. Solution: give it more "go", the closer to peak torque the less the problem for me.

 

[Wedge]

Ditto for me as blueScreen & toa noted. I thought I may have been imagining things, but I have felt it a couple of times. A very slight kick down in power for just a moment. Felt like when the AC comes on in my Subaru. For me this is not an issue, just wanted to chime in and mention it.

 

[Big Red]

Yeah, less about actual temp out side and more about normal outside temp as compared to normal operating temp of the engine. a.k.a. 50f verusus temp gage centered.

Clearly the solution is a different gear or step on gas, but weird that this is happening. Seems like an issue with programming with respect to when to turn off the gas versus an idle state.

 

[TomB]

It appears those who are noticing this have the 6M transmission.

I do not have this with the DSG.

 

[lojeff10]

I have noticed this too. This is my first diesel so I thought it was just one of the cold weather quirks for a diesel. I will mention it at my 10k appointment.

 

[wolfsburg_de]

My 6MT does this too at VERY light accelerator application. Slight decelleration in 3rd at 30 mph will oscillate noticeably between part "throttle" and idle maps. Check the instantaneous fuel economy while it does it, goes between 60-90 mpg.

 

[Big Red]

Yes, 6M has this issue it appears. Maybe a fuel map problem?

 

[Niner]

Wow, had to dig this up... thought the same thing this afternoon, it was warm out too, motor wasn't, but felt like a flat spot, right off of idle, when stepping lightly into the go pedal coming off a red light, like the throttle had a dead spot and did nothing at all. Made for a bit of a jerky start, I fed more clutch than I should have when the throttle doesn't respond. MT6 here, too.

 

[r11]

+1 here ... not so much in way of hesitation, but she jerks a bit. Funny, I am trying not to have it warm up any, in idle, as they say it will take forever and instead, try to get her going right away.

Anyone from VW here ? I'd hate to call the dealer about it and go through hours worth of motions (they'd need to make sure the engine is cool first, half of a day wasted right there).

 

[Niner]

I'm just going to live with it... VW's are quirky, period. There would be no way to duplicate it for the service writer, it's not going to show any code... so they really have no means of diagnosis. Totally unpredictable, when it will do it, mine has done it maybe 2 times in 1400 miles.

 

[tdiatlast]

Gee...no cold start-up hesitation here...with the DSG

...maybe the grandma slushbox has been so dumbed down the hesitation isn't being transmitted through to the granny driver? (I thought I'd provide the opening salvo for all you testosterone-rich macho rowers out there...)

 

[TomB]

Gee...no cold start-up hesitation here...with the DSG

...maybe the grandma slushbox has been so dumbed down the hesitation isn't being transmitted through to the granny driver? (I thought I'd provide the opening salvo for all you testosterone-rich macho rowers out there...)

You are being evil.....Do not feed the animals...

 

[Wedge]

My ride is due in on Friday for 90 day checkup. Anyone ever get an answer as to the cause of this hesitation issue? I feel it in my car almost every morning at the same spot just down the road from my house. It really feels like a very heavy electical load on the engine. We even felt it when the car was in gear but not on the gas (diesel) pedal.

Thanks!

 

[NateM]

My ride is due in on Friday for 90 day checkup. Anyone ever get an answer as to the cause of this hesitation issue? I feel it in my car almost every morning at the same spot just down the road from my house. It really feels like a very heavy electical load on the engine. We even felt it when the car was in gear but not on the gas (diesel) pedal.

Thanks!

Add another one to the list. 6 speed manual here also. I've had the car for 6 weeks now, it started 2 weeks ago and it does it every morning now...gonna mention it to the dealer monday

 

[Niner]

Since we've been having 60 to 70 F days, I've stopped experiencing this phenomena.

 

[gergg]

Same here, very light acceleration, only in 3rd gear while dead cold, slight jumpiness, funny as it happens in exactly the same spot leaving my neighborhood and only lasts a few seconds, I can avoid it by keeping the the car in 2nd gear a little longer or 3rd with slightly higher rpm's, even so it is no big deal to me as it is easily avoided. I seem to remember a similar symptom in my dsg Golf.

 

[Wedge]

Just an update after my service. They did not find any codes (as expected). Asked if this was my first diesel (yes) and then said something that went like this...bla bla bla. They did let me know that if I wanted I could leave the car overnight to see if they could experiance it. So for me it's still not a problem worth leaving the car.

 

[NateM]

Just an update after my service. They did not find any codes (as expected). Asked if this was my first diesel (yes) and then said something that went like this...bla bla bla. They did let me know that if I wanted I could leave the car overnight to see if they could experiance it. So for me it's still not a problem worth leaving the car.

That's where I'm at right now. I don't have time to leave the car overnight. What I notice is that it does it almost every morning when cruising through the neighborhood in 3rd gear at 1800 rpm. It rpm will suddenly drop to 1600 rpm and will be bogging for about 3 seconds and then come back to life. It's annoying..

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Leave it and get it checked out.

 

[NateM]

Update on this issue. I left the car overnight at my local dealer for this issue. It happens every morning and evening leaving work when the engine is cold. The tech got it to happen to him on the test ride and he said that it was pulling fuel at the moment of hesitation, but gave no explanation why. I think it may be a problem with the ecu programming, but the dealer couldn't give me a solution. They left the work order open for now.

 

[r11]

In my case, 3rd gear is the worst offender ... bucks like a wild horse on cold mornings when you release the accelerator pedal, so I avoid it for first few mins.

Clearly the ECU map they got for that: cold coolant/engine, low RPM, low load, is a bit outta whack

 

[Niner]

In my case, 3rd gear is the worst offender ... bucks like a wild horse on cold mornings when you release the accelerator pedal, so I avoid it for first few mins.

Clearly the ECU map they got for that: cold coolant/engine, low RPM, low load, is a bit outta whack

I think it's not the fuel mapping per say, as it is an intake flapper of sorts that chokes the air off, resulting in no combustion, despite fuel being there.

I just put the accelerator pedal through it, until it catches again, and the motor runs fine. Just slightly more throttle cures it.

 

[LimonPani]

+1 for me, happened this morning but it seems no need to worry after reading the posts here.

 

[Driver_found]

Same thing happens to me too. 99% of the time in 1st gear.
Like there is full power, then limited power, then full power again. I give it more throttle to get past it.
Waiting until I get more than 5k miles on it, just incase there is something related to break-in period.

 

[IXLR8]

I am on my 3rd tank of fuel, no issues with the first two tanks, Citgo and then Mobil. With this last tank from Sunoco, I notice hesitation now and again doesn't matter if the engine is hot or cold. Once last week, at about 150 miles into my 200 mile trip, I downshifted from 6th gear to 4th gear to pass some folks, stepped on the go pedal.. nothing. I had to abort the pass and was stuck behind someone doing 45 in a 55 zone for the next 10 miles. My 02 TDI Golf would have handled that passing situation with no issue. Looks like my courtesy check will be coming sooner rather than later. Or maybe it is time for a tune. Next tank of fuel will not be from Sunoco!!