New issue started this morning

greggyc1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Location
Columbia, TN
TDI
2001 New Beetle Cool White
It's pretty cold here right now, 29 this morning. My 01 beetle has been great since the new clutch, metal thermostat housing, and sensor gasket fix. I drove to work last night and everything was just great. I come out of the hospital this morning l, start my car as normal and drive out of the parking garage. When I pulled out into the street my car was doing this weird go no go go no go feeling. Like it was going in and out of limp mode for lack of a better description. He has NEVER done anything like this. Well I go up the ramp to I65 and it's still doing it but then the surging stops but I thought to myself it is now in limp mode and sure enough it was. No more surging just not much power. I go a few miles and restart the car to reset the limp mode. Power seems back to normal. Then I get to my exit and have a few red lights to shift thru and I feel it again. I thought it may be the turbo itself as its days are numbered, or a vacuum problem, but then I thought maybe a MAF issue. It's the original one with 342,800 miles and 23 1/2 years old. So I get home and read codes. 16786-egr because I have the vacuum line off and plugged. 16764- glow plug...I just put new ones in but didn't clear the codes. 16786- MAF problem. I thought maybe I knocked something loose when I changed the temp sensor gasket so I jiggled the plug and pushed it on good. Why the sudden issue? I will drive it again tonight to work 50 miles trek and see what happens. When I tried to clear the MAF code it said "done" but the cel never went off and it was immediately still there. I haven't checked again since the wires wiggle trial. But again, this has never happened before. I don't have vcds. Fine last night and not fine this morning. Weird. I need this car to last at least another year and a half til my truck is paid off.
 

CanadianALH

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2023
Location
Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta 5spd 2006 Jetta DSG (wifes)
I would unplug the MAF and see if that makes a difference on the drive. If it does then you know that’s your problem you should have plenty of power. When my turbo failed it just got really loud and almost no boost. So I’m sure your turbo is ok if it didn’t start smoking.
 

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,glutton for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB , added an 06 NB DSG
Out of curiosity….. when was the fuel filter last changed?
Also in your area is the fuel winterized ? I had a similar situation a few years ago and mine was cause by fuel gelling in the filter and “ my bad “ hadn’t changed the fuel filter in a couple of years.
A new filter and a regular dose of Power service solved my issues….. just a thought….
 

greggyc1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Location
Columbia, TN
TDI
2001 New Beetle Cool White
Fuel filter is new, air filter is clean, snorkel is completely clean because I just did it, and my fuel is always treated by me. 23 years I've never had any problem with gelling even down to zero.
 
Last edited:

greggyc1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Location
Columbia, TN
TDI
2001 New Beetle Cool White
Way back when my had only 40k Miles in it, it developed a problem of not wanting to boost. Dealership took a few weeks and had to contact engineers in Germany to figure it out but it was the ECU which was replaced under warranty. During that time though, I was still driving it and temporarily the fix was to unplug the MAF sensor so I at least had most of my power back. My car feels like that now, like the MAF is unplugged. No more surging at all but not the full torque either. I kinda feel like the MAF just died. It is the original from the factory after all. We shall see. I have to wait til I'm off work and it's going to be down in single digits temps and I have no enclosed garage.
 

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
Add some power service diesel 911 and drive it around a bit. A half bottle or so won’t hurt and may be all that’s needed.

I doubt Tennessee is prepared for the single digit temp and maybe lower that you are forecast for, we are forecast for -20F on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning I’m going to add a half bottle of 911 to my Golf and my daughters Jetta today. Just to be prepared.
 

Genesis

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Location
Sevier County TN
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon
Entirely possible it was the MAF; they don't fail very often for real (its usually something else on any vehicle) but when they do they do. I would not be even slightly surprised, however, if you had partial gelling on fuel as well. Depending on where you buy it that stuff might have been last loaded in the early fall and not be blended for winter at all. I have always been careful taking the Jetta north in the winter when I lived in FL for this exact reason and stuck some white PS in the tank on such trips if I was filling anywhere other than a truck stop that turns over rapidly. Getting stuck with jello in the tank is not fun as there's really no way out of the box if that happens other than stick the car somewhere warm until it warms up!
 

ExBenz

Member
Joined
May 11, 2015
Location
Evansville, Indiana
TDI
'04 Golf
It was the MAF. Diagnostic is to unplug it and let the ECU act like it's broken, will run fine but poor mileage until you get a new one. MAF is definitely bad if unplugging it causes the limp mode to go away.

The EGR error is because the ECU calculates EGR flow indirectly using the data from the MAF, engine rpm, and boost pressure to calculate "mising" air where exhaust gas replaces intake air. Bad MAF makes the ECU think there is too much EGR flow.

Just happened to me a couple years ago. It's intermittent at first, but eventually you will end up with limp mode all the time.
 

greggyc1

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Location
Columbia, TN
TDI
2001 New Beetle Cool White
Well the EGR code is there because I have the vacuum hose unhooked and plugged since my intake cleanout. I've been using power service in my car since I got it new silver for summer white in winter. Every tank without fail. Gelling has never been an issue in this car nor my diesel Chevy truck. Cars running great on the interstate tonight. I still love my fahrvergnügen.
 
Top