87 Jetta problems
#1
08-23-2007, 05:48 PM
87 Jetta problems
I have an 87 Jetta that has recently had it's fuel pump replaced. (Pumps, maybe? I paid to have one replaced that was inside the gas tank and I thought I also had a fuel pump-something replaced somewhere else)
Anyway, I'm having issues and no luck getting them fixed. Maybe you can tell that I'm also not mechanically inclined, but I think I should really try to figure this out.
The car will turn over, but won't start. This happens in the mornings, if I take my car on lunch breaks, and when I try to go home in the evening. There is no set time. Sometimes it starts, sometimes it doesn't. There doesn't appear to be any certain time/instance when it happens, it's just random. I read a post on here about removing and putting the gas cap back on - that didn't work for me.
When it does start and I'm happily on my way to work/home, it will *hiccup*. I don't know any other way to describe it. I'll be driving along then it will completely die for a couple of seconds (the dial that registers the RPM's in the dashboard goes down to zero and I'll be coasting along with no power) then it'll start up again and act like nothing happened. Sometimes when it does this, the car actually jerks, sometimes it happens so smoothly that I only know my car isn't running because it's not making it's usual noises. Again, it seems random - sometimes the engine is cold, sometimes it's warm, the road is smooth or there are bumps.
I ask my fiancee to look at it and he tells me to look it up in a manual. I've bought afew different repair manuals and they're all impossible for me to make sense of. I'm really tired (and can't afford) to pay my mechanic a minimum of $300 each time I go take my car there - especially when it's not fixed when they're done.
My poor Jetta has SEVERAL issues, this one is the one that worrys me most. I know it's an older car, but I love it's style, comfort and it's huge trunk lol. I'd like to keep it a lot longer, so I'm really hoping to hear some advise other than "junk it".
Thanks,
-Nora
Anyway, I'm having issues and no luck getting them fixed. Maybe you can tell that I'm also not mechanically inclined, but I think I should really try to figure this out.
The car will turn over, but won't start. This happens in the mornings, if I take my car on lunch breaks, and when I try to go home in the evening. There is no set time. Sometimes it starts, sometimes it doesn't. There doesn't appear to be any certain time/instance when it happens, it's just random. I read a post on here about removing and putting the gas cap back on - that didn't work for me.
When it does start and I'm happily on my way to work/home, it will *hiccup*. I don't know any other way to describe it. I'll be driving along then it will completely die for a couple of seconds (the dial that registers the RPM's in the dashboard goes down to zero and I'll be coasting along with no power) then it'll start up again and act like nothing happened. Sometimes when it does this, the car actually jerks, sometimes it happens so smoothly that I only know my car isn't running because it's not making it's usual noises. Again, it seems random - sometimes the engine is cold, sometimes it's warm, the road is smooth or there are bumps.
I ask my fiancee to look at it and he tells me to look it up in a manual. I've bought afew different repair manuals and they're all impossible for me to make sense of. I'm really tired (and can't afford) to pay my mechanic a minimum of $300 each time I go take my car there - especially when it's not fixed when they're done.
My poor Jetta has SEVERAL issues, this one is the one that worrys me most. I know it's an older car, but I love it's style, comfort and it's huge trunk lol. I'd like to keep it a lot longer, so I'm really hoping to hear some advise other than "junk it".
Thanks,
-Nora
#2
08-23-2007, 11:30 PM
RE: 87 Jetta problems
no wy dont junk it! you have a treasure there! Sounds like youre losing fuel intermittently. Try running injector cleaner, with any luck you just have clogged lines/injectors, and you can get yourself fixed up easy
