ok i have 1998 jetta gls 2.0 and this morning...230am me and a friend were on our way home when all of a sudden we came to a stop sign and it died...cranked it over to no avail...tryed pop starting it and got it to run for a quick second...so we park it and try to get someone to pick us up...of course no one did...so we go back to the car and i carnk it over for a few seconds and it fires up...runs like crap but its running...it was a little wet outside but it never has bothered it before. So on the ride home my engine light is flashing like crazy and it stalled a couple times on the way..it had no power and my buddy said he could see "smoke" from the side the airbox is on PLEASE HELP IS NEEDED!! thanks

 

I used tohave a 98 jetta that did the exact same thing and i discovered that there was moisture under the distributor cap...if it had been raining the night b4 or i took it to the car wash it wouldn't start or if it did it would stall out or act as if i wasn't going fast enough for the gear it was in. My check engine light would flash light crazy and it would run like crap but then the next day it would act as if nothing would happen. I would recommend checking for moisture it almost looks like a soda can sweating in the summer time haha..hope this is helpful.
Jenna

 

I drive a 2001 Jetta 4 1.6. Sometimes when I drive and approach a stop or robot and depress the clutch, the revs drop and the engine cuts out. It then takes between 30 secs to 5 mins to get the engine running again. It does not happen constantly, but this weekend it happened about 4 times. I had it tested and the service centre said I need to replace the throttle body and the ignition unit on the distributor. This seems a bit far fetched and very expensive. Could it be the problem or should I look at something else? I had the starter reconed today and will get the car back tomorrow. Please assist if there is anything else that any one could suggest.

 

First thing, check the trouble codes. Find someone with a scan tool or take it to a dealership and have them scan it. It might cost you $40 or so but it'll get you started in the right direction. I have my own and it's come in handy lots of times. I have seen cheap ones for around $100 and they're universal for most cars '96 and newer using OBD II. If you plan on doing your own mechanical work it's a must have. However you problem does sound like the ignition.
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