I have been reading posts for the last couple weeks and can not figure this one out!
I recently got SUCKERED into buying a 1998 Passat 1.8 standard shift(160,000 miles). The reason I say suckered is because the guy lied about not having any problems.
After driving 10 miles, a tow truck had to be called.
The main problem: VERY hard to start hot/cold. Every time I try to start it, I HAVE TO floor the gas peddle and it will start after about 5 turn overs. While driving it, there is minimal power and it stalls out when coming to stops.
The main thing I noticed is that when it starts in my driveway, the RPM gauge reads zero unless I give it a little gas. I know every car "running" should show RPM close to (1). So I wonder if this is a tach sensor problem.
Originally I got two codes (cyl 2 and 4 misfire). I swapped the coils around and erased the code. After a week of driving around, they never came back on. No other codes are showing up.
I went ahead and ordered a new ICM (on air box). No diffrence! I pulled the throttle body and it was fairly clean. Went ahead and cleaned with a toothbrush and throttle cleaner. One thing I noticed on the butterfly: I can push the trap closed an extra 1/4 inch. Do these have a little freeplay? The trap seems to seal all the way around on its own. When I push it all the way, it is straight up and down.
Another thing I noticed is that you can smell strong fumes from tail pipe(more then a normal vehicle). The engine gets hot FAST 3 minutes 190 degrees.
We checked the compression and plugs, all is good! The previous owner changed the fluids and did a tune up. Also he put a new battery in (500 CCA). I thought this was a little small so I put a (700CCA) in and is started a "little faster", but still doing the same thing. I am wondering if it could possibly be the alternator(battery seems to get low).
I was debating on changing the temp sensor..........
I did find several loose hoses on the vacuum lines. No change after installing clamps. I follow each line and could not find any cracks. Can I just start from scratch and install all rubber hoses? I doubt it will fix my problem but since its cheap, its worth a shot.
This is my first/last VW! Parts are just to far out there!
I am sure someone on this site has already fixed this problem.... Any Ideas?????
Thanks everyone ahead of time! I've got 20 to the first person who can solve this riddle! I dont want to throw parts at it untill the problem goes away!