[Vwdiesel] Vibration in 2001 Jetta Diesel

[Val Christian]

Be suspicious of CV joints.  Sometimes they hang up and the symptoms 
are similar to what you describe.  The bad news is that they can 
eventually fail on short notice.

Val

> 
> To All:
> 
> I own a 2001 VW Jetta Diesel with 151,000 miles on it.  I drive approximately 
> 1300 miles each week as part of my job.  Now for the problem:
> 
> I have an intermittent vibration in the drive train or engine somewhere that 
> at times is quite severe.  To give some idea of how intermittent, this past 
> Tuesday evening, the vibration was quite noticeable from Columbus, Ohio to 
> Dayton, Ohio.  After that, all the way to about 50 miles east of Kansas City, 
> absolutely nothing but a very smooth ride.  Then just a small amount of vibration 
> for about two miles, then nothing again.
> 
> The dealer and a local independent mechanic who is very familiar with VW's 
> have worked on this for the last 90,000 to 100,000 miles and found nothing to 
> cause the problem.  The tires have been checked and rotated numerous times, and 
> balanced numerous times.  The tires have been changed once and are about 
> 20,000 from being changed again.  There is no abnormal wear pattern on the tires.  
> 
> The computer checks of the engine indicate no abnormalities in that area.  
> All maintenance has been performed per the manufacturer's recommendations to 
> include oil, filter, tire rotation, and belt replacements.  Fuel mileage varies 
> depending on A/C usage and loading from 47 to 55 miles per gallon.  The highest 
> ever obtained was 58, and the lowest or worst was 44.  The loading of the 
> vehicle seems to have no affect on whether or not the vehicle vibrates.  Wind 
> direction and "brand" of fuel seem to have the most effect on the mileage 
> obtained.  Biodiesel gets me the worst mileage overall.  I cannot state with accuracy 
> whether or not the difference in fuel "brand" has any effect on the vibration 
> or not, but at times, the frequency seems to have been worse after fueling at 
> a "cut-rate" truck stop.  That is something that I am watching closely at the 
> moment.
> 
> The vibration will sometimes come on at odd intervals of maybe 10 to 20 miles 
> and sometimes as noted above, there was nearly 600 miles between the 
> vibration episodes.  The problem started at between 50,000 and 60,000 miles.  This 
> vibration is quite noticeable in the steering wheel.
> 
> If anyone has any ideas, I would sure appreciate hearing from you.
> 
> Emmit Williams
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