Mk 5 Golf GT - engine judder

Hi

I have recently sold my faithful mk4 GTI and upgraded to the mk5 GT. I have noticed that when stood in stationery traffic it sometimes feels like the car is being rocked, as it judders. I have spoked to the VW dealer where i bought it, and they mentioned that as a performance vehicle, it will have flat spots? They didn't really seem to want to know, but can anyone else advise me what this problem might be? Or are you suffering the same problem? What is a flat spot?

The other thing which is noticeable with the car, is that you can hear a sloshing noise, when you stop suddenly or pull off suddenly. VW said this was just the fuel moving around the tank, but i have not come across this in a car for about 10 years or more. Does anybody know if this is normal?


Stevie Wonder

 

sounds like a typical vag copout.

 

yer cars are well know for flat spots while at idling depends how & when it happens
what sort of mileage is on it, what sort of engine temps does it happen?
A flywheel on the was out can feel juddery at idle, with no other symptoms. and can come and go at times at the beginning

I have no idea on the sloshing

 

The car doesn't seem to judder when starting from cold. It starts once it has started to warm up a bit and the needle just lifts above the bottom temp. It seems to happen more as it reaches temperature. Strangely enough, it does say in the logbook that the car was recalled by VW for a flywheel problem. The mileage has just hit 30,000.

Sorry to sound daft but what is a fly wheel?

 

So its a GT TDI? One of the old type, not the new GT?

 

it's a mk 5 GT (TDI). The juddering seems reduced if you push the clutch in???

 

yep the 2L GT TDI's had a recall on the flywheels, now the sticker in the back just means it should of had the recall which states the flywheel should be checked to see if it fits the profile of one of the suppliers which should be replaced.

so in english, its been checked and weather anything was replaced is another matter

The flywheel is large mass of metal thats connected to the engine, the clutch transmits the power via the flywheel to the gearbox. it also helps reduce any uneven lumpiness of the crank working, in the past couple years they have developed in to a duel mass version to work smoother on gear changes!

I'd think about taking it back in, tell them it still juddering , seems to be intermittent fault mostly in the warm up period that is reduced when depressing the clutch, and if they have any record if the recall was required to be carried out when you show them the stamp in the book

also find out weather it is covered by warranty (clutch won't unless it's consequently damage) as flywheels shouldn't fail so soon

 

Thanks for all the help. My Golf was taken into VW today, who said that the flywheel was fine, and that the likely problem is that i have been using cheap supermarket fuel! Not being a technical sort of person when it comes to cars, i thought this sounded crazy! Could this be right? Should i be using fuel only from BP or Shell as the service manager recommended? Is using cheap fuel likely to cause engine judder?

 

possible, remotely possible. is your gt one of the twin charged things? and youve got 30k miles on it already? lol !

my ancient golf has a slight rock at idle, but only if its stone cold. once warm its rock solid.

have you had a look under the lid with the engine running? does the engine visibly rock?

 

The car is a GT Tdi, 2 years old. May consider getting it re-tuned at somewhere local to me, so that it really goes like stink but thought i would wait until i get these little teething problems out of the way first. I haven't looked under the lid to be honest, but that is a very good idea. Thanks for that, i will check it in daylight tomorrow

 

jeez. you didnt mention it was a diesel at all. different matter all together. i used to have a 2002 a4 130tdi thing. that started to get an idle wobble, which i cured with Millers diesel injector cleaner. very useful, still have some in fact. recommend that a lot.

next, check whether or not your egr is sticking. these engines have a problem where the breather basically coats the entire intake system in oil. the egr valve introduces soot to that oil and makes junk. if the egr is slightly stuck open, it makes the idle awkward.

 

15k a year!

Are you a rep?

 

Is the EGR something that is easy to look at, or is it a job for a garage?

And no i am not a rep. I bought the car just a few weeks ago, but think that the previous owner could have been

 

With regards to fuel if you look on the sticker inside the fuel flap it should tell you the cetane rating of the fuel that vw recommends to use, just check this is the same as that on the pump next time you fill up

 

All UK Fuel is all made to a standard. I once spoke to the Technical Manager at VW and he told me he would only fill up at the major players.
The other thing you need to remember is that fuel is stored at the garage in underground tanks. If the tanks are left half full for some time then condensation forms in the tanks and this can then get into the fuel and hence your tank and engine. If you buy petrol from a retailer that does not sell much fuel then you are at a greater risk of getting condensation in with the fuel you buy.
I tend to buy fuel from the major players and garages which sell lots of fuel and I have not had a problem with fuel.
Hope this helps.

 

Change the fuel filter and put a WYNNS fuel treatment in with half a tank of fuel, cheap and will rule out fueling problems..

 

Thanks for all the advice. I will check everything out. Thanks for the help guys

 

If the judering is temperature dependand, it's very unlikely to be mechanical, eg flywheel. Tank it a few times with the highest grade fuel you can get hold of, as a fault finding investigation. There's a lot of info and advice about cheap supermarket fuel causing engine problems on Honest john. There was a lot of problems a few years back, there's a reason it's cheap....

 

R U a singer?

 

15k a year makes you a rep? my golf has done 11k since april this year, im well on my way to being rep of the year now