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On July 18 2010 15:03 Razii wrote:
Just to clear things up, the Idle Air Control valve would do absolutely nothing in this situation, because it is only used during idle.
And a starter? C'mon guys, that is only used to start the car.
Anyways, as others said, I'd check the struts and bearings.
One sure way to make sure it's a blown strut, check your tires, if the tire wear is not even throughout and the tread is wornout in a cupped fashion, then it's a blown strut.
I've driven in a car with blown struts, it had some vibrations, but it wasn't that harsh.
It also stopped vibrating when I went off the throttle.
So, looks like that car had similar issues as you, but less severe.
Anyways, check the tires.
Second, check the bearings, jack the car up and wiggle the wheel, if you can wobble it, it's a bad bearing.
Bearings are made pretty well these days and can stand quite a bit of abuse though, but you never know.
If it's not too much to ask, could you show me pictures of what kind of wear/tear I should look for?
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He's a bastard (he's beyond a problem child and has complete lack of respect for anyone in our family)
Well, that's important info and very possibly the source of your problem. Cowboy driving can easily cause shit to go wrong in all types of ways. I doubt a carpet would cause any problems unless it was really tightly bound up or very stiff - enough to make you feel a BANG when your drove over it. Typically, though, it would be more like Karnage said - hitting a massive pothole or hitting a curb at high speed, etc. Anything where the wheel or axle suffers hard impact stress is killer on your bearings, struts, CV, etc.
If I had a brother like that the little bastard wouldn't be anywhere near MY car!
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On July 18 2010 15:58 Spartan wrote:
If it's not too much to ask, could you show me pictures of what kind of wear/tear I should look for?
![[image loading]](http://www.2carpros.com/how_does_it_work/images/tire_wear_pattern.jpg)
On the right.
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That's a good picture posted by jgad, now the wear might not be as obvious as it is in the picture, but look at the top of the tire, the wear should be flat and even, it it looks lumpy and uneven, then it's a blown shock.
I'd check all 4 tires just to be safe.
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Okay, got around to doing a bunch of tests..
- Raised the driver/passenger side tires and they didn't shake or wobble noticeably unusual.
- Engine is not rocking so it's probably not the mounts.
- Revving on neutral/parked does not result in vibration.
I have noticed this though..
![[image loading]](http://vgcache.com/datas/images/5521-tire_wear_pattern.jpg)
On the passenger side tire there's a noticeable strip of wear/tear ringing around the outside of the tire. It's where the pink line is on the image above. I figure it's probably now just an alignment problem, but you never know..
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Oh, and I noticed that this hose that was patched up previously had broken again. Not sure if it was from all the vibrating that broke the patch, but I just patched it up again (with duct tape and zip ties)..
![[image loading]](http://vgcache.com/datas/images/5522-Photo502.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://vgcache.com/datas/images/5523-Photo503.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://vgcache.com/datas/images/5524-Photo505.jpg)
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Hmm, sounds like the problem here is your a male and drive a jetta. O.o
Seriosuly though, sounds like either
Alignment is off
your wheels are not balanced correctly
you have a cracked/broken motor mount
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It's a handed-down car.  From my dad, to older brother, to me, and soon to my little brother.
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On July 20 2010 04:08 Spartan wrote: I figure it's probably now just an alignment problem, but you never know..
Could still be a number of things, dude. From the wear you describe it might even be king pins or ball joints. Hard to say without actually having a good look at it.
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Okay, just an update. The tire misalignment is most likely a separate issue because after re-patching that broken hose in the above pictures the car seems to have stopped vibrating. Of course, that's only after 2 drives today on errands. We'll see how it holds up over the next 24 hours. I'm not sure exactly what that hose was for, but it did lead to the engine.
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I'm not schooled about Jettas but it looks like maybe a coolant hose? I'd keep an eye on your engine temp... 0_o
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Took it for another drive just now to a BMW repair shop (had to drop off dad to pick up mom's car). On the way there the vibration was pretty much gone, but it came back for a few seconds on the way back. While we were at the shop we asked the guy and he agreed that it's most likely something to do with the house. So I'm thinking, though my patch got rid of the vibration for the most part, there may be a leak alone the same hose line somewhere or maybe my patch just isn't air tight.
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I'm unsure what that hose leads to or how it could've caused vibrations, I've never worked on a Jetta before.
Glad it got fixed though.
Is that a hose with a plastic sheath?
If it's just a cover take it off and see if the rubber hose underneath is torn, patching that would be much more effective.
For the long run, you'll want to replace it with a hose that isn't torn, if you're lucky and can find a Jetta with the same engine at the junkyard then you can get it for cheap, otherwise you'll need to go to the dealership but things are pretty pricey there.
I would also replace the tire with the wonky wear pattern for safety's sake.
Any pictures of the tire with the weird wear pattern?
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The hose is for the air intake to the engine, from what the manual says. There's no rubber inside. It's just a plastic tube, which is why it's probably brittle. I'll take a picture of the tire tomorrow.
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Ohh I see, good thing you patched that up, that crack was probably introducing unmetered air into the engine which is a bad thing.
So, the vibrations are gone completely?
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90% sure its the spark plugs.
I had almost the exact same issue with my van. The iginition wiring was wearing out and the plugs were getting dirty. Cleaned them off with a bit of sandpaper and changed the wiring and problem was solved.
It literally took me all day going back and forth from the auto zone to buy tools and parts but the job itself didn't take long to do at all.
ignition wiring is like 20$
If you want further assistance try calling into those famous car guys show on saturday morning.
PS- I got a lot of the same theories from people trying to diagnose my problem and i figured out something important about mechanics. They never use Occam's razor.
The resonating thing sounds intelligent and plausible, but what if just at that certain speed your car isn't getting the correct power it needs causing it to rattle by working harder or stuttering. Once you get passed that zone in either direction it's fine.
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I hope your problem is already solved but if it comes back and all options already mentioned don't work out it could be your sub-frame is bent out of shape. You already said you didn't hit anything but still...
I had the exact same symtoms as you describe. My sub-frame was bent slightly out of shape and this in combination with the natural resonance of things caused the misbehaviour of the car. It also explains the wear on the wheel because your car ever so slightly wants to go to that side. This also explains why it worsens when you take a turn to one side but nothing happens when you turn to the other side.
If it is indeed a problem with your sub-frame it could be pretty expensive.
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EPT
