Finding limits to my ability

[svtrit]

Dad and I did a garage bottom end rebuild on our 2002 Beetle. Now the engine is in, and runs like a champ, however....

1. Transmission won't shift past 3rd gear, and shudders very hard on downshift. Oh, and 3rd gear only works above 40mph....
2. You name it, the light is shining on the dashboard. The light that shines changes every time I try to drive it.....
3. It was overcharging, now it is under charging, within 2 starts.
4. ECM was not working, now it is.
5. The scanner has some consistent codes, but new ones pop up as others go away when I clear the codes.
6. it has a BAD oil leak, which I hope is not the new Rear Main seal we installed.


Outside of pulling the front end off again and going plug by plug, my hands are in the air, as there is nothing consistent going on. My wife says I should sell it and try to recoup what I have in repairs ($1000) and move on. I may look into the donation route as well, with the value of used cars these days. That would be a nice write off.

It's just a nice car.....and my daughter will need one soon.

 

[wpod]

It is not a nice car considering the problems you have had. What is the car worth and how much more are you wanting to spend?

 

[svtrit]

It is not a nice car considering the problems you have had. What is the car worth and how much more are you wanting to spend?

That is the question. I fear being the guy that sold a car that needed a $10 part and could be flipped for $3000.

My gut says this isn’t that car, and I don’t want to spend anymore on it. I may let it sit and find another Beetle I can swap the new parts on to, such as the tires, battery, timing belt, water pump, etc.

 

[nwjones18]

I've never had one myself, but I feel like all the Bettles that are of that vintage are riddled with electrical problems. At least I see a lot for sale cheap with those kinds of issues.

 

[mattd]

For the electrical issues go over all your grounds.

As far as the oil leak, where’s it coming from?

 

[Spyderman24_7]

I've never had one myself, but I feel like all the Bettles that are of that vintage are riddled with electrical problems. At least I see a lot for sale cheap with those kinds of issues.

I'm a bit surprised it can even hit the 40 mph mark!

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Dreadful vehicles. Sell sell sell.

 

[IndyIan]

Sounds more like the limit of your patience? Maybe you just forgot a ground or two? If you can leave it for a bit and come back to it with fresh eyes you might find something obvious, or have the energy to chase each issue down one at a time.

 

[svtrit]

For the electrical issues go over all your grounds.

As far as the oil leak, where’s it coming from?

Between the engine and trans. I hope it's just loose oil pan bolts, but I am very sure that is not the case. Haven't jacked it up to look closer.

I may let it sit for a while, as I agree, frustration is making my vision cloudy and my patience short. It costs nothing for it to sit.

 

[JC1]

What was wrong with the car before you did the work? Maybe some connectors were not hooked up. When i changed the timing belt on my Toyota Sienna I forgot to hook up the pcv valve and some other connector. It made an awful noise and ran rough until I hooked everything back up.

 

[ron17571]

Find another person to have a fresh look at it. Pay them if necessary. My friend bought a Mustang years ago for 350.00 because it wouldn't start, he adjusted the points and drove it away, stunning the previous owner.

 

[OVERKILL]

Definitely check your grounds as others have suggested. The oil leak sounds ominous though.

 

[circuitsmith]

My friend bought a Mustang years ago for 350.00 because it wouldn't start, he adjusted the points and drove it away, stunning the previous owner.

Back in the early '80s my older brother bought an MGB for $150, wouldn't start.
Towed it home, but forgot to get the title.
I cleaned out the carburetor,
Brother went back to get title and seller wouldn't hand it over when he found out how easily it was fixed.
Brother managed to get a replacement title.

 

[svtrit]

Found a couple of issues. Mainly, the ground wire from the battery was in the wrong position. The voltage regulator is toast, as is the battery. The oil leak was a loose oil pressure sending unit.

The transmission issue was from a broken connector. A better connection fixed that.

Thanks to those who helped me through this. I’ve spent too many weekends on it and have had enough. Hopefully a new battery and junk yard alternator wil get us running again.

 

[avacado11]

VWs will act very weird with a weak battery. The modules in all of these German cars are heavily reliant on the proper voltage.

If a new battery doesn’t fix it pay an indy to diag and go from there. That $80-160 is well worth the amount of time and effort saved trying to figure out what went wrong.