VW Jetta 2003 crank, won't start

Asked by vwjetta2003 Sep 05, 2016 at 12:52 AM about the 2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0 Sedan

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hi! VW Jetta 2003, Gas, Manual, 2.0. All of sudden doesn't start- I would say "when the engine is hot". To make it easier what I had done:
- Changed starter, didn't solve the problem
- Brought to electrical check- no problems found
- Mechanic checked clutch, seems fine
What I noticed:
- Car seems to start fine after been parked for some hours (5h for sure or overnight)
- All the lights are on on the panel when trying to start BUT sometimes the battery light seems to not come up
- Rarely seems that the car shuts down for a sec (but not really shuts down, just all lights turn off and once I noticed EPC light went on) when I am driving and pass a bump.
- If it is working, runs well
- It is consuming a huge amount of anti coolant. Like a big bottle per month and I have no idea why!
- when the problem started I got someone to jumpstart and it worked...
I am sorry.. I am a girl and have no idea about cars at all... I really thank you for any help!

3 Answers

I forgot to mention: the mechanic checked the battery, plugs, fuses. nothing wrong. Also plugged the computer at autozone, no codes at all. What in the world is happening? Everytime is more money and nothing gets fixed! Thank you so much!

20

Probably to late now but that usually means the fuel pump is going bad if not it’s the fuel pump relay that’s what the epc light means it’s saying hey your engine isn’t getting gas to your throttle body

2 people found this helpful.
3,655

I wonder if you still have the car?? So, basically what is happening is your ECT or coolant temperature sensor. It LOVES to interfere with the ECM which is part of the fuel system and interferes with fueling strategies to start the car. the years 1999 to 2005 are AWFUL for this in the MK4 golk, Jetta, and Beetle. VW has done nothing to correct those issues. There were also windshield problems, front bushing problems, and brake light switch problems.

6 people found this helpful.

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