Can somebody tell me why my car 'judders' in third and forth gear?

Question

I recently bought an R Reg Golf 2L GTI and have found that this juddering occurs in third and forth gears, particularly when going up hill. Any ideas as to the cause?

I know i'm not changing up gears too quickly. Any other ideas as to a mechanical cause?

Answer 1

Drive shaft is on the way out!

Answer 2

There are a few things to check:
1. After changing gear smoothly, do you take your foot fully off the clutch? Resting your foot or "riding" the clutch will cause excessive clutch wear and on a worn clutch even a small amount of pressure on the peddle will cause the type juddering you are experiencing.
2. Its a second hand Golf GTI, be under no illusion that it has been driven hard. Even if the mileage is low, the clutch has taken a pounding. Quite simply you need a completely new clutch assembly. A good backstreet mechanic should be able to fit one for around 300Sgt to 380Sgt. It is well worth it because if you take care of your clutch it will give you 50K miles ++ of driving.
3. It is very unlikely to be your gearbox and even more unlikely to be your drive shaft and I am quite sure you know how to drive a car. The reason juddering occurs in 3rd and 4th gear has the do with amount of pressure the clutch plate deals with, especially at lower revs (Note as the Clutch becomes nearly worn out the plate stiffens. You should sit in the car with the engine off and press the clutch peddle up and down repeatedly, if you hear a squeaking or scarping noise and it feels stiff, the clutch is on its way out). In addition, there is no harm in checking the slave cylinder for leeks as a stiff plate will increase wear on the slave. I am nearly 100% sure; the only problem is your clutch. Remember clutches wear a lot faster than Volkswagens. Also apply the rule of 3, if three different mechanics reach the same conclusion, it is more than likely the correct one. If there is nothing wrong with clutch, check sparks leads Firing order relay, engines tend to miss fire when they are exposed to greater weight i.e. accelerating in a high gear at low speed or on a hill. Finally if the clutch is broken always replace it, because the most expensive part of getting a new clutch is the labour, as taking off the gearbox and fitting a new unit is tedious and time consuming. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Forth Gear

Answer 4

the gti have a bit more torque than the normal golfs and dont like going to slow in the higher gears, just change down a gear it should make a difference

Answer 5

You're going too slow for the gear you are in.
Drop a gear, increase the revs, and your speed, before moving up a gear.
You should be able to tell when the car is ready to move up a gear by the sound of the engine.
Otherwise, try an automatic.

Answer 6

Try going down a gear and don't be so impatient. Life on the road isn't permanently spent in 3rd or 4th gear!
If that fails, get it checked out, could be the gearbox on the way out. R Reg- high mileage?

Answer 7

Have a civic that does this and i found a way you may be able to relieve - its all in the way you drive. Just the instant before you let out your clutch after changing, give the car a slight rev, in a sense slipping the clutch. This should stop it jumping. If it doesn't, it may be a little more serious. If that doesn't stop it, my gut feeling would be something (may not necessarily be bad) is up with your clutch

Answer 8

You are in too high a gear for the speed your doing drop down a gear

Answer 9

change down a gear the juddering should stop, you are in the wrong gear

Answer 10

Check the motor mounts. I had a similar problem with the trans jumping up and down when shifting. Wait untill your engine is cool.Try to shake the whole engine. You will hear and see if you need a new mount.

Answer 11

Sounds to me like it's misfiring when under load. Try plugs and HT leads, or get it on a diagnostic machine for a read-out.