I recently bought a used 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI turbo diesel and the past few weeks it has been having problems with the spark plugs. they don't seem to deliver the power they did when i bought the car, and the fuel economy has gone down the toilet. The mechanic told me the new plugs were going to be $129 apiece, so I'm wondering if there's any other way to get them to work correctly.
2006-11-04 23:56:50 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
$129 EACH for glow plugs??? OMG!! A set of four should cost about sixty bucks, for dual-coil premium plugs! In other words, DUMP that mechanic PRONTO! And if he's telling you they're spark plugs he is taking you for an absolute bunny and I wouldn't trust this person an inch! Okay?
Second thing: this is a TURBO version, right? If your fuel mileage is woeful and the power is down, it's quite possible your turbo is not working properly. The best advice I can give you is to take your car to a legit and honest mechanic and get it checked out. If your turbo is not working right you will lose a good 30% of your performance at least,so you'll have to push the gas pedal down more to make it go and that will eat up your fuel.
If the car starts it's not a problem with the glow plugs anyway. Okay, they might need to be changed sooner or later but not right away. You might need new injectors, but the drop in performance has been so drastic I'd go for the turbo.
They are not cheap but I checked on Ebay just now and one listed at 700 bucks or so was on a bid of about 70 dollars, so there's hope.
If you have a dud turbo and don't have big money to spare you can have it removed and have the car retuned to run without it. Not the best option but it can be done.
2006-11-05 00:30:42 · answer #1 · answered by Lenky 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like One Already said, Diesel Engines do not Have "SPARK" Plugs. Diesel fuel does not explode like Gasoline, it burns. The Plugs are GLOW PLUGS that heat the cylinders to a certain temperature to facilitate the burning of the diesel to start the motor. The problem is not the GLOW Plugs, they shut off once the engine is running. Try adding about 1 1/2 CUPS of ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) to the your full fuel tank and and run the tank down and see if that cleans out the injectors. ATF dows the same things as the Fuel additives and costs a lot less.
2006-11-05 08:08:10 · answer #2 · answered by framer_larry 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As everyone has already said, diesel engines do not have spark plugs. you should clarify what it is that the mechanic wants to replace for $129. Diesel engines move to high maintenance mode after 4 years especially if not run in and used well. You should check when exactly it is giving you a problem. if it not right at the start (e.g. sluggish start) then have the turbo unit checked. The turbo kicks in typically after 2000rpm. If it is right from the start, then replace the oil and give your engine some serious cleaning (there are solvents in the market for this).
2006-11-05 08:19:57 · answer #3 · answered by WizardofID 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No plugs on any diesel! Glow plugs for starting, they don't affect performance. Injectors around here cost $29-35 apiece, easy screw in job. I'd first I'd lose the mechanic and then put in some diesel fuel injector cleaner. Also, check the air filter. Diesels either work or they don't, that's why truckers love them !
2006-11-05 08:07:53 · answer #4 · answered by James 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're not spark plugs---they're glow plugs! Two totally different things! The glow plug heats the cylinder to promote cold weather starting. The spark plug delivers an electrical spark to ignite combustion on gasoline engines! No, to the rest of the question!
2006-11-05 08:02:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all you do not have spark plugs on a diesel engine, maybe he means fuel injectors. Anyway try some fuel conditioner which may clean up your injectors
2006-11-05 08:01:11 · answer #6 · answered by Bev B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋