# 2000 Jetta 2.0 won't start cold



## jogart (Aug 25, 2010)

I searched the other threads before posting this, if I am repeating myself, sorry.

2000 Jetta 2.0 hard to start when cold. When it does start, after about 20 secs cranking, if I give it some throttle it coughs out. Once warm, and after a few minutes, seems fine. Once warm the car rips it up.

I just replaced the MAF sensor, new plugs, new wires, (#3 plug burned up on me, but combustion chamber seems clear), new coil pack, cleaned the throttle body butterfly (left the TB on the car, though). Vacuum hoses seem OK, but going to check and clean again. CEL is off, just cleared the codes related to MAF sensor and #3 misfire. Car has 230k Kms on it, or about 150k miles.

I though this was related to the misfire, but it seems to be a fuel issue to me because it stalls out when you first give it some gas, battery is fine, lotsa crank to it. Exhaust does need some work, you can hear the leak.

Filter? Fuel pump? 

thanks


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## madbeachjetta (Apr 5, 2009)

jogart said:


> 2000 Jetta 2.0 hard to start when cold. When it does start, after about 20 secs cranking, if I give it some throttle it coughs out. Once warm, and after a few minutes, seems fine. Once warm the car rips it up.


Hard to say what it may be soooo. Give it a crank when you're pretty sure it won't start. Then take out some spark plugs and see if they look wet with fuel or not. Maybe for some reason you've got weak staring spark or too much fuel being injected and then once you get the engine warmed up it returns to the proper mixture?


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## jogart (Aug 25, 2010)

madbeachjetta said:


> Hard to say what it may be soooo. Give it a crank when you're pretty sure it won't start. Then take out some spark plugs and see if they look wet with fuel or not. Maybe for some reason you've got weak staring spark or too much fuel being injected and then once you get the engine warmed up it returns to the proper mixture?



Thanks madbeachjetta, I will try that. Any guess what causes a weak starting spark or too much fuel?


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## mrgolfrider (Oct 17, 2010)

Did you ever get your problem fixed? My 2000 MK4 2.0 is having the same problems right now.


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## Vw_Speed_Freak (Apr 8, 2007)

I am having the same problem with my 2004 Jetta and it's very random if anyone has any ideas of where to start looking that would be great 


I am running an AEM CAI and TT Catback if it makes a diff


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## jogart (Aug 25, 2010)

*Update to 2000 Jetta 2.0 won't start cold...*

Wow, I never even checked back to see if anyone else had been following this thread. Selfish of me.

FUEL PUMP WAS/ IS FAULTY.

I eventually took the car to my regular mechanic who knows VWs well, and he suggested that it was the fuel pump. Turns out it was. There is a valve in the pump that keeps fuel flowing to the injectors when the car is parked. With age the valve fails and fuel leaks back into the tank when the car sits, hence the hard start and inability to idle cold after being parked for a few hours.

The solution was to replace the fuel pump but I did not because I could not afford to... and wouldn't you know the pump 'fixed itself'. Thank god. Still get a whiff of fuel on start-up, but no hesitation. The car has been rock solid since September. I have not spent a dime on the car since then, and drive it everyday. I was going to dump it for something newer bigger faster but since I bought a house I am now considering fixing the typical VW busted **** on the car and driving it to 300k. Old thing still looks good and is comfy.


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## jogart (Aug 25, 2010)

*one more thing...*

Not sure if the fuel pump healing thyself had anything to do with atmospheric temperature - when I first had the problems it was summer and pretty damn hot outside. High 20s to high 30s Celsius, or 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Its got much cooler in the Canadian fall and the car has been hesitation free. Like I said, I know the pump is still a bit wonky because I get a whiff of fuel from the back but nothing too serious.


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## shadyls6 (Jul 23, 2010)

:bump: 

a friends 2004 2.o jetta had these symptoms. I cleaned up the battery terminals, cleaned the MAF and the hesitation reduced.. still might be the fuel pump tho.. im going to first replace the filter and see if that helps.. any more ideas?


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