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please help, beetle in trouble :(

4K views 24 replies 8 participants last post by  psaboic 
#1 ·
the air bag light came on like two weeks ago, and stays on, just yesterday the check engine light came on while i was at the beach..i looked these up in the manual but im still alittle stumped. can someone give me alil more info :(

 
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#10 ·
well im more worried about the check engine light. :/
oh and i noticed when i was putting oil in my engine was rreally hot and a trace amount of smoke was coming out when i took the cap off for the oil.. and my the round container where the coolant stuff is is like really brown and extremely hot when i twist the cap off. is that normal?
 
#15 ·
So you were totally out of oil??? Any signs of leakage? I can't imagine your engine burning that much oil???

No, your coolant shouldn't be brown. It should be orange in color. If it is brown it has been contaminated. Does it look like oil got into the coolant? If so you may have a blown headgasket. But the coolant could also just be contaminated from mixing the OEM fluid that was in there with the green stuff. That is a big no no. Only VW approved G12 coolant should be used. You may need to flush your radiator and replace the coolant with G12. 3 liters is all you need for a 50/50 mix. Now to the mystery on where your oil went. ???

Any smoke coming out of the exhaust??

Get the car scanned at Autozone. It's FREE. No charge. They will give you the codes. Write them down and let us know what they are.
 
#12 ·
Get it scanned and it should tell you all the codes. Why were you putting oil in? Is it leaking? Sounds like you may need to find a reputable VW mechanic in your area. There's a list on Fred's TDI Page. TDIClub.com. VW TDI Enthusiast Community - most TDI mechanics work on all dubs.
 
#14 ·
Oh no that doesn't sound good. Poor bug! There's some other North Carolina peeps on here so maybe they will chime in and point you toward their mechanic. Good luck!:)
 
#16 ·
well saturday my oil light came on, blinked and went off, sunday before i went to the beach i put some oil in it but i dont think i put enough in.. i was in a rush and my dip stick is hard to get out so i didnt even check it. my engine light came on yesterday..and today when i came back from the beach i got help from someone and checked my oil and i was low, i needed a QT so thats what i put in. its not the coolent itself its the container thats stained, its like a really nasty brown color. but i will make way to autozone asap
 
#17 ·
The container shouldn't be stained either. That means the cap isn't holding the pressure and is probably leaking some coolant around the cap which then evaporates on the expansion tank. Normally that should be white residue not brown. You may want to look at your coolant to see what color it actually is.
The dipstick shouldn't be hard to take out. Is the plastic dipstick tube still okay? Those get hard and brittle over time and break.

The check engine light is probably on because of the airbag light. If the airbag light pops on then it throws a cel automatically.

Also the Red oil light doesn't indicate low oil. It is a oil pressure warning light. So when it comes on you have low oil pressure. Our beetle's are not equipt with an oil level sensor.

Let us know what codes you come up with when you get it scanned at Autozone.
 
#20 ·
Actually that is a very common code. It could be as simple as making sure your gas cap is on tight. Did you get gas recently and did you tighten the gas cap at least 3 clicks? It is very important with our Beetle's!

If that isn't it than it could be the EVAP purge valve being stuck open or the charcoal canister being cracked or a break in the vacuum lines.
The best way to find an EVAP leak is with a smoke machine.
Find a shop that has one and they can easily find the leak for you.

But before you go that route, check your gas cap. Look at your vacuum lines. Take a look at your Purge Valve and the lines that go into it. On a 1.8 engine it is on the passenger side fender area just in front of the coolant tank. It is a black round type looking valve. Also look at your EVAP canister which is towards the back of the engine on a 2.0. Looks kinda like a black plastic box with vacuum lines going into it. Make sure those lines aren't brittle or torn. If you still run those OEM cloth braided vacuum hoses replace them with Quality silicone hoses. They will last you much longer. Those OEM braided lines are crap.

Again, start with the gas cap and go from there.

Good Luck!
 
#21 ·
I've quickly read through all your posts here, and would like to make a few things clear, because, to be honest, you seem not to know much about cars. What I have to say involves your safety and well-being, and that of your car, and it applies to ANY car, not just your Beetle. First, NEVER open the cap on your coolant bottle with the engine hot. You can severely burn yourself. And for the sake of your engine please don't just randomly add oil. Always check the level with the dipstick, and add the approriate amount. Remove the dipstick, wipe it clean, re-insert, pull back out and read it. If there is no oil registering on the dipstick, it's not necessarily empty, but is very low. If you see no oil on the dipstick, it will take more than one quart to fill. But do fill until it registers at the proper level. If you think it is using or losing a lot of oil, check it often. Otherwise it is smart to check it at least monthly....weekly is better. As has been mentioned here, you need to find a reliable VW service center to check things out, and while you're there, ask them to show you the important things you need to know to maintain your vehicle. If you spend a couple minutes each week to do a few simple checks, your car will last a lot longer, and run much more truoble-free.:)
 
#22 ·
i would never just add oil, well not again, i know the process you have to do to check the oil, my dipsitck is broken and at the time i didnt have someone "strong" enough to pull it out. lol but today while i was driving my engine light went off sooooo iddkkkkk. im taking it to the VW dealership monday to get it checked out, thanks for all of your advice :) and no i dont know much about cars, but im learning haha.
 
#23 ·
Good for you! I am glad to see that you want to learn. It can be very rewarding to one day fix a problem and be able to say "I did it myself".
Barb
 
#24 ·
Don't take it to the dealer! There are number of very good VW shops around! Absolute Automotive in Durham is great, and I go to Apex Tuning in Raleigh. Both good shops run by very good guys who will take good care of you. I know the guys that run both shops personally...they certainly aren't out to pull the wool over a female's eyes either.

As for your coolant bottle, that is normal. They are just plastic after all and do discolor with time. Most reservoirs I see from earlier years look exactly like that.

Your code can be a simple one. I'd start by making sure your gas cap is good and tight (yes, even though the light is off). If your dipstick is broken (which is common) get yourself a new one so you can check your oil easier and more regularly. They are super cheap (I think I paid $6 from the guys at Apex Tuning a few years ago).

You should get your airbag light checked out though...if the light is on, the airbags will not deploy (or at least, not guaranteed to do so). Its a safety precaution...VW doesn't want the airbags to go off randomly because of a wiring fault or something so when the light goes on, don't expect them to go off in a crash. Either of the shops I mentioned have a VAG-COM and can help you out.


Take some time and read up and learn about your car, at least the basics. Knowing how to at least intelligently describe a problem does wonders, both for you and your car. I certainly don't know everything about cars (I am very actively learning though and have for a good 6-7 years now) but I can certainly describe problems, which makes for much more quick diagnoses. You don't have to know all such by any means, but knowing what the lights in your dash mean (if you have an owners manual it should say...which if you have an owners manual, sit and read it...lots of really good basic info).


As someone else said, keep an eye on your oil level. If your pressure light is coming on there could be other problems. But you have a 2.0 and some of them are known to consume some oil. But if you are consistently having low oil levels fairly often, you may want to get the car checked out for oil leaks just to be safe.
 
#25 ·
If I may make a few suggestions.....First, I would cancel the appointment with the dealer. Now that the light is off, I would drive it and see if it comes on again meaning a repeat/persistant problem.

Second, I would get someone to flush the entire cooling system and replace it with the proper VW G12 coolant as soon as possible (you can buy that from any online VW vendor or at the dealer)

Lastly, I would change the oil and filter and ensure you have the correct amount of oil in there. Once you have the correct amount of oil in it, monitor it for leaks. If you DO have a broken dipstick, get a replacement (again, at the dealer parts counter)
 
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