# 88 Jetta, engine cut out on highway this morning! **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** jetta, volkswagen\ **Created:** [July 23, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845 "2009-07-23T14:26:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bobprosper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobprosper](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bobprosper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845/1 "2009-07-23T14:26:54Z")
Going 65-70 on the highway and the engine just shut off. Just about every dummy light started flashing. I checked under the hood, but didn’t see anything jumping out saying “im broken”. Any ideas what this might be? Fuel pump? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845/2 "2009-07-23T14:29:55Z")
Broken timing belt? ---
**Author:** ![bobprosper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobprosper](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bobprosper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845/3 "2009-07-23T14:36:33Z")
oh boy I hope not! ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845/4 "2009-07-23T14:37:53Z")
How many miles since the belt was replaced? ---
**Author:** ![bobprosper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobprosper](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bobprosper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845/5 "2009-07-23T14:52:47Z")
no clue. I bought it from a friend that thinks the owner before him did it, but no clue when exactly. The odometer reads about 116,000, but doesn’t always work, so true mileage is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845/6 "2009-07-23T15:11:17Z")
Remove the oil fill cap and observe the camshaft while someone turns the engine with the starter. If the camshaft rotates as the engine is turning over you can breathe a huge sigh of relief and start looking for another cause. If the engine is turning over and the camshaft isn’t moving you’ve found your problem. Well, the first of many, but at least you’ll know. ---
**Author:** ![bobprosper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobprosper](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bobprosper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845/7 "2009-07-23T15:15:30Z")
oh excellent. Thank you for that! I’ll check it out. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/88-jetta-engine-cut-out-on-highway-this-morning/33845/8 "2009-07-23T15:26:35Z")
This may be an interference engine…while the damage may already be done, I’d rather do this test with a wrench on the driveshaft pulley bolt than with the starter, to reduce additional damage.