1997 Jetta CEL

My niece's 97 Jetta, which she just bought, had the CEL come on. This was after she gased the car (low fuel indicator on). The exhaust smells funny and the car keeps missing while either idling or when driving. We do not have a Autozone or similar business here in Guam to have the codes read. The car is a 4 cylinder, auto trans. The car as been sitting since Feb. this year because of a starter problem. I was going to check the spark plugs (maybe a minor tuneup) and also the Cat. Converter. Any help is greatly appreciated.

exhaust smells funny; like what?

old, bad fuel?
- emissions related : vapor lines, charcoal/evap canister
rotten eggs?
- A/C problem? catalytic?

the CEL could have been tripped by leaking gas cap; there again, funny smell? for $4-6 USD invest in a new fuel cap, and see if the light and/or smell dissipates; if not, delve further:

if the vehicle has been in an accident, or, even if not, you are in a high humidity location; make sure fuel and vapor lines are not jungle rotted, corroded or loose and/or broken (this includes the large fuel intake from the cap to the tank).

from Guam, you can get mail order from the U.S.

harbor freight tools (dot com) has just a 'code reader' for $30-40 USD that would allow you to identify the codes on the vehicle and assist in your diagnostic dilemma.

hope this helps,
ctesla