Airbag Light and Temp Sensor Issue

I have a 2003 ALH TDI Jetta Wagon and...

...I recently replaced my clock spring following the guide here on the forum. Now that it has been replaced, the airbag light still is on the dash and the replacing of the clock spring did not fix the lack of cruise control AND there is no horn still.

My other issue is intermittently, I would have the temp sensor light (red thermometer) pop on every now and then and it will make a really high pitched beeping. I JUST redid the coolant when I had it all apart (redid the flange below the vacuum pump). Is this a thermostat issue, a temp sensor issue (on the backside of the coolant flange below the vacuum pump) or something else?

What would be the recommendation on how to address the lack of a horn, cruise control, the airbag light, and the temp sensor light? I'm getting close to burning the car down and buying a gasser...

Thank you!

Regarding the temp thing, I think it can be the sensor in the tank thinking the level is low. If it's temp related I often hook up vagcom and compare what the ecu says to what the gauge reads. It's like two sensors in one and half can be faulty.

Did you check the continuity of the clock spring and horn parts in the steering wheel?

I recently had an air bag issue on mine, checked the clock spring and it was fine so cleaned the contacts and it's cured it. The pins are very small so don't think it would take much to cause a bad connection.

My fathers beetle throws a airbag light every time he drives through a rain storm. You may want to delete it and see if and when it comes back on

I guess to come back to this, I haven't messed with it in a while as I have been busy on my farm. If the horn isn't functional, should I pop it all apart and try again? I REALLY want to drive this car as my Jeep Cherokee is pulling in 17mpg AT BEST...

I talked to a guy at a VW dealership/service center and he stated I may have to have it hooked up to the VAG Scanner to see what is causing the light to come on. He said it scans the different sensors instead of having to check each one manually. Does this sound about right? I know the little pins aren't always easy to slide into the mount. I may check for properly seated pins.

As for the thermostat/temp issue, if the sensor thinks the tank is low...what sensor do I replace?

sizzlin bacon said:

I have a 2003 ALH TDI Jetta Wagon and...
...I recently replaced my clock spring following the guide here on the forum. Now that it has been replaced, the airbag light still is on the dash and the replacing of the clock spring did not fix the lack of cruise control AND there is no horn still.
My other issue is intermittently, I would have the temp sensor light (red thermometer) pop on every now and then and it will make a really high pitched beeping. I JUST redid the coolant when I had it all apart (redid the flange below the vacuum pump). Is this a thermostat issue, a temp sensor issue (on the backside of the coolant flange below the vacuum pump) or something else?
What would be the recommendation on how to address the lack of a horn, cruise control, the airbag light, and the temp sensor light? I'm getting close to burning the car down and buying a gasser...
Thank you!

Click to expand...

I am fairly certain you need VCDS to clear the DTC associated with the airbag system.
How does the coolant level in the reservoir look? I had this problem when I drained the coolant. It was a real PITA to get the air purged out of the system. I had to drive the car down the street until the light came on, then stop and refill the reservoir, repeating the process until the air was gone and the fill level was accurate.If the coolant level is right at the threshold, this will cause the light to turn on intermittently. This is obviously driven by the driving conditions (driving up a hill).

VCDS will scan everything in the car.
I have the Lite version registered. Not registered is free but you need the OBD adapter that works with it.
Registering it adds the graph function for setting the timing when you change the timing belt.

If you have the Bentley manual you could follow the wire diagrams to check for continuity. I would do this before you start throwing money into a guess the next part game.

When the temp beep starts is the gauge indicating it's higher then normal?
If not it -could- be the sensor pins inside the reserve bottle.
I scraped mine a couple times before it stopped going on.
Also found if I shot the motor and started it again a few seconds later it did not go on again for the trip.

VCDS would show both sides of the coolant temp sensor. One side for the ECU, the other for the gauge.