The infamous 384 relay

Jesse_James

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 13, 2003
Location
Stamford, Connecticut
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SEL DSG
The infamous 384 relay

My AC has died in my 2005 Passat.

Here's some of the problem areas circled in red. Does anyone have a link to a really good soldering iron with a fine point on the tip for getting onto the small connections seen here?

The Weller I have is like a bull in a China shop.

 

johnboy00

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2000
Location
Bridgewater,Ma.,USA
TDI
2005 Passat Wagon, 2004 Jetta, 2003 Jetta wagon
Be careful what you ask for. A Fine tip soldering iron by your definition is not a "fine tip" iron for most. A "fine tip" iron, typically 20 W or less, is really designed for surface mount use and may not have the power needed to easily flow the large terminal on the big copper area. You really want an iron in the 30-60W range.

Is your "bull in the China shop" iron iron a "pencil" iron or one of those big gun type ones? If it's a pencil iron, you should be able to buy a smaller tip for a few bucks.

I keep a Weller W60P3 at home and use it for just about everything but small smt components. At my lab, I use a 40 W for thru hole component soldering and a 20W iron for SMT.

The Weller WP35 or W60P3 are good irons. Of the two, the W60P3 is a far better iron since it controls the temperature at 700 degrees instead of 850 (WP30).

If you don't plan to use it much, you can probably find a cheap radioshack iron to do the job.
 
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Jesse_James

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 13, 2003
Location
Stamford, Connecticut
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SEL DSG
Thanks John,

That's what I need: something with a point just sharp enough that it doesn't touch the other areas but with enough power to do the job.

Jesse
 

Jesse_James

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 13, 2003
Location
Stamford, Connecticut
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SEL DSG
Frack it. In the end, I didn't try to fix the relay because the bright blue capacitor on the end just fell out! It's opposite where the two red circles are in the extreme right of the photo.

I just ordered a new, genuine relay for $15 from hansautoparts in Charlotte. I sure most of you with AC problems know this number by heart but here it is for anyone else who stumbles across this wondering why their AC no longer works: Relay 384 part #8D0919578A.

Another thought I had was to affix a small heat sink to this relay with some thermal paste. Probably should
drill a few small holes in the plastic housing so the heat can get out. I think that whole relay area behind the dash needs a small fan blowing on it to cool it off. The 384 relay generates a lot of heat back there.

Thanks for the feedback, guys... and for the record, VWNA, if you are reading this, this is the third relay replacement.

Jesse
 

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
Well, you live and you learn, and by chance it dies, I'm only out $15.

There should be a big red bold sticky somewhere with a list of these guys in it.

Jesse
Prothe operates several websites at once. And he adds, subtracts to his list of sites when things get bad at one. But his new sites always look like the old ones. He is a snake. Use 1stVWParts.com for OEM stuff at decent prices.
 

dlai

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 6, 2002
Location
The Insane Asylum Known As CA
TDI
2005 Passat, Stonehenge Gray, 2002 Black Golf 5M
Well, you live and you learn, and by chance it dies, I'm only out $15.

There should be a big red bold sticky somewhere with a list of these guys in it.

Jesse
True, it would help folks out if more knew. I would be concerned if the crap relay decided to melt, fry, or something similar, taking out other things around it...
 

sirpuddingfoot

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2010
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
05 Passat, 05 Jetta
In this case, even a prothe part might be the same quality as the OE... except it will melt the interior of your car instead or grenade the engine.

Ours has been 100% since I resoldered using a $5 radioshack iron that came in some "computer tool kit" my parents gave me in High School. I had to use a pliers to shave the coating off the tip so it would actually melt the solder. The "tip" was like a ball point pen.
 

owr084

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2004
Location
Northern Virginia (NoVA)
TDI
Passat GLS, 2005, Stonehenge Gray
Well, you live and you learn, and by chance it dies, I'm only out $15.

There should be a big red bold sticky somewhere with a list of these guys in it.

Jesse
Ummm... You mean like this one, second from the top in the Vendor/Group Buy forum? http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=320500 It's titled "Bad vw part vendor warning list." The fourth word in the sticky is "Proethe." :rolleyes:;)
 

vwztips

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Location
Greenville, SC
TDI
2005 Passat GLS Wagon TDI 5 spd manual w/BSM delete 2011 Tiguan TDI/DSG 2005 Audi A4 Avant 6MQ TDI 2011 BMW X5 35d
PK back to the relay. Working on a 2001 1.8t gasser. The compressor does not kick in. Swapped out the relay as my primary suspect but no luck. I am trying to see if I am getting power to the compressor. Should it be 12V? I am seeing 3V-5V.
 

Zambee500

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Location
Atlanta, GA
TDI
2005 Passat TDI GLS, 2014 NMS Passat TDI SEL Premium
Open driver's door all the way. Use flat-blade screw driver to pry off the 3 clips holding the cover on the left side at about same height as the blower vent, but on left side (not front-facing). That is the fuse panel, and behind it is the relay panel. You can see "384" in gigantic numbers. You can likely reach through the hole and grab the 384 relay.
Otherwise, you can remove the instrument panel cover in front of the driver's knees below the steering wheel:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=245377

If you want pics of the inside of the 384 relay, see here starting on page 3:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=216493&page=3
 
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