Are glow plug lights supposed to turn on when you first put the key in?

Stupid / simple question for a TDI newb... I got a 1997 AHU Jetta with a "colorful" history. The bozo who previously owned it installed a push-button start that bypassed the glow plug relay and alarm system because he probably got too lazy to replace the ignition switch when it went bad. So now I'm waiting on a new ignition switch from ECS...

The glow plug relay clicks when I turn the key to crank the engine, but there is no starter crank or start.So the relay is functional. Fuse on the relay is also good. But, I see no glow plug lights on anywhere when I initially put the key in and turn the car on. I can't test if it's an ignition switch problem until I put the new one in.

Am I missing something? I thought glow plugs are supposed to come on briefly in the dash whenever the car turns on, regardless of whether the glow plugs are needed for initial ignition. Would the cause of this be because of a bad relay or something else?

No, onmly when you hold it in the ON posistion, you will see a glow light come on.

You should see the Light for the Glow plugs come on when you turn the key to the on position (Not cranking). May have to see what else the Bozo did. The prev owner for my car had a push button start also, so I feel your pain.

RoseBud68 said:

You should see the Light for the Glow plugs come on when you turn the key to the on position (Not cranking). May have to see what else the Bozo did. The prev owner for my car had a push button start also, so I feel your pain.

Click to expand...

The plot thickens, because I just realized I have a gasser cluster in my car! That would explain the lack of glow plug light. D'oh! Time to source a TDI cluster.