Turn signal problem

ludikris

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2006
Location
north York
TDI
Colorado diesel
doh... me too !!

Used contact cleaner with no results on my 2000 tdi at 235,000 kms.
I am gonna try wd40 now and see... failing that, replace the signal stalk.
do you all wait for the cleaner liquid / wd40 to dry before trying ?
for me.. it's only the right signal that shorts but everything else checks out.... soo annoying.

anything to worry about when removing the air bag ?
 

Wingnut

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Location
Toronto & Whitby
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta Wagon
If I may make a suggestion. If the spray method doesn't work, there is no need to buy a new stalk. The old one can be taken apart & cleaned. Then regrease it with dielectric grease & reassemble. If you feel confident in taking the stalk out, its not much more to take it apart.
 

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
Wingnut said:
If I may make a suggestion. If the spray method doesn't work, there is no need to buy a new stalk. The old one can be taken apart & cleaned. Then regrease it with dielectric grease & reassemble. If you feel confident in taking the stalk out, its not much more to take it apart.
__. I just *knew* that the spray method wouldn't work -- I mean, my flasher would tick for 30 minutes at the time on the drive home from buying the car, no matter what I did. This must be a BIG problem and no spraying is going to help, right? But anything that doesn't cost any more than replacing a can of WD-40 on the shelf has got to be worth trying. So, I sprayed it and tried to blot the drips with a Q-tip. Then I tried driving it, no difference, the d@mned flasher kept ticking. But wait a minute, after a couple of miles, it was only ticking intermittently. So I purposely switched on the turn signals and waved the signal stalk back and forth when there was no traffic to see. Within 5 miles, it quit ticking almost entirely. When I used the signal, it would tick once or twice after I switched off the stalk (or the self=canceller switched it off) at the most. Then, after 10 miles it would almost never tick (unless the signals were actually on, of course). I have a 300 mile drive tomorrow and I expect no more problems. TDIClub ROCKS!!!!

__. Thanks for the help, folks!
 
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rackaracka

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
It started happening to my 2002 Jetta Wagon about 2 weeks ago, and got more and more frequent, daily. I decided to pull it apart and cleaned everything up and put her back together. I had two minor issues with the process and figured I tell you guys what to look out for when trying this procedure...

When I pulled the airbag off (Disconnect the Negative Cable, then you turn the wheel so 3 o clock is up, put a 7" long flathead screwdriver in the rear hole, and gently press it all the way in (about 2 - 3 inches), then lift the driver up while gently pulling the airbag assy forward, then rotate the wheel 180 and do the same thing...) I was a trying to remove the harness connector from the airbag. Not being to sure about if that plug comes out of the back, or comes apart, I left the airbag connected to the wheel, and only pulled the harness plug off. I left the airbag balanced in the wheel and removed the nut. Not sure if there is a way to get that harness connector off...

The next issue I ran into was after I had removed the stalk assy's, I wasted 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get the lid off of the blinker housing. After you've removed the 4 tiny torx screws, You need to insert a very thin flat head screwdriver up the rear of the housing, there are two spots you need to do this to. This will release a curved blade of plastic that holds the back in. While jamming the screwdriver up the rear you gently pry up on the lip of the lid with another screwdriver. I was able to do it without breaking it - but if you do this in the cold weather, I'm sure you'll be buying a new assy. If someone has better tips, please advise, I figure I'll be doing this again after another 125k.
 

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
rackaracka said:
It started happening to my 2002 Jetta Wagon about 2 weeks ago, and got more and more frequent, daily. I decided to pull it apart and cleaned everything up and put her back together. I had two minor issues with the process and figured I tell you guys what to look out for when trying this procedure... (snip)
__. Yeah, issues like this were what made me try the "squirt solution" first. I'm glad I did.
 

shawn120

Active member
Joined
Sep 18, 2004
Location
Vancouver, BC
TDI
2004 Jetta tdi /2010 Golf TDI wagon-Candy white -Pano/multimedia/DSG
Thanks for all the info!!!
I just paid $31.00 for a new relay.. and it did nothing....I was told by the dealer that the dissasembly and replacement of the arm would run around $200.00. Needless to say, I'm glad I stopped in here to see if anyone else has had the problem. I will try the WD 40 tonight, in an attempt to save my sanity, as a couple more days of the chaotic clicking might have pushed me over the edge...

Thanks
 

CountryGuy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2003
Location
Barrie, ON, Canada
TDI
2008 E320 Bluetec
I am glad I found this thread yesterday after the same thing has happened to my MK4 Golf on my way to work. Quick stop at Car Quest in Bradford on my way home for a contact cleaner and a minute later the annoying clicking problem hat was driving me crazy was gone. So now I am a happy TDI driver and drive in peace :) Thanks.
 

mikey141414

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Location
Overland Park, Kansas
TDI
N/A 2015 Nissan Rogue, 2017 Sonata Plug in Hybrid
Wife is going crazy, me next.

I will try the WD 40 tomorrow. I am worried that I am spraying any grease that is there away though. How about spraying and then relubeing? Is it possible to reach the contacts from the outside? Using the little red tube from the WD 40 can? I will try at least....
I love TDI club.
 

Varkias

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2006
Location
Turners Falls, MA
TDI
'02 Golf TDI
My '02 Golf started up with this issue a few days ago, I found this thread and took apart my signal box like Wingnut said, no issues at all now. I took a bunch of photos while I was at it and I'll post up a little how-to later. It's really easy, cost about $12 in cleaner and grease and took about an hour and a half (most of that time trying to get above noted clips free, I also missed them!)
 

Mad_Dasher

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2005
Location
Indianapolis
TDI
2002 silver Jetta
TDI club rocks!!!! I'm 500 miles from home with a blinker that would not quit clicking - drove me crazy. Withing a few minutes of searching this site I realized what the problem was. A generous dose of WD-40 took care of the incessant noise. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this link!
 

brandtmeister

Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Location
ABQ, NM
TDI
Golf TDI , 2001, silver
neat...sure enopugh.. found a fix for an issue agianw ithin a few minutes:)

I'll give the WD40 a shot. Had this clicking for a while last year, but stopped over the winter (stopped last year once the AC kicked in and got the car cool). Somewhat intermittend rigth now, but recently had it clicking for 30 minutes straight - UGH.

the clicking issues seems to have started at the same time when the cruise control stopped workink last year (after a getting a whiff of a burning smell that lasted maybe 10 sec...)

well, lets see if the WD40 can take care of it tonight.
 

ShannonFLHI

Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Location
Kingsland, Ga/ Jacksonville, FL/ Miramar,FL
TDI
02 Golf GLS TDI (new toy),02 Jetta Wagen 2.0Ltr,(divorce forced sale 03 Ford F250 4x4 6.0Ltr, 2000 BMW 740i, 85 Honda VF1000R mc, 03 Honda CBR600RR racebike)
Thanks Guys for the tread. I spent $38 at the stealership on a new hazzerd/flasher with no luck. The wife is pissed.
I'm gonna try the contact cleaner tomorrow.
Hope it works since I'm saving up for the 1st timingbelt change. The valves are tapping also.:(
 

scottab

Veteran Member
Joined
May 25, 2006
Location
Windsor, VA
TDI
2005 Golf TDI
I have a 2005 PD Golf. I also had this problem and have never used Armorall. I replaced the relay ($22.00) and the clicking still continued. Recognizing it was the turn signal switch I stopped letting the switch auto-return to center.

This has seemed to have fixed the problem. :) The alternative is a $90.00 switch and a $250.00 repair bill if you are not brave enough to replace it yourself. :(
 

rifaco

Active member
Joined
Feb 22, 2003
Location
Houston
TDI
2003 Golf GL TDI Indigo Blue
no luck with the wd-40

I've had this problem off and on for several months now on my '03 Golf. The other day I sprayed some WD-40 back there while holding the switch back. The next time driving, the left turn signal just stayed on constantly (even when turning on the right signal, the effect was having my hazards on). After a while, the fast clicking came back (when not signaling), but instead of being intermittent like before, now it's constant. Any help? :(
 

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
Varkias said:
Yes, check out the link in Post number 71 on page 5 ;)
__. Yes, that's the very best solution, but I got stuck in the spring. I had the same "one turn signal on all the time -- unless I selected a turn with the stalk when it was both sides flashing" symptom. So I pulled the 4-way switch and disconnected the flasher unit temporarily. I was working a very intense and time consuming contract job, I was away from home and my tools were stored away. So I ordered a switch assembly from World-Impex and had a local independent garage put the new switch on (charged less than 1 hour labor). Problem solved, albeit at a cost of approx. $130 more than Varkias's fix -- but sometimes, you just gotta bite the bullet. No problems since -- and no Armor-All near the switch either!
 

TornadoRed

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Location
West Des Moines (formerly St Paul)
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, silver; 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, indigo blue; 2003 Golf GL 5-spd, red (PARTED); 2003 Golf GLS 5-spd, indigo blue (SOLD); 2003 Jetta TDI wagon, Candy White (SOLD)
It must be 12-18 months since I used WD-40 to end the intermittent/constant blinking problem. No problems since. Before that I replaced the hazard relay with no effect -- $22 here, not $30+ like some have paid at the dealerships.
 

jcarncross

New member
Joined
Jan 17, 2008
Location
colorado
TDI
none
Clicking signal relay

I had the same problem for about 4 years. I got sick of hearing it and decided to see if I could fix it.
I took off the stearing wheel and opened the turn signal switch box.
My issue was that a greasy, waxy substance had collected inside the switch box. I don't know if this was intended as a lubricant for the switch, but what had happened was the following:
The lubricant had collected copper dust due to friction from the regular operation of the switch. The motion of the switch had piled the gook up between the contacts which subsequently caused a small electrical bridge. Depending on temperature, the gook would expand or contract which, I am guessing, aligned the molecules of copper into an electrical connection. The connection did not pass enough electricity to light the bulbs, just trip the relay.
I cleaned the contacts in the switch box with q-tips and rubbing alcohol, re-assembled the box, and stearing wheel. I haven't had the problem since.
The hardest part of this process was removing the horn/airbag module. THere is a spring catch on each side of the steering wheel that has to be released with a screwdriver via two small holes in the back of the stearing wheel.
I would suggest a 3rd party Chiltons style book for good instructions on how to take the stearing wheel off.
The switch box was difficult to take apart because of all of the catch-latch style tabs that hold the lid on. Several jewlers screwdrivers and some patience seemed to do the trick.
Hope this helps
Jason
 

evernon

New member
Joined
Jun 5, 2010
Location
Montana
TDI
2005 Golf
Annoying Clicking

Hey all,

This is my first post which is a good sign as it is really the only thing that has gone wrong with our 2005 Golf which has over 60,000 miles logged now. We love the car but the annoying clicking is driving us nuts. I have read through all sorts of fixes in this tread which focus on the removal of the grease containing metal particals that causes this issue. Removal of the grease sounds like it probably accelerates the wear on the contacts resulting in reaccurance of the problem and premature falure of the contacts. Has anyone attempted to fix this electronically? Since the signals and hazzards work correctly and the problem stems from a false weak current that is triggering the clicker, I am tempted to add a component that would filter out the weak current. I am not an electrical genious but I was thinking that if I were to splice into this circuit and add a cheap relay, maybe I could resolve the issue without fooling with the switch contact area at all. Hopefully this will not trigger faliure of the computer or something tragic and expensive. What do you guys think?
 

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
jcarncross said:
(snip) The lubricant had collected copper dust due to friction from the regular operation of the switch. The motion of the switch had piled the gook up between the contacts which subsequently caused a small electrical bridge. Depending on temperature, the gook would expand or contract which, I am guessing, aligned the molecules of copper into an electrical connection. The connection did not pass enough electricity to light the bulbs, just trip the relay.
__. J, the VW system is unusual. There are contacts in the switch which trigger the flasher and there are separate contacts to direct the flashing current to the sets of bulbs. So, a jump over the "trigger" contacts is enough to get the flasher clicking. The bulbs are irrelevant to all this.
 

chirishboy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI 5spd
So normally I would read through it all, but I am EXHAUSTED and tired of having no blinker.

The blinking and clicking would stop after about 10 clicks. I would press the hazard button a lot and it would work again for a while.

Now, it has dwindled down to not even making a full blink before stopping. It will sometimes give me 2 or 3 blinks/clicks and shut off. If I mess with the hazard button, the blink/clicks work better but will blink/click out of rhythm, then shut off shortly after.

A how to replace the fuse/switch would be GREATLY appreciated! Sorry in advance for not doing proper leg work... =)
 

chirishboy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI 5spd
Was there a hazard relay recall at some point? I felt like I have read that... I just scanned over the thread and it doesnt look like there is a fix for my issue. Wingnut's fix is for perpetual clicking. My clicking stops as soon as my blinking stops prematurely!
 

Wingnut

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Location
Toronto & Whitby
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta Wagon
Yep, sound like a hazard switch problem. There was a recall, but the part is like $20 and 5 minutes to change if your car is out of the VIN 'range' affected by the recall. I got the recall letter for my 2000 jetta.
 

chirishboy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI 5spd
good to know! Although I am not one to hand the car over to the dealer, I am happy for 'free' services... hopefully they dont cause a meltdown!
 

craig01b

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2004
Location
Guelph, Ontario.
TDI
None
Add me to the list. Thanks Nigel for the insight. I was ready to blame the new hazard flasher re call, it was done after my fender replacement a few months ago. (i asked them not to change it, but they did anyways, i could tell by the sharper relay click) But, I had noticed my turn indicator stalk required more input to activate the lights on one side more than the other. On my trip home from Quebec this week, the ghost "clicking began". I will give the contact cleaner a shot today after my commute and report back, I am hesitant to use it when the car is cold and the cleaner does not evaporate before power is put thru the switch. I have seen flashover (arcing) using cleaner when power is applied too quickly after cleaning. I also use crc 3-36 as a dielectric lubricant after cleaning.

Craig
 

pnyknight

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Location
Scarborough, Ontario
TDI
'02 Jetta 1.9 GLS, reflex silver (pseudo wrecked Apr10/13); 2013 Candy White Jetta TDI
This is awesome. My turn signal just started going into 'stuck' mode. I had already replaced it last year for the 'ghost' clicking. My dad had bought a new hazard switch when he was trying to fix the 'ghost' clicking but that didn't work so he just pulled it out and stuck the old one back in there. Now I just gotta hunt it down and try to it again and see if it'll fix the 'stuck' mode. Is the recall still ongoing? I can't remember if I had seen a letter, technically the car is still under my dad's name so he might have gotten it and stuck it with the rest of all his junk.
 

chirishboy

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI 5spd
I didn't need any letter. Just call a VW dealer and provide your VIN # and they will let you know if you qualify for the recall... May be the only service you're satisfied with from the stealership!
 

Tschuess

New member
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Location
Northern VA
TDI
2004 Golf TDI
This just started with my 2004 Golf TDI. Followed the contact cleaner advice and noise stopped immediately, also pried face plate for emergency flasher switch forward just enough to fit applicator straw into opening and applied cleaner behind it as well. Hope it lasts
 
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