Need help please, I'm stumped...electrical???

(FIXED, Very Weird) Need help please, I'm stumped...electrical???

Ok, cinderjetta is about to drive me to drugs. She is an 02 model. Back story, she sat for two years before I got her. I cleaned repaired and replaced until she was running great with no Problem lights. The tires dry rotted while sitting up,after one went flat I parked her for about a two months until I could buy her four new shoes. Got the tires but when I went to start the battery was dead. Instead of charging I went and got new battery. Now she starts then immediately stalls. Like less than a second of run time. The immobilizer light comes on for pre check then goes off like its supposed to. Then I noticed that the glow plug light wasn't coming on when I turned on the key. Ok, new 109 relay in. I turned on the key and noticed that while the GP light did not come on ..it, the gear indicator, and the check engine light all randomly blinked. Not together just random. I checked the ASV, all good. I need help, what could cause this? It was runnng so good.
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***** OK, CinderJetta is running again. After a ton of work breaking her apart checking grounds and looking for chewed wiring, it was the HEADLIGHT SWITCH!?!?! Yup, that’s correct. After weeks of trying to get her to do more than start and immediately die, just flipped the headlights on and tried it. Be damned she fired right up, ordered a brand new shiny switch, put it in and she has been running like a top. To treat her I drove her to have her new shoes put on. Has anyone ever heard of this?

First thing I'd do is clean and tighten the battery terminals. Then check the cables other ends for corrosion and looseness.

Leave the ignition switch in the on position for ten minutes.
source

Ok, turbobrick240, I have checked cleaned and tightened all the cables and BobnOh I turned the switch to on and left for 15 minutes. No change in situation. Yesterday I tried the touch the cables together and that didn't change anything. I left the battery disconnected last night and that didn't change anything. I still get the three randomly flicking lights. I don't understand. Please if you guys know anything else I can try I would owe ya big time. Thanks for yall's help so far. If I'm not mistaken the gear indicator should come on and stay on with the key in the on position...correct? And the check engine should come on and stay on until the car has started. The GP should come on then go off when ready to start.
All the other lights and indicators are working as they should. Ughhhh

AdinaFloyd said:

Ok, turbobrick240, I have checked cleaned and tightened all the cables and BobnOh I turned the switch to on and left for 15 minutes. No change in situation. Yesterday I tried the touch the cables together and that didn't change anything. I left the battery disconnected last night and that didn't change anything. I still get the three randomly flicking lights. I don't understand. Please if you guys know anything else I can try I would owe ya big time. Thanks for yall's help so far. If I'm not mistaken the gear indicator should come on and stay on with the key in the on position...correct? And the check engine should come on and stay on until the car has started. The GP should come on then go off when ready to start.
All the other lights and indicators are working as they should. Ughhhh

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Tell us which lights you are talking about.

AdinaFloyd said:

....................on the key and noticed that while the GP light did not come on ..it, the gear indicator, and the check engine light all randomly blinked. Not together just random. ..............

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Well that's nuts. Something's corrupted. Coolant migration? Loose ECU connecter? Dash/ignition wiring?

BobnOH said:

Well that's nuts. Something's corrupted. Coolant migration? Loose ECU connecter? Dash/ignition wiring?

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Or just a bad acting ECU.

jokila said:

Tell us which lights you are talking about.

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The glow plug light doesn't come on when the key is turned on but will flicker on randomly, the check engine light does the same, it doesn't come on when the key is turned to on but if u leave it on it will eventually flicker randomly. Also the gear indicator bar is doing the same thing. What fuse or relay would control all these? All other lights are working as they should

By gear indicator I mean the park drive reverse indicator

It's just killing me, it was running so great...then wham. The VW GREMLINS.

Let's check the grounds and look for rodent activity same time.
Cheers

^
Yeah "usually" when the electrical starts acting funny,it's a bad ground somewhere.

I had a little electrical weirdness this summer during a rainstorm and cleaning the grounds under the battery tray healed my electrical woes.

I will remove the battery tray in the morning. Thanks guys, I'll let y'all know

Ok, I pulled the battery tray, cleaned all grounds and lchecked the ground wiring for chaffing or chewing...nada. No change in car. Does anyone know what controls the gear indicator display? I'm just trying to track now. I know that it isn't coming on when the key is on. If Im not mistaken it should be on. I don't have a vagcom and I live so far put away from civilization that a tow is not possible, well financially not possible. I know it's something simple, I am going to try tracing wiring and checking for problems with it.

There are ground points under the wiper cowl, near the ecu, and under the dash near the gage cluster

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Ok, I'll check all those here in a few. Thank u so much

There are also a couple spots in the cabin as well. One by tour left foot, one up under the center area (on the firewall?).

Thanks y'all, got the cowl off, those windshield wipers are a pita! The ground there was clean and pretty. Not sure how to get to the one by the Gage cluster. BobinOh, I'll check those tomorrow. Thanks for the advice

The immobilizer will often start acting up after replacing a completely dead battery. There are some other gremlins, but that is a common one. There are a few simple things we have done that occasionally work.

Some of the gremlins will go away after grounding the hot lead on the battery to ground. This will also clear any existing codes. 15 seconds, then reattach. If you have VCDS, check for any codes. If they won't clear, step 2...

2. What the coding in the ECU, as I understand, is 256k encryption. The 'time out' for some ECU errors, like the radio codes, corrects after 256 minutes, with the key on. You need the charger going for this one..256 minutes +/- 4 1/2 hours. No good? Next step...

3. We had one show up this week on a 2002 New Beetle that had an erratic immobilizer code. He was worried he would be many miles from home and the immobilizer would become constant, rather than erratic. The easiest way to fix is to delete the immobilizer from the ECU. After all, the immobilizer is more of a headache than a deterrent in today's market. We perform that task, but it does require shipping the ECU to us. Done economically. If you want, it's a great time to try out an upgrade tune!

I found the ground under the steering wheel, it looks like it needs to be cleaned. I currently have the car hooked to the battery charger and the key on as Franko6 suggests. I'll clean that ground as soon as this reset finishes. Thanks guys, I'll keep u posted

glow indicator

hi,, im in a no start issue and ive noticed no glow plug indicator on dash... im sure it was on b4 no start issue...my question???is it linked to a fuse and where located???a 20???30??? thanks ....maybe a relay???

donmobay said:

hi,, im in a no start issue and ive noticed no glow plug indicator on dash... im sure it was on b4 no start issue...my question???is it linked to a fuse and where located???a 20???30??? thanks ....maybe a relay???

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Search for "relay 109"

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Guys, please see my OP for the end results, ya just gotta tell me if any of you have had this happen and HOW it happened.

AdinaFloyd said:

Guys, please see my OP for the end results, ya just gotta tell me if any of you have had this happen and HOW it happened.

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How'd you find it was the headlight switch? It's not related to any of the lights or even the circuits that would indicate a problem.
Sorta related, I have an '01 that had something similar going on. Bought it sitting in a field for 800 bucks. Turned out the fan control unit was shorting half a dozen things out.

sisyphus said:

How'd you find it was the headlight switch? It's not related to any of the lights or even the circuits that would indicate a problem.
Sorta related, I have an '01 that had something similar going on. Bought it sitting in a field for 800 bucks. Turned out the fan control unit was shorting half a dozen things out.

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Found it on a fluke, just turned on the lights. Not really sure why I did but I’m glad I did. I bought this one the same way as you, it sat for two years, I bought it for 800 as well...lol. I have zero clue as to how that switch has anything to do with the car starting and immediately dying. I’m hoping someone here can shed some light on the subject. But sure enough, after I replaced the switch it’s running great.

Yeah, pretty strange.

Only thing that I could think of is that it has to do with the Park circuit. With the headlight switch off, and a parking brake set, when the car is switched on the parking lights come on. Common theme here is "park." Perhaps the circuit is also tied into the starting circuit? I suppose one way to prove/disprove would be to disconnect the switch and see if one can start the car. Might be that the old switch has a minor short and that causes enough of a power drop to make it appear that the Park circuit isn't set?

It would be interesting to see what kind of resistance readings you get out of that old switch.

I’ll keep investigating the issue, I just never would have thought it. The short/power theory is worth checking out. Thanks

I'm going to chime in ... not with advice for AdinaF, but with my own issue. When I turn the key on my 00Jetta, the odometer display simply disappears (system overload) and the car won't start. I cannot afford to tow car to a shop, nor pay a mechanic. I recently (3 months ago) had a mechanic replace a battery lead, and replace an electrical part that was causing my vent blower fan to malfunction. That worked for that issue, then this new issue arose. -- Just before she died (this occasion), I had a blinking ABS light, normally with the associated annoying audible alarm. Once I got her home and shut her down, it hasn't started up since. I'm considering buying me an OBD bluetooth/wifi Diagnostic Car Auto Interface Scanner and downloading the phone app to hopefully isolate this issue. Anyone used these Interface Scanners with any success?

Runtherace, I have not tried them but I do want to look into them. I can’t connect with a scanner right now because I have an aftermarket stereo. I have to take out the stereo and isolate the k wire. These cars sure do get some strange problems to deal with. I love the car but they sure are quirky.