glow plug light only stays on for 2 seconds

i just bought my first mk4 jetta and i LOVE it, what i hate is that in the mornings i out the key in, cycle it on an the glow plug ight only comes on for a second or two, i leave the key in the on postion for at least 5 seconds thought, i go to start the car and it dies right away, i restart it and it fires right up, what im i looking to fix here/ winter will be a ***** if this is happening in the summer. car has race pipe and egr delete so far thats all i know

You can go in with VCDS software and reset the glow period to a longer sequence. You might also want to check the harness and the glow plugs to make sure you are getting the proper glow, no buggered plug or loss of voltage.

In BC this time of year I wouldn't think the light would stay on any longer than that. The car dying after the first start doesn't sound like a glow plug issue: A long crank or rough running after starting would. As kiwibru says, VCDS will shed some light on the issue.

^ I'd start with pump settings

pump timing

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-scope/TDIGraph.html

injection quantity

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/wiki/injection-quantity-adjustment-fuel-pump-hammer-mod/

These cars are all about the timing so use Vcds and adjust the IQ and pump timing. Your gonna want to be as close to the green line as possible with out going over and this time of year should not be using glow plugs so two seconds is normal. Do you have any cel?

Also check for air bubbles in the clear return line from the pump. TDI should start without the glow plugs connected to at least 0C/32f. At least mine did when i forgot to plug back the glow plugs after some maintenance.