Alternator Problem?

Hi,
I bought my first VW this year, a 1999 Beetle, Turbo 1.9, manual, diesel. I am loving it. It needs some work both cosmetically and mechanically, but I am wanting to fix it up for my daughter's first car, she wants it to look like bumblebee from Transformers.
I am the daughter of a mechanic and have some very basic knowledge & experience, so hoping to learn more.
I was driving it for about 6 weeks when it stopped running. Thought it was a battery issue, so I bought a new battery, worked for a few more times. Then the battery completely died. Charged it back up and still same problem. It sat for about a month or so. Charged the battery, intending to take it down to Autozone and have them test it, but the car won't start.
We have a Fixed plug in for cars, but it won't read any codes, it won't even "find" the car when we try to bring up the app on the phone.
It will crank, but will not turn over and start. The lights and all electronics are on. My husband hooked it up to his car and we tried to jump start, but to no avail.
There was no signs that I noticed before this happening. No rough ride, flickering electronics, etc. all the things I have searched on google points to alternator, but I just want to get some more opinions.
We have already torn part of the front end of the car apart trying to get the alternator, it's proving to be more work than we thought. I just ordered a repair manual to help study it and learn more.

Doesn't sound like an alternator to me, especially since it doesn't start while you're giving it a jump. Engine on TDI should run without alternator. It would be best if you could scan for codes using VCDS. Did you check timing? Also, are you getting fuel?

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Congrats on the bumblebee!
My first advice is to read this website. See my sig for the best way IMO to search for your issues.
Yes, the engine will continue w/o alternator but the battery will slowly die over time if the alt is bad, leading to a no-start condition.
Find a way to get your new battery on a charger -overnight kinda thing.
Meanwhile, carefully inspect ALL the battery-alternator wiring and grounds for corrosion or damage.
Then once you get her started, test the alternator. Again - easy search for how-to.
Might need to buy a multimeter. Definitely should buy VCDS as it will pay for itself the first few times you need
to use it. Probably don't need it to solve your current issue.
Also, look for a Trusted Mechanic in your area. Believe me when i tell you, it's worth a 2 hour trip vs. using a mechanic who doesn't know these cars. If you haven't noticed, they make up a very tiny number of all cars in the US. Very few techs know the TDI well enough not to F them up. Trust me! Even most certified VW mechanics are second-tier compared to our TM's: Find them here:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=130044
Welcome to TDI club! Tell us more about the Beetle - mileage? Condition? History?
And most importantly:::::::::::::: when was the timing belt last changed and by whom?

I thought my wife's NB had a leaky electrical system and the battery didn't last. A new battery merely delayed the inevitable. A new alternator fixed the problem. Turns out the old one never did fix the problem. It did charge, but the voltage was low, and it was intermittent such that the battery never did charge well.

Getting the front end off is a matter of some 34 (I think) fasteners. You have to take the fenders off as well as the front bumper cover. Unplug all the lights, and keep after it. Takes me an hour to do it. An hour to put it back. Might be longer if some of the fasteners are corroded and very stubborn.

Once you get the front clip off, then move the radiator carrier out. It helps to buy some long bolts to use. You bolt them into the main supports in place of a bolt on each side then slide the carrier out on them. That gives you enough room to do the job you need to do. And no, I forgot the dimensions on the long bolts. Do a search, and you might get lucky. Good luck with this!

Cheers,

PH

Sorry for the late reply. I appreciate all the info given. I did get the repair manual and have studying it. I have not checked the timing. How do I know if it's getting fuel? It currently has over half a tank.
I looked up VCDS. With differing prices and some as cables that hook up to a laptop. Is there one that is preferred? We do have a multimeter.
We will check the other suggestions this weekend.
I was looking up VCDS and see there are ones with different prices and also cables to hook up to a laptop. Which one would be best to get? We do have a multimeter.
This weekend we will check the other things mentioned here.

This is the original and only non chinese pirated version of vcds. These are the guys who built the product and it’s a great product. The chinese amazon and eBay versions, not so much.

It’s a licensed cable that plugs into a USB port on your laptop. You download the free program from Ross-tech.

https://store.ross-tech.com/shop/cat/VCDS

Does the glow plug light come on when you turn the ignition on?

To start, the engine needs to crank over at a sufficient RPM. If the battery is weak you may not be at the level of being able to start. If the battery keeps draining you either have a weak alternator or some parasitic power drain. Another possibility is the main alternator cable that attaches to the battery fuse box is going bad or has a bad contact point on the fuse box. They can get weak through internal corrosion causing the amps to go up, even melting the fuse box in some cases.

Here is a thread that walks you through the process of figuring out the no start:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=199398

Well the good news is these cars are real simple, but they are different.


Take some time and read through the TDIFAQ and the forums.
The How it works section is very helpful.

VW TDI Search Engine

The alternator is hard to get at, hopefully it's just a wire or connector.

The time honored method to test the alternator: connect your multimeter to battery, record voltage hopefully greater than 12 vdc, start engine . voltage at battery should climb to 13.5 vdc or higher; yes continue, no get battery tested. if yes, turn on the headlights on high, heater fan on high, voltage at battery should be 13.5 vdc or higher, fail replace alternator for sure.

On my car the battery was toast but it took out my alternator too, So when I did this test with the new battery it failed the very first test when I started the engine, So replaced the alternator and all is good now,

Having completely discharged the battery multiple times, even a new battery will probably be toast. Go get a new one on warranty. Make sure it has sufficient reserve. An RC over 120 is preferred (~60 amp hours). Since you can't get one as large as can fit in the Golf or Jetta, you have to work hard to get a good one. I think the size is H6. Sam's sells one under the Duracell label made my East Penn. It is a good one.

Also, having run or sat with exceedingly low voltages, some of the electronics will get grumpy and not want to run. You will need to get that battery refreshed, then clear the codes. Then get it started, and do what Curious Chris wrote above. I'm betting your alternator is having trouble, so if it shows adequate voltage, let it run and try it again every few minutes for 20 minutes or so until you can see whether the alternator will continue to provide adequate charging.

Good luck,

PH

Batteries don't like being fully discharged and alternators don't like trying to recharge fully discharged batteries. Fully discharged batteries should be recharged using a dedicated wall powered charger, not the alternator or jumping.

I noticed when I turned on the key to crank it up, the glow plug light didn't come on.

That would most likely be a defective "Relay 109"... if you search here you'll find a ton of threads, and yours being an older Beetle there's a good chance that's a possibility.

Vince hit it. The relay 109 provides power to the ECU. The original black ones were a known fail.

I think it is the relay 109. This past weekend my husband and I were going through the manual and while learning more about the engine with the the book, we decided to play around and learn how to test the glow plugs. I know they were still good, we just decided to test them to learn how to do it. He disconnected 2 of them and left 2 connected. Then while looking at what we think was the timing belt, he asked me to crank up the engine just to see something (forgetting the 2 glow plugs were still disconnected from the glow plug connector). I cranked it and the engine started right up. We both looked at each other with a "uh, not sure that was supposed to happen" look. With the engine still running, he tested the battery, still holding charge, so we were able to rule out the alternator for sure now.
I turned off the engine, he reconnected the 2 glow plugs, the glow plug light came back on and the engine cranked up and started. Not really understanding why, I called my dad who has been working on cars for almost his entire life and he didn't know why that happened either. Strange.
So I turned off the engine, we put all the parts back on that we took off when we thought it was the alternator. After it's all put back together, I tried to crank it again. No glow plug light and it wouldn't start again.
So coming back here, I am going to purchase a relay 109 and replace it. I think that really might be the problem by the advice of your good people here. I already searched the board and found more information on it. It appears to be a cheap and easy replacement. It looks like I can get it off Amazon and have by the weekend.

FYI, I had a faulty relay 109 and was able to take it apart and resolder the contacts inside. Few years later it's still working fine.

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The 109 relay rarely fails outright... often it fails "two tries out of three"... but when it does the big clue is no glow plug light and then no engine start.

The engine's no-start is not because there's no power to the glowplugs... it's because there's no power to the engine's computer, which among other things turns on the glow plug light.

That said, it is a mission-critical part of the system, so best to get a reputable replacement part. If you post a link to the one you're planning to buy someone here should be able to tell if it's a OEM part or a cheap ripoff that will strand you again some day.

So, I thought I would give a final update. It was infact the relay 109. I replaced it yesterday and now it runs perfect. Thanks for all the help, I appreciate it.

Thanks for posting back with solution! The 109 supplies voltage to the ECU, so when they're bad they can cause all sorts of problems. The original ones were black, most have been replaced by now.