instrument cluster warning light diagram

1998 NB 1.9 TDI, I have a warning light since this car does not have an owner's manual, I need to know what this light means.
It is a yellow light and is like a coil designation.

I've looked online and have not found a suitable way of finding out what this light means.

Your help is appreciated.
~MarcusMark

Sounds like the glow plug symbol. You probably either have a bad glow plug or a bad glow plug harness. The good news is that living in Texas, this is probably not a big deal in the summer time. Have you had any difficulty starting the engine? The only way to know for sure what is going on is to find someone with VCDS (Vag-Com) and scan your car for fault codes.

Have Fun!

Don

Thanks Don,
Yep in Texas most of the time. Lake Texoma when I can.
Great, easy fix.
no trouble starting, in fact starts well when starting first time, then turns over a few more after warmup.
Love this car, fun to drive, except when in limp mode, had that happen once, it was a vacuum hose.
Don I have a laptop and saw a odb2 software for 100 dollars, I'd have to go back to the web page but it seems like a good deal, it came with cable. Your thoughts.

I did contact a guy on the forum who is in the Dallas area, but he may not have got the email, just wanted to see what messages are in memory.

another question I've experienced with VW is the repair manual will give a tool part number but don't try to go to the dealer and buy it, they just will not sell it, where can these tools be bought, Snap-on I'll guess.

Again thanks Don for your time.
~MarcusMark

Thanks Don,
Yep in Texas most of the time. Lake Texoma when I can.
Great, easy fix.
no trouble starting, in fact starts well when starting first time, then turns over a few more after warmup.
Love this car, fun to drive, except when in limp mode, had that happen once, it was a vacuum hose.
Don I have a laptop and saw a odb2 software for 100 dollars, I'd have to go back to the web page but it seems like a good deal, it came with cable. Your thoughts.

I did contact a guy on the forum who is in the Dallas area, but he may not have got the email, just wanted to see what messages are in memory.

another question I've experienced with VW is the repair manual will give a tool part number but don't try to go to the dealer and buy it, they just will not sell it, where can these tools be bought, Snap-on I'll guess.

Again thanks Don for your time.
~MarcusMark

A generic OBD code reader will only read standard OBD codes and VW has many proprietary fault codes that they cannot read. There are several threads here to find people who have VCDS (Vag-Com) which will give you much more info. Highly recommended.

As for VW tools, check this out: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=149175

This thread lists several vendors of special VW tools. Metalnerd is probably the best known.

Have Fun!

Don

The glow plug lamp doesn't have anything to do with glow plug faults.

If the lamp is flashing constantly, there is a non-emissions fault. Some of the most common among those are burned out brake lights and/or a bad brake switch. Some of those faults can be read with a generic OBD reader, but non-emissions fault may not appear (OBD is specified for emissions only).

I get the feeling this car is new to you and you are trying to become familiar with all it's little quirks. The light you describe is the glow plug indicator, and it goes out when the engine is ready to start if it is cold. Above 40, the glow plugs are not needed to help with starting, but the light will come on for 1 or 2 seconds every time you turn the key on. This is normal and it is just letting you know it has passed it's self test.

Paul

Thanks Alchemist.