Odd Starting Isuue!

GrantL

Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Location
Peachtree City GA
TDI
2003 Golf
Hello everyone while this account maybe new, I have been a longtime member of this board and can not thank you all enough for all the great information on this forum.

I have a 03 Golf, and for the last year I have been dealing with this odd intermittent starting issue. The car will simply act like the battery is dead, the gauge lights will dim, when I move the key to the start position and some times the doors will lock or unlock. Once the clock reset the car would start normally. A good friend of mine told me about how there are a few different batteries that are Vin specific. So I simply got a new batter from the dealership and the car behaved it self. He also recommended rebuilding the starter.

This was all good for a month or so and it started again, so I shot a few wires, replaced the 109 relay, cleaned grounds, replaced the ignition switch and replaced the starter. All of this did improve how the car started, the engine seemed to turn over far more quickly. But still after a few weeks the issue comes back. Now I carry the tools to disconnect the battery and after that the car starts up perfectly.

What I have noticed in the last few months the ABS and Emergency brake light will blink on and off with the warning chime going off. When this happens I know the car won't start in a day or two. This has gotten beyond annoying.

Today I was able to time the blinking light issue on my day off and here are the VAGCOM codes.
19456-Glow Plug Indicator light
00668-Supply Voltage Terminal 30, 008 implausible signal intermittent
00532-supply voltage B+ 07-10 Signal too low-intermittent
01331-Door control module; driver side no communication intermittent
01305-Databus for infotainment

While all this to me is pointing to a bad ground, I am still puzzled why the car starts perfectly after disconnecting the battery.. But with another day off, and two hours of studying the wiring diagram I will attack the car full force in the morning!
 

Nero Morg

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 19, 2017
Location
OR
TDI
2014 A6 TDI, 2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat TDI
Have you by chance load tested the battery lately? See what it's general health is?

Also, check the load reduction relay?
 
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GrantL

Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Location
Peachtree City GA
TDI
2003 Golf
Hey thanks for the response, after looking at the schematic, the load control relay started to make a lot of sense. Still the thing that puzzles me is why disconnecting the batter makes it go away for a time. While I was messing with it today all the relays buzz while the car isn't starting. I think the load control relay is a 53 relay.
 

Nero Morg

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 19, 2017
Location
OR
TDI
2014 A6 TDI, 2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat TDI
Gremlins. Yeah I believe it's the 53, if you have a spare, swap it over and see if there's a change.
 

GrantL

Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Location
Peachtree City GA
TDI
2003 Golf
Today I went back though and the grounds, cleaned them up and re-greased them. I found one ground under the battery that was really nasty, I didn't realize there were three under there till yesterday. I will see how this goes and I do have a 53 relay I can swap out when she decides to act up again... I contacted one online vender that offers ECU tuning and another very reputable repair shop that sells parts online, both were stumped. Fun fun fun!
 
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wonneber

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Location
Monroe, NY, USA
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagon,2003 Jetta 261K Sold but not forgotten
Today I went back though and the grounds, cleaned them up and re-greased them. I found one ground under the battery that was really nasty
If that ground is bad then everything that grounds to the body is bad.
Good chance that fixes it.

If it does act up again with the key on turn the head lights and fan on high.
Measure the voltage from the battery negative -post- (not the clamp) to the body of the car.
I would not want to see more then a few tenths of a volt.
If it's higher start tracking the wire from the clamp to the body ground.

You can do the same with the positive side going to the fuse box on top of the battery.
 

GrantL

Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2019
Location
Peachtree City GA
TDI
2003 Golf
So far so good, no lights blinking yet. I would like to think that got it, but we will see. I am kinda kicking myself for missing that ground but there was a wire bundle obscuring it.
 
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Nero Morg

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 19, 2017
Location
OR
TDI
2014 A6 TDI, 2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat TDI
I know exactly which one you're talking about, can be a hidden bugger. Knock on wood!
 
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