Issue with dash cluster resetting???

Good afternoon all, I recently swapped engines in my 2003 Jetta to the one I had in a 2002 that it totaled. Prior to the swap when I would start the car and very rarely intermittently the ABS and Brake light will flash and I will hear a warning chime 3 times also my Trip meter and my clock on the gauge cluster would reset to 0 and to 1200 on the clock with the green car the radio would also reset to factory settings as if I pulled the ground off the battery and lastly if I had headlights on they would turn off for a second. Another issue I had was when I would go to start the car all power would die until I placed my foot on the brake then it would start fine. So during the swap I was hoping the new computer and gauge cluster would fix this issue. Turns out it didn't so I did a little bit of reading and found that there are 3 ground studs under the battery tray one for the negative battery terminal that also runs to the engine block, and 2 others with small brown wires on them. I cleaned the big one for the battery and attempted to clean the next one with 2 brown wires on I didn't do the one furthest outboard on the car. So all day yesterday I had no issue with the flashing power or the no power on start up. Today though different story I have the dash resetting the clock and Trip meter and I still have the issue of the no power when attempting to start. Weird thing is now the radio is staying at the settings I programmed into it i.e. the station isn't changing and the colors are the same. So question is, is this still a ground issue and do I need to clean all 3 really well or is there another ground for the gauge cluster I'm missing??? sorry for being long winded just a real pain in the A** especially for trying to figure out fuel mileage. I'm assuming one of the grounds I cleaned is the reason for the radio working properly. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gotta love electrical gremlins. I'd try to clean them up better, also make sure your battery itself the terminals are nice and clean. Can't be too clean.

What are you using to clean the terminals? I personally use a hand polisher with a 3M green or yellow bristle disc, gets the ring terminals super clean and doesn't eat material away.

Been using a wire brush and yeah I did clean terminals too . Are those 3 studs and the one on the block the only grounds?

There's some under the steering column as well, you ever had moisture issues with this car?

No none that I'm aware of. I need to figure out where the ground for the cluster is. Like I said I think I fixed the radio resetting problem now I need to figure out where that cluster grounds out

I can check a schematic when I get home from work for you, but that's six hours from now.

If you could do that I would greatly appreciate that. I just want all these small issues fixed. I spent a lotta time.trting to make this car 100% and the dash resetting is a paim

Yeah I'll do that, I set an alarm to remind me tonight lol

Thanks brother I'm on nights I should be awake lol

Got back in the car tonight and it flashed that ABS light and Brake light for awhile til I pushed the brake pedal down. Been driving for 20 mins and hasn't happened since. But I rolled my window up and it made it flash power and do it again

Update! When I use my auto window switch going up or down when the window hits it's upper stop or lower stop it causes the power / dash to reset and ABS and brake lights to reset

That ground sheet is amazing! Thank you so much does everyone agree this is a ground issue?

Darn I was about to post the schematic lol if you still need it let me know. It could be a ground issue or a power issue. Sounds like when the amperage draw is higher (like rolling the window and it hits the stop) it causes a minor power surge causing the modules to power cycle. May also explain why you have troubles when first starting too. That starter draws a lot too

Well I wouldn't know where to even begin if it's a power issue.

Been following, not sure if the comments below will be helpful.
If I read correctly, you're in the 2003 with the engine, ECU and cluster from the 2002. Some guesses- wiring to cluster is the 2003, engine wirint to ECU is 2002.
Seems like errors would be from the various devices (or their connects) still on the 2003, troubleshoot those one at a time. You've taken care of grounds in the engine compartment, there are a few more, 2 are close to the cluster.
Sounds like the cars runs O.K., but these other gremlins are so tedious.

If I read it correctly, he said he was getting the issue before the swap, it was just not as often... So somethings been disturbed causing it to crack out on him.

Something I just thought of, check to make sure the 10mm bolt that's on the positive connector is clean and tightened. The bolt that holds the extra wire to the terminal, not the one thats part of it.

Had that one slightly loose on my dad's car, caused the trip/clock to reset once a month maybe, but had bad issues with flickering lights until fixed.

Is that the one that goes to the Fuse block on top of the battery? I gotta a guy at work whos very much into VWs in general and he told me that those Boxes on top of the battery have been known to go bad and cause the same problem. So if that wire does go to the block then that's 2 people recommending that leg of the system. And to clarify yes it happened pre-swap. Just now has become more frequent. And icing on todays cake... #2 injectors leaking cant tell if its the return lines or the injector itself. So new injector seals and new return lines on the way!!!

When the fuse block on top of the battery goes it'll be visible, melty plastic and bad corrosion. The wire Nero refers to is part of the battery terminal, believe it secures the whole B+ circuit. Same for the battery ground terminal. 1st thing to check, all those large wires and connects. Crazy stuff can happen like wires corroding inside sheaths, not apparent.

When it completely fails, yeah it melts. Or if you're just a dummy like me and not tighten the nut all the way it'll do the same thing. Easy check at least.

So with corrosion wouldn't it be a constant problem? Also I took the car to lunch tonight and it did a FULL RESET of radio and cluster lost power for about 2 seconds on everything. After that reset everything's working perfect. I just don't get it I figured with corrosion it would be all the time or at least more frequent? I am still thinking I have a bad ground or loose power terminal somewhere I just don't know what would cause a total loss of power headlights, radio, gauge, like everything dies.

Thsts why I refer to them as gremlins, because it definitely causes intermittent issues.

Are you able to scan with VCDS? Curious if there's a loss of B+ codes.

Nero Morg said:

Darn I was about to post the schematic

Click to expand...

If it's not too much trouble, I'd be interested in it!

STDOUBT said:

If it's not too much trouble, I'd be interested in it!

Click to expand...

Well now you're gonna have to wait til I get off work haha darn swing shift.

It's in the post a few up maybe on the first page there's a link to it. And update just drove home no problem. So weird it did it when I first started it up but 5 mins in doesn't really do it anymore. I just don't get it

And here you are. If you need more schematics I have them all digitally on my pc for all years.

So another update... Tonight before I got in the car to drive home and there was a ticking constantly and the clock was slightly flashing with no key on so I'm still set in this may be a ground as the cluster had power constantly ideas anyone!!????

I can tear into the power/ground distribution schematics when I get home. Really sounds like you've got something loose, like a connector or a power/ground stud nut.

Update 1034: Last night I had to go out to run some errands. I realized my trunk open switch would not work and trunk had to be opened manually. Crazy thing is drove it for over 40 mins total last night and not once did the car have it's power issue, I couldn't even get it to happen by force using the normal tricks I know make it happen. So I guess the trunk switch must have been bad? Or a fuse is finally blown with the trunk switch being in that circuit. I can't find anything else blown or inoperative.

Nero Morg said:

Are you able to scan with VCDS? Curious if there's a loss of B+ codes.

Click to expand...

If he could scan it while the problem is occurring it might show something.

The radio and cluster use different fuses. Don't know if both get power from the same 'hot always' point.

Radio ground should be around the center of the dash, cluster left side of the dash.
Only common ground point would be one under the battery tray,