1993 Golf No glow plug light, no start

93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
Im not sure if this situation is very similar to others but i just found this specific situation interesting. Just bought a 1993 golf 1.9 td. very very new to little germam diesels but i loved it for the day that ot ran. I stalled the car while turning right at an intersection so i put it in neutral turned key off turned key on.. wait for glow plugs.. no glow plug light!! car will crank just fine but that damn light wont come on. I was told by the previous owner that the vehicle has a new injection pump and new glow plugs, the ends of them look new so im trusting him on the gp. Any who under the dash i located the 10 amp fuse in position 12 was blown replaced that still no light and no start. Checked resistance on glow plugs and they were all .8ohm. Question is, is it the 4 pin glow plug relay or the big rectangle control modual. I will be ordering the glow plug relay but any addition info anyone has would be greatly appreciated ( even if its simpleton info) Thanks!! also temp has been below 0C for a few days
 
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93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
Also no engine lights on just the battery and oil light when cranking, but after a few seconds the oil light begins to flash? and car has a rolled over odometer reading 127xxx soo 427xxx?
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
The Mk3 IDI does have an engine computer of sorts. You might check that the fuel cutoff solenoid is getting power.

They won't start without glow plugs. As I recall the fuse is mounted to the firewall by the coolant tank.

-J
 

93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
The fuse on the engine bay side of the fire wall, the thin metal bar one is intact i took it off and gave it a good wipe down and inspection, no cracks
 

93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
and im pretty sure the engine is getting fuel because there is a little air bubble in the one fuel line and it moved through the clear tubing up to the engine but i will take the access panel out from the back hatch and give a listen to make sure the pump is working?
 

93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
since i wont be able to get that relay until tuesday (none in stock within 100 km of me) i would like to actually take the glow plugs out, difficult? i can see the bus bar is that it? then take the plugs out? and wierd things i should be careful of while doing this? thanks.
 

Vince Waldon

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Edmonton AB Canada
TDI
2001 ALH Jetta, 2003 ALH Wagon, 2005 BEW Wagon
Yes, if you've confirmed you're getting a solid 12V to the buss bar, pulling the buss bar and then testing each glow plug individually is a good next step.

8 mm nuts, and the two behind the injection pump are a pain, but it is do-able.

With the buss bar removed you can either test them for conductivity with an ohmmeter or pull them and see if they glow red hot when hooked directly to the battery.

Of course, all of this is detailed in the web site I posted. :)
 

yakko

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Location
Wappingers Falls, NY
TDI
PASSAT 96,97
Just a glow plug relay to turn on the glow plugs. With ignition switch on, the relay should pick. Only for about seventeen sec. or so depending on how cold the engine is You need the voltmeter red lead on one side of the glow plug fuse. This will see if the relay is picking via 12v. It may not carry enough current to fire the glow plugs still. The contacts in the relay can be cleaned also. This can help till a new relay is located.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
The glow plug relay on that car might be run by the engine computer, which might trigger it when the DS door opens.

-J
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
Well remember the IDI plugs can take 20-30 seconds to warm up on a cold day. The system started a glow cycle the first time the DS door was opened.
 

Vince Waldon

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Edmonton AB Canada
TDI
2001 ALH Jetta, 2003 ALH Wagon, 2005 BEW Wagon
Yes, there's an engine control module on this car that, among other things, starts the glow plugs running when it sees the drivers door open...to speed up the starting cycle on cold winter mornings.

Nothing crazy about it, IMHO.

The ECM powers a generic VW 4-pin load reduction relay to drive the glows, so no power to the plugs could be the ECM, the load reduction relay, the fuse, or any of the wiring in between.
 

93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
well i physically saw the fuel moving through the lines past the fuel filter (new) but where is and what is the fuel cutoff you speak of compu?
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
The fuel cutoff is the solenoid mounted to the top of the pump by the 4 high pressure pipes. It has a wire going to it. Hook up a test light and turn the key.



-J
 

93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
im assuming a volt meter would do the trick also? ill try and have a good look tomorrow to try and find it specifically on the pump. thanks again guys, huge huge help this site and its members are. A good community forum like this, beauty
 

Vince Waldon

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Edmonton AB Canada
TDI
2001 ALH Jetta, 2003 ALH Wagon, 2005 BEW Wagon
One final thought: fuse 15 is the engine management fuse that powers the ECM and the fuel shutoff solenoid...might be a contributing factor and simple to check.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
A volt meter would work. I like a test light because it's easier to see from the cabin. I don't know if the computer shuts the solenoid off after a while.

-J
 

93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
Vince, that fuse 15 was blown, and the glow plug light comes on! but it is currently -8c feels like -16 so im going to plug it in and give it a while
 

93 1.9d

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Location
London Ontario CANADA
TDI
1993 Golf 1.9D 427000kms and counting!
that was all it was! car runs just fine now! woo hoo! and the fuse was blown, not melted but dont know what you mean by vaporized? it just had a crack in the middle of the metal inside the plastic case
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
A hard short will blow the fuse and leave a charred mark. An overload won't do that. If it was just cracked that may have simply happened to do vibration.

-J
 
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