cluster doing strange things + airbag light 97 b4

bigblue

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Location
NJ/nyc
TDI
2003 jetta ALH, 2004 golf pd150
I've searched and found a lot of people with cluster issues on their B4 and A3 cars but not like what I'm experiening specifically

For the past week of driving, the seatbelt light/chime would randomly come on together while driving. At first the chime song made me think a door was not completely shut or one door light switch was being tripped until I noticed the seatbelt light would be on as well. Every time it does this it's for the exact same time interval. A few days later the airbag light came on (and continues to stay on) for the first time since I have had the car of 2 years.

I went away for 2 weeks but got in it today and now there is a new cluster issue along with the aforementioned. While parked and idling, the tach and temp gauge (and possibly fuel too?) start to flicker erradically. Along with that at least the temp light also flickers. The clock/odometer still function normally (note- this is a canadian KM car)

From reading the archived posts on this forum people recommended chasing similar (but not exact) electrical gremlins like this by diagnosing

replacing the cluster itself
ground connections underhood
battery
alternator
fuses
coolant reservior connection?

I'm capable of attacking any and all of these myself but it's cold out right now and I'd rather have some sense of direction in the effort to save time working in the cold. Can anybody give me any advise where to start?
 

rdkern

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 21, 2004
Location
Humboldt Co CA
TDI
Passat 1997 silver (sold after 11 years), Jetta 2000 atlantic blue
I'd start with the battery connections and grounds. You have a B4, so the coolant migration is not likely an issue (your plug is high on the reservoir, this is an A4 issue). This is about 1/2-1 hour, depending on the comfort of your working environment. You've got a couple of grounds near the battery (almost under the battery) and almost under the winsdhield washer reservoir that should be cleaned and tightened. Do take care of the battery terminals and big wires, especially the grounding wire. The beauty of this approach being first is that it's about a 40% chance of fixing the problem, and it's cheap. While doing this you may find a wire that's getting frayed and being held together by the insulation. Lots of problems can be caused by bad grounds.
 
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