Corroded grounds- Req'd Maint for ALL A4 cars

Hyates

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 27, 1999
Location
Canada
TDI
SOLD
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

Hi Folks. I finally got a chance to do this bit of maintenance, and once again, I am really surprised.

When we had our 2000 Golf TDI, I removed the battery and battery tray when the car was new. Under the tray are three ground points. I cleaned/waxed and used dielectric grease on all the contacts, and Never-Seize on all the mounting bolts for the tray. This kept this area perfect for the four years we had our Golf.

Today, after nearly 7 months of ownership of our JWagon, I decided to do the same thing. It was time to detail the engine anyway, so I made this a project day /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Sure enough, the same three ground points were starting to corrode. I am surprised since VW actually does a very nice job of finishing things off, and all it takes is a few dabs of dielectric grease at the factory to prevent this from happening in the first place. I had to clean off the spade connectors as well.

If you have one of the black batteries with the little 'eye' to tell if the battery is OK or not, you CAN service that battery. The cell caps are hidden under the label. If you peel off half the label on each side, you'll expose the cell caps, and be able to check the fluid level. It turned out that the battery was a bit low, so I topped it off with some distilled water. Make sure that you DO NOT OVERFILL.

HTH,
Harry.
 

VDubVerruckt

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2003
Location
Scottsdale, Arizona
TDI
2003 Golf GL, Reflex Silver
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

I had corroded and loose ground wires about 4,000 miles ago. This was the cause of my A/C problems. Repaired under warranty.
 

cage

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 25, 1999
Location
lakewood, ohio
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

Yikes I will have to check mine (98 Beetle) As far as the battery goes,,, not all of the "green eyes" are fillable. I was all exited and ran out and ripped off the label. Mine has a solid black top!!! No caps!!!
 

Denis

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Location
San Diego CA
TDI
Golf GL 5sp, 2002, White
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

Is there anything special involved with the removal of the battery, i.e., things that require resetting or input changes after battery is re-installed? I've got an oil change coming up and would like to move the battery to clean up things in that area and do some maintenance on the battery itself.

Denis
 

Hyates

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 27, 1999
Location
Canada
TDI
SOLD
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

Denis, it's always best to have your radio code handy. You might have to reset the one-touch power windows function by using the key in the driver's door lock. Having said this, I've never had to reset the radio/locks in the couple hours I have the battery out. Of course, YMMV. Oh yes, if you use your trip meter, record the mileage as that info WILL be lost when you unplug the battery.

HTH,
Harry.
 

Hoffer

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2003
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
TDI
Golf GLS, 2003, Black
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

it's always best to have your radio code handy.
I've done it enough, I've got it memorized.


You might have to reset the one-touch power windows function by using the key in the driver's door lock.
I've found that I've been able to do that by lowering the windows and raising them all the way again just using the window switches in the car. It's always funny the first time I try to do it after having the power disconnected, because it usually doesn't happen until a few days later, and then I'm all confused...


- hoffer
 

jimmyz

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 27, 1999
Location
Kenosha, WI - former home of the late AMC
TDI
TDI Jetta GLS, '99.5, Silver Arrow, 2010 Jetta Salsa Red TDI Cup Edition w/DSG, 2 x 2016 TDI Touareg Execs
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

I also had problems due to battery corrosion. The wiring over the battery corroded to the point that it caused my antilock brakes not to function. The brake warning light was on in the dash. The dealer replaced the wiring under my extended warranty and this fixed the brake issue. I am now using a sealed Optima battery to prevent reoccurance.
 

Denis

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Location
San Diego CA
TDI
Golf GL 5sp, 2002, White
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

This is what I found after removing battery tray



What's up with the ground wire from the battery, I've never seen it done this way before.

Denis
 

weedeater

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Location
Reston, VA
TDI
Jetta, 2001, Baltic Green
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

Looks to me like it got wet. There's now corrosion in the cable. I think you'll have to replace it. Once it starts to corrode like that there's no way to stop it.
 

Denis

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Location
San Diego CA
TDI
Golf GL 5sp, 2002, White
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

There is no corrosion there, the copper strands are fine. My comment was about splicing the cable in the center like it is and grounding it in a second location like it is. The actual end of the ground cable is bolted to the engine/transmission case.

You'd think they could at least shrink wrap the spliced area.

All three ground points I lifted and cleaned.

Denis
 

kiwibru

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 21, 1999
Location
Distant island in WA. state
TDI
Golf 2-door, 2k Silver. Red RTDI now gone but not forgotten!
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

Strange, when I did mine today the ground connection on the large cable was covered with a shrink wrap and not exposed at all like in your picture. I was surprised at how good all of my connections looked. A bit of dirt but no rust or corrosion. I removed each cable eyelet anyway and added some dielectric grease and even sprayed some red grease on the threaded studs for good measure. Good for five more years!
 

BrazilTDI

Active member
Joined
Oct 14, 2003
Location
New Hampshire, USA
TDI
golf 2002 blue
Corroded grounds- Req\'d Maint for ALL A4 cars

A little trick I've learned from the past. If you are concerned with grounds corroding you should put a small dab of anti sieze on the hardware (bolts/studs) tighten the hardware and ground wires down and apply CLEAR RTV. This way the ground is never exposed to the elements and if it should ever corrode (Highly unlikely) you can see the corrosion. It works!
 

3800rpmDiesel

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2006
Location
Fall River, NS, Canada
TDI
'03 Jetta Wgn 5spd w/ mods, '03 Wgn 5spd stock, '05 Passat Wgn - chainless.
- anyone have any pictures of where these ground points are?

- exactly how many are there and where are they located?

- i'm assuming i just need some wrenches/sockets, stiff wire brush, di-electric grease, and radio code. anything else?
 

LNXGUY

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Location
Barrie, Ont, Canada
TDI
'05 Jetta TDI Wagon
3800rpmDiesel said:
- anyone have any pictures of where these ground points are?

- exactly how many are there and where are they located?

- i'm assuming i just need some wrenches/sockets, stiff wire brush, di-electric grease, and radio code. anything else?
Take the battery out, remove the battery tray and they will be staring you in the face...
 
Top