Good run with my JSW TDI - Thanks.

[ttcheung]

My JSW recently became victim to large amounts of water going into the front / rear driver's side footwell. The culprit was the clogged drain tube, to which I was able to unclog. The car drove fine after that, until this past Sunday when I was leaving my friend's place. The starter cranked for a split second and stopped, no response, all normal lights on dash. I disconnect / reconnected the battery, still no success. Fortunately, we were able to push start the car, and I figured it was a starter fuse that got wet from the water intrusion.

Bolting home on I-95, near Waltham, I get a "Service Engine Now" message along with blink glow plug light and reduce engine power. I had this "limp home" mode happen in the past when a connector wire had frayed and broken off, so I figure I could just make it home on reduced power. I get off my exit and then I start feeling the car's fuel shutoff, and I end up coasting to a stop. I had AAA tow me the last few miles.

Yesterday I checked all the fuses I had access to, and everything seemed fine. I tried starting, but nothing, no relay, no clicking, nothing. Battery is strong. My absent-mindedness disconnected the battery before getting any OBD codes. At this point I am about to take it to the dealer ::cringe:: and see if they can diagnose it. I sincerely hope it's not an ECU or wire harness. Any help / insight is appreciated, although this seems very unique.

 

[oilhammer]

OBD works, start there. Disconnecting the battery is irrelevant.

 

[ttcheung]

I went and checked again, with my simplistic OBD reader. No stored or pending codes. nothing at all.....

I was talking to my insurance agent, who happened to be a good friend with VW / Audi experience; he said it's not uncommon to see insurance claims on the water damage, especially in the fuse panel areas. I'm going to look into filing a claim at this point. Didn't think I'd come to this.

 

[oilhammer]

You need a real scan tool. The CE box is its own module, it has OBD as well as full datastream and some bidirectional control, as well as the Steering module, etc.

Otherwise, we can only guess... and I guess starting with the obvious and looking at the area(s) that got wet.

 

[ApproachMedium]

This isnt a Chevrolet. You need to get into the system with VCDS. My MK5 GTI had the sunroof not close all the way when i parked it once before work, rain got in and had a few inches of water on the floor as well as a soaked dash/radio. I drove it home with no steering wheel controls, dash etc. I dried the car out and was able to go in thru VCDS and clear faults in various modules of the car that had shut down into protection from the shorting. That is likely what happened here. Once i did that i had zero issues with the car afterwords.

The little amazon fix it BS things for the OBD port will not give you access to all modules in the car or any VW specific codes

 

[oilhammer]

A modern GM vehicle is the same, generic OBD2 is just as worthless on a Chevy, LOL.

 

[ApproachMedium]

This is also true, however my OBDLinkMX+ does access all modules on my 18 canyon diesel. But i dont think that thing works on my jetta

 

[ttcheung]

Good to know. At this point I am just going to have the stealership do the diagnosis as part of the insurance estimate. I know it sounds a bit like a cop-out, but looking for insurance help at this point. hoping it's not going to total the car.

 

[ttcheung]

I didn't know VCDS was that comprehensive of a diagnostic tool. I guess I really never looked into it too much since the car hasn't really given me much (if any) problems, surprisingly. Kerma TDI personnel had recommended I get VCDS as well, but I have been able to cruise around for the past six years with OBD scanner and DIY, or VW's diesel scandal warranty to replace parts. Hopefully the electrical system did indeed, just shut off parts that were deemed vulnerable.

 

[ttcheung]

I guess I will throw this request out there: If anybody has VCDS and is near Sudbury, MA, and is available in the near future, I would greatly appreciate if she / he could swing by and plug it into my car to retrieve any codes that could shed some more insight. I won't bribe with snacks, just heartfelt appreciation. Thanks in advance.

 

[ApproachMedium]

Should edit your thread title to include that your looking for help there! Good luck!!

 

[ttcheung]

UPDATE: Well, after taking it to Wellesley VW and having them comb through the car, they found a crack on the panoroof frame. They were doing the water intrusion test and water was just going into the footwell. Looks like a total loss at this point. I could technically buy it back and then blow the whole check on fixing / chasing issues, but it looks like the estimate is going to be way more than the car's value.

 

[ApproachMedium]

So what caused that to crack? Was it ever in a crash? Doesnt seem like thats your fault

 

[GTiTDi]

I had a customer experience a sudden loss of power on 93-S when a clogged sunroof drain lead to his A-pillar terminal station getting so soaked with water that it shorted and subsequently closed the exhaust flap. I was able to clean the connections with DeOxit spray, clear the drains and he never had the issue resurface.

 

[ttcheung]

Fortunate that your customer experience came out with no issues. For me, it's done. The sunroof frame crack apparently is not uncommon, and that itself was enough to total the car. I'm not taking chances with trying to diagnose the car myself, so I went to the dealer and cleaned out my belongings, and the insurance appraiser stopped by earlier this morning to check it out.

Brown, manual, diesel, station wagon; it was a great run, and I had anticipated at least another 150k miles (it is at 207k right now). I don't think there's a replacement for it in the States today. 328d estate comes close, but no manual. I don't think MBZ E-class wagons come in diesel, and that's out of my budget.