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It seems that VW did such a great job of insulating the terminals on 1994-95 Golfs and Jettas (Bosch reman alternators AL0185X, AL0186X, AL0181X, AL0184X) that they inadvertently created some low/dead battery problems on these cars.
In some cases, the eyelet connector of the wiring harness, which connects to the B+ stud of the alternator, had just enough extra insulation applied to it to keep it from making good contact. This, in turn, prevents the alternator from charging properly.
To prevent a return trip to the battery charger, VW suggests that you disconnect the battery ground, remove the eyelet terminal from the alternator B+ stud and remove approximately 6mm of the insulation from the terminal. Then, some die electric gel should be applied to the eyelet before re-attaching to the B+ stud with a torque of 13Nm or 10 ft lbs. Then, reattach the battery ground.
I Personally, I would be using a DVM (Digital VoltMeter) and have my wife pushing on the brake pedal. Oftentimes, it is FARR easier to just add another ground wire to complete the circuit instead of trying to locate the faulty one.
Have you tried doing your cleaning process to every ground wire you can find under the hood which is screwed to the body?
Thanks!
Andrea
I would look into that CEL. It could also be a clue.
CEL ==> Check Engine Light
I was not suggesting that your car is stolen. It is possible for the IMMOBILIZER to *think* the key is a forgery. The symptoms would be the engine will start and immedeatly shut itself off. Is that not what you are complaining about?
Most often, this kind of problem is related to the ring around the ignition key hole which "senses" the chip in the key.
Dont forget that VW uses a computer-chip imbedded into the key to determine if the key is a forgery.
One way you can prove or disprove that this is a problem with the immonilizer is to try the other 2 keys that came with your car.
*)If the problem does NOT happen with those keys, then your problem must be the key you are using.
*)If the problem DOES happen, then it is likely that the immobilizer is the problem.
As I said before - A scan of the CEL codes can give you more information.
points to the ignition, but I'm reluctant to go that expensive
route of repair when the car starts 99% of the time. It is a
variation of Russian roulette.
I drive it for 15-20 minutes and stop at a store. If I come back out in 10-15 mins it starts fine. Longer and it won't start. If the time between starts is 4 hours plus then it fires up no problem. In the interim it turns over and will not start. I pulled the spark plug wires and shorted them to check for a spark and got nothing. So I believe it is electrical. I crank it over a few times and it won't start. If I leave it for 20 mins, then try and start it again it starts great. I have tried both keys, have new spark plugs and a new battery. The crank sounds great. I thought it might be a fuel pressure issue, but the lack o spark rules that out. Now I am thinking about the anti-theft devices. Also it does not do this with any consistency. Sometimes there is no problem. Anyone have advice?
One that i have been fighting with for a long time is this, When i run the engine, the alternator seems to put out less voltage at a high RPM vs. Idle. I run the risk of running my battery down if drive and have to use .. say my head lights for a long period of time :surprise: . I've replaced the alternator and battery several times and always have had this problem in the 2 years i've had this car. Just seeing if anybody else has seen this issue.
On another note, I am wanting to remove my a/c compressor (doesn't work anyway), and am wanting to know the p/n of the pully/bracket for the non a/c version... anybody have info?
Thanks
As for your alternator issue, the pully on many TDI alternators is a very unique "one way" ratchet type thingie. It is very common for that pully to become defective. Is is pretty easy to change the pully and much less expensive that remove/replace alternator.
I find it interesting that you have replaced the alternator several times already.... Did you replace the pully?
Also, by what means are you making the determination that "alternator seems to put out less voltage at a high RPM vs. Idle"
How did you measure this?
What voltage readings did you observe?
Any other members, please share if you have any insight.
Thanks,
Bobby
way(took off the negative and the connect to possitive pole and after the negative),and the ploblems starts,the engine does not start(when i turn the key it does nothing, dead!) the lights dont turn on,and only sign of life is the the clock and the digital km which they start to work when i unplug the radio fuse,how bad are the things? do i have big problem with car electrics?"
Did you check the ground to the rear lights?
What about the Battery negitive to the frame?
Thanks
Question: have you changed any light bulbs lately?
turned out the store i bought the bulb from sold me the wrong one. They are supposed to have 2 poles rather than one on my truck. I give it a 90% chance this is your problem.
Thanks,
Sam
S. Rounds
Visiting Host
Sam
Good luck.
Did you get any suggestions on the problem you are having with your 95 VW golf. I have a 94 golf and having a similar problem but I can get around it by taking the battery terminal out and putting that back in. I would really appreciate if you can share the suggestions you got for this problem.
Thanks a lot,
Gil
On all VWs the radio is SUPPOSED to stay on when you turn off the ignition. There is no connection between the ignition switch and the radio. (besides a timer)
HOWEVER: If you leave the radio on for too long with ignition turned off, to save the battery, the radio will automatically turn off. (You can always turn the radio back on and the turn-off timer will restart)
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1542461
everytime i try and lock my golf, the windows come down, i changed the battery and solved some problems, but only for 1 day, but now the windows are going crazy.
I'm having exactly the same problem with my 96 gti.
Every time i lock the door the windows come down.
The ECU, along with the fuel pump and relay, fuses and other relays have all been checked, as has the immobiliser and the other obvious things. Sometimes the car will start, but after a few minutes it stops again,
Help!
Any mechanic that knows anything will tell you for an engine to run you only need 3 things FUEL, SPARK, and COMPRESSION. Lets assume your engine has COMPRESSION, so you need to check the other 2 things. Sparkplug readings can help isolate the problem too. Are the tips of the sparkplugs 'wet' with fuel/ or dry as a bone? (Any deicent mechanic knows how to "read" a sparkplug too) Checking for signal at the injectors and/or ignitors is trivial and can also help isolate your problem.
I know you say the fuel-pump was checked... did they check the FUEL PRESSURE itself? low fuel pressure may cause the symptoms you describe. (no start, start-then stall... etc.)
I want to change my current after-market satellite radio receiver for a new one with iPod connectivity, but I'm not sure what to do given the following situation:
In case it helps, I don't drive more than 5,500-6,000 miles/year.
I have a 2001 Golf (manual, no power windows) with a battery/satellite radio problem. Some 6 years ago, I had the original VW car radio (radio, tape player, no CD player) changed for an Alpine receiver (model CDA-9807) in order to get XM radio. The equipment was installed by a professional audio business that no longer exists. Everything went well for years, until about 2 years ago when the car wouldn't start in the winter mornings (in Pennsylvania). At the beginning, I would recharge or jump start the battery and the car would be just fine. But then the problem would recur more and more often until one day the car would just not start. I took the car to a reputable independent mechanic and he told me that they noticed that my Alpine radio was drawing too much juice from the battery. He replaced my battery for a better one (I forget the brand/model). This was at the end of December 2008. Now, 3 weeks ago I lose my satellite radio signal. I get the FM/AM fine, and the CD's will play fine, but the XM radio signal is gone. I called XM and they re-fed the signal to the car. According to them, it's the radio unit. They suggest that the radio is probably old and needs to be replaced.
I take the car to the same mechanic and ask them to check on the radio. I had to leave town and when I came back the battery is dead--the car had been sitting in the lot for 1 ½ weeks. The mechanic says that the battery problem has to be related to the radio. He can't fix the satellite reception problem, but after talking to a business that specializes in car audio/video equipment, he refers me to them. Since my battery died only 6 months after my mechanic had installed it, he replaces it for a new one--a Mega-Tron MT-47. Additionally, he installs a battery disconnect so I can quickly disconnect the battery if I'm going to have the car parked for longer periods of time.
My two-fold question is: Is it just a bad idea to install after-market radios on VW's? Some time ago, my VW dealer told me that in some cases they will not be able to diagnose car problems if the original VW radio is not installed in the car, which, by the way, I still have. Also, if this particular type of radio was causing the battery problem, either because it is broken or because of the way it draws power from the battery, can you recommend a brand/model for may particular needs (basically, XM radio, iPod connectivity, CD player)?
Thank you very much.
thanks in advance