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Volkswagen Golf Electrical/Lighting Questions

13

Comments

  • jnine1jnine1 Member Posts: 3
    Twice in the past two days I have gotten out my car and attempted to lock it with my remote and have noticed that it won't lock. The clock and odometer readings also turn off inside the car. Just wondering if anyone knows if this could be an alternator prob or if this has happened to anyone else?
  • jnine1jnine1 Member Posts: 3
    Depending on the age of the car the Transmission may need to be checked. Any "knocking" while shifting may be a signal of failing transmission
  • jnine1jnine1 Member Posts: 3
    Did A search online found this:
    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.
  • whitenovawhitenova Member Posts: 3
    Thanks a lot for your reply. So I found the two grounds connected to the rear tail lights. There was no visible corrosion but I unscrewed them and scrubbed them with sandpaper and tightened everything back up. Then I removed every lightbulb and used the sandpaper on them. All the sockets looked clean. Separately, I checked all the fuses related to the brakelights and indicators. Still having the same problem though as described in message #90.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    The problem you describe sounds like what we electrical techs call a "ground loop". Apparently you did not locate the point of poor ground. Dont forget, it may be ANYWHERE in the circuit which controls the lighting.

    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?
  • nuthinfluxinnuthinfluxin Member Posts: 1
    It doesn't look like there was a response to this yet, so perhaps a bump will result in an answer.. I am also looking for a relay diagram for my 97 Golf. I've scoured the internet with little result and have contacted VW directly for the info. If that should yield anything, I'll post here. In the meantime, if there are any other owners willing to look at their relay layout and post here, that would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!
    Andrea
  • walts1walts1 Member Posts: 2
    My '96 Golf starts strongly, except once in Dec., and then again 2 days ago. The tow truck guy checked the battery and the alternator and said they were fine. A jump started the car (the first time), as did rocking it (two days ago). Turning the key to start would result either in no lights on the dash or a quick flicker of the lights and then off. I would appreciate any ideas about what to do next. TIA
  • ssilvassilva Member Posts: 6
    I have a VW GOLF 1.8t.. it's an '01.. with about 56,000 miles on it.. and now it seems when ever i start it up, its stalling.. my car is automatic though. Also, my engine light is on, but i got that checked out, and they said it was because i had a head unit put in that wasn't compatible with the car. SO i got that taken out, and had the computer reset in my car, but the engine light is on. any thoughts on that or the stalling?!
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    If you are saying that the engine dies immedeatly after starting... that sounds like the IMMOBILIZER kicking in. It thinks the car is stolen or the key is forgery.

    I would look into that CEL. It could also be a clue.
  • ssilvassilva Member Posts: 6
    well thanks.. i dont think it's stolen though.. i've had it for a while.. and what's CEL.? sorry i kno basically nothing about car's.. i'm a 17 yr old girl...
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    Each of my 2 daughters have VWs. They are the safest small car on the road.

    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.
  • ssilvassilva Member Posts: 6
    alright well thank you a lot!
  • rokyroky Member Posts: 3
  • sjb269sjb269 Member Posts: 1
    HOPEFULLY SOMEONE CAN HELP ME WITH THIS, AS I KNOW ALARMS ON VW'S ARE FINNICKY!! I GOT INTO MY 95 VW GOLF GL TO GO TO WORK, IT CRANKED FOR A SEC OR TWO THEN IT JUST STOPPED. EVER SINCE THAT TIME I WAS UNABLE TO GET THE CAR TO START.. I HAD THE BATTERY REPLACED, TOOK THE STARTER OFF TO GET IT TESTED, INSTALLED A NEW IGNITION SWITCH... STILL NOTHING. THEN FINALLY I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS THE IMMOBILIZER ON THE ALARM CUZ I HEAD A CLICKING COMING FROM THE ALARM ECU. IF I LOCKED THE DRIVERS DOOR AND OPENED IT I AM THEN ABLE TO CRANK THE CAR FOR A SEC UNTIL THE ALARM GOES OFF AGAIN. THE FLASHERS FLASH AND THE CAR WILL NOT CRANK AFTER THIS HAPPENS.. ANY IDEAS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRICIATED!!! THANK YOU!!!!
  • ssilvassilva Member Posts: 6
    i dont know if this will help you.. but when i would go to start my car.. it would crank.. and like then kinda turn off.. but the battery light and all those would be on.. and it turned out.. it was my key.. so maybe that's ur prob?
  • walts1walts1 Member Posts: 2
    Many thanks for your response. The big problem is that it happened only twice, and weeks apart. The consensus so far
    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.
  • ssilvassilva Member Posts: 6
    well good luck with it!
  • dblj369dblj369 Member Posts: 3
    Has anyone else had problems with the windshield wiper motors on their 2003 (or other model year) VW Golfs? Mine has died 4 times while driving in rain/snow/ice. Most recently it happened during the ice storm on Friday as I was driving across the Delaware River. VW dealer wants to charge me $90 to diagnose the problem and the VW advocacy line says another 50 people have to contact them with the same problem for a recall...
  • nanstagnanstag Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 VW Beetle and have the same problem. The dealer replaced the motor once 2 months ago and the wipers still quit. They quit the other night in a heavy rain storm. Do you know if VW is aware of this?
  • wooly4wooly4 Member Posts: 1
    My Golf has had 3 failures related to the windshield wipers. All related to arm becoming disconnected from the wiper motor under load (heavy snow etc). The latest happened this morning. First repair was under warranty, the next 3 months ago which I paid for. I think there is a defect in the design but my dealer doesn't think so...
  • dblj369dblj369 Member Posts: 3
    I'm not sure...I'm guessing they do, but according to the service line, they need to hear from at least 50 people before they can issue a recall. Have you called them to complain?
  • dblj369dblj369 Member Posts: 3
    Have you contacted the VW advocacy line at all yet to complain? If we can get 50 people, we can get a recall...
  • golf00golf00 Member Posts: 1
    I ALSO HAVE A GOLF (2000) AND HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE ANTI-THEFT/IMMOBILIZER. WILL START CAR, THEN IT SIMPLY STOPS. SEEMS TO HAPPEN RANDOMLY, EVENTUALLY IT WILL RESTART. HAVE TAKEN IT TO VW DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS: 1ST TIME RE-PROGRAMMED KEY(S). 2ND REPLACED BATTERIES IN KEY(S). 3RD TIME REPLACED KEYS AND FUEL PUMP RELAY. NOW I'M ON THE 4TH GO ROUND. IT'S BEEN EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING TO TAKE CAR TO DEALERSHIP AND REPEATEDLY RETURN WITH SAME PROBLEM. PLUS CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS...BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY! ANYWAY, WHEN I AM TOLD OF THE DIAGNOSIS I'LL SHARE THE INFO. OF COURSE WHO'S TO SAY IT WILL BE FIXED? ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY COMMENTS? THANKS! (RESPONSE TO #117)
  • gargergarger Member Posts: 2
    Wow, Sounds Like my problem as well. Here is my story. 2001 VW Golf. It runs well and in general has no problems except this:
    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?
  • godsbmangodsbman Member Posts: 1
    I've got several issues with this car... all of them electrical. One i've pretty much figured is a glow plug relay and a hard start that just developed (if i jumper the battery direct to the glowplug bus for a short time... car starts fine.)...
    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
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    For Glowplug help - a "must read" is "Glow plugs 101 ***Ver. 2.0***" (just use your favorate searchengine to find it.)

    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?
  • bobbygoelbobbygoel Member Posts: 1
    Hello SJB, I'm having a similar challenge with my 95 Volkswagen Golf. I drove it back from work on Monday & parked it clean. Next morning when I tried starting the car, the moment I turn the key from 2'nd position (Ignition ON) to 3'rd (Starter) my Alarm goes off & the car doesn't crank. This has been happening continuously at every attemp. I was wondering if you were able to get the problem rectified in your car. I would appreciate if you could share what was the fix.

    Any other members, please share if you have any insight.

    Thanks,
    Bobby
  • vagosgta3vagosgta3 Member Posts: 1
    i have a vw golf3 92 1.400cc i change the battery with a new one bosch 56.They connect first the negative pole but after they change the
    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?"
  • tito8824tito8824 Member Posts: 1
    So i have a 95 golf and im having a weird problem with it, whenever i put the turn signal, any direction, and then press the brake pedal, the signal stops working then i let off and it works again, also when i turn the lights on and press the brake, the signals lights turn on instead of the brake lights, same thing when i put it in reverse, the signal lights turn on, need some help cause ive tried alot of things.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    The symptoms you describe sure sounds like a ground problem.
    Did you check the ground to the rear lights?
    What about the Battery negitive to the frame?
  • tkalawtkalaw Member Posts: 2
    Hi There I changed my battery on my golf and the radio is not in safe mode as I thought it would be but instead only plays a buzzing noise on the radio stations. The CD player works but the radio stations don't. Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks
  • mek5mek5 Member Posts: 2
    Before you touch any more wires, I had the exact same problem with my truck.
    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.
  • mek5mek5 Member Posts: 2
    this was also a symptom of my truck. check to make sure the light bulbs are correct if you have had someone look at it lately or changed the light bulbs on your own. Specifically, the number of poles on the bulb. some bulbs have two poles, for brake and one for turn signal. I replaced a double pole bulb with a single pole bulb and it was shorting over the gap in the socket. Took me hours of troubleshooting before i found out it was that easy.
  • tkalawtkalaw Member Posts: 2
    Yes I had a backlight on my dash replaced by OK Tire. I don't want to breing it back to them.
  • sroundssrounds Member Posts: 5
    Hi, I have a '96 VW Golf and am having trouble with the ignition system. I have owned the car for two years and the only problem so far has been after a couple days of rain, it often takes a while before starting up. Last week, I brought it to a car wash and after washing it, started it right up. But after a minute or so, the car stalled and would not start again. I tried this for several hours, then had it towed to my house. An hour later, I was able to start the car and it sounded fine but would stall for no apparent reason. I changed the coil, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor button, and spark plugs and am now getting no fire at the plugs. I know I have the plug wires in the right order because I changed them on at a time. I'm thinking that it might be the impulse sender. Does anybody have any idea what my problem could be? I tested to make sure I have power going into the coil and distributor cap and that was good. What else could it be besides the computer?

    Thanks,

    Sam
  • sroundssrounds Member Posts: 5
    Hi, Just thought I'd let anybody reading the above question know that I've found out what the problem is with my car. I hooked the car up to a reader ( which is the first thing I should have done) and found that my camshaft position sensor (otherwise known as the impulse sender) is bad. So, for any of you who might have the same problem, check this before you buy all kinds of different parts like I did.

    S. Rounds
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    thanks for that feedback. I've got that in my black book of miraculous VW cures. It is much appreciated.

    Visiting Host
  • sroundssrounds Member Posts: 5
    No problem! One more question now, how do I remove the dust cover directly under the rotor button? I know this must come off because otherwise, you don't have enough room to put the impulse sender in. I'm thinking maybe I need to use a puller for this but am not sure. Any feed-back would be great.

    Sam
  • hardridincwbyhardridincwby Member Posts: 12
    Check cold temp sensor. I have an 87 and it is located in the water inlet.
    Good luck.
  • ngillaningillani Member Posts: 1
    Hi Bobby,

    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
  • bozabbozab Member Posts: 1
    hi,i own a 1997 golf,which i took for a service last week.next day i noticed that the radio stayed on when the ignition was switched off,strange.today i noticed that the warning buzzer to tell you that your sidelights and parking light are still on has also stopped working.any suggestions would be much appreciated.thanks.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    You asked for suggestions... but did not really specify what your perceved 'problem' is.

    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)
  • merlinrunnermerlinrunner Member Posts: 1
    here is a link to another forum which hopefully helps you out, im going to try this tomorrow.

    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.
  • gandrgandr Member Posts: 1
    Any joy with this problem?

    I'm having exactly the same problem with my 96 gti.

    Every time i lock the door the windows come down.
  • peeshapeesha Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2002 vw golf. I recently went to get in to it and the door wouldn't unlock with the remote, so I opened it with the key. I turned on my lights and the lights to the radio didn't turn on, and I couldn't eject the cd in the player. I tried to lock my door from the inside.. it unlocked itself. I tried to roll down my windows... they won't roll down. I tried to open the sunroof... it won't open. I replaced one 30amp breaker, but that wasn't the problem. HELP!!!!
  • gmeadesgmeades Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 2.8 V6 4motion which died a week ago and the garage is stumped. The engine stopped and whilst it would turn over, it would not start. The EPC and engine management lights don't show on the dash.

    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!
  • nazkmetnazkmet Member Posts: 1
    :sick: Hi How are you, I have same problem with 97 Golf How did you fix it ??? Is any suggestions ????
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    What makes you think this is an ELECTRICAL problem? Nothing in your append leads me to beleive that it is an ELECTRICAL problem.

    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.)
  • jaranajarana Member Posts: 2
    Hello,

    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.
  • kinglewis121kinglewis121 Member Posts: 1
    hi guys new to forum , my golf mk4 has a problem now and wont turn on electrically ie when the indicators lights horn etc should turn on with the ingnition wont but when the key is carried on turning the car will turnover just wont do anything electrically anyone have any ideas to whats causing this?

    thanks in advance
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