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Mk3 Golf electrical problem help!

3K views 11 replies 3 participants last post by  atomicalex 
#1 ·
This is a x-post in the mk3 section of vortex, but I'm getting no help there...


Hi all,
My golf has been blowing a fuse over the last few days...
It is fuse number 21: "interior and luggage compartment lights, cigarette lighter, clock, central locking, multi-function indicator, and sliding/tilting roof"

The first time was Friday night of last week, after a spirited drive with a vortex'er friend.. didn't noticed until Tuesday of this week, and changed out the fuse, everything works fine. then as I got in the car yesterday morning and closed the door, the fuse popped again...

I know fuses blow because of a short in the circuit, but how do I go about checking it?
I don't have a sunroof, the car is almost completely stock with no modification in the electrical department except for a small sub and amp that has nothing to do with this circuit

Please help.. Thanks!

Mike
 
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#3 ·
Re: Mk3 Golf electrical problem help! (valvecovergasket)

Oh.. interesting.. what do you mean by not connecting... more info please!

And come to think of it.. I ground my amp with the same ground as the luggage compartment lights..

Thanks!

Mike
 
#5 ·
Re: Mk3 Golf electrical problem help! (atomicalex)

Thanks atomicalex, I just checked that ground.. and it's still as secure as the day I installed the amp..

valvecovergasket,
I still don't get what you mean by a ground not connecting... and this fuse is very hard to check since so many components are hooked up to the same fuse, I don't even know where to start...

and another thing, when I insert a new fuse, it seems to be popping and buzzing and the plastc was "glowing"
when I tried to push it in... I don't think it's suppose to do that. I tried another fuse, and it doesn't do that...


I don't want to go back to VW..

and we were just about to sell the car...


oh and I don't have the bentley manual..

any more thoughts? Thanks..

Mike
 
#6 ·
Re: Mk3 Golf electrical problem help! (C.J)

Mike - Check all of the light fixtures and FWIW, make sure that there are no pennies in your cig. lighter. There might be something in there that is causing the problem. It has to be something that is not intermittent based on what you describe. A ground fault is usually an intermittent problem.

I don't think it's the locks, those are pretty insulated from the system. It might be the vacuum pump - that is the small black box in the right rear of the hatch under the carpet near the taillight. If your locks are working, it is not the vacuum pump. OK, let me think here, it has been a couple of months since I lived in MkIII land.


I will try to remember to look in my MkIII manual.
 
#7 ·
Re: Mk3 Golf electrical problem help! (atomicalex)

Fuse 21 only powers the locking system, including the vacuum pump and each of the door modules. These are a bitch to remove, I had to replace one on der Golf. An hour, easy, plus the entire door had to be gutted. There are four grounds that could be faulted - E 205-208. These are in the wiring harnesses to the doors.

You are screwed. You have to check the harness in each door. I suppose if you could just disconnect each door individually and check it that would be a bit easier. I bet a wire shorted in the harness in the hinge area.

Good luck. The ground wires are brown.
 
#8 ·
Re: Mk3 Golf electrical problem help! (atomicalex)

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>You are screwed.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Oh great!..


Do you think there is anyway to narrow down the problem area before I go and pull half the interior apart? Like finding out which door is actually the bad one before I pull the door cards off?

What does E-205-208 mean?

There is nothing in the cigi lighter, since I don't smoke, and don't ever pull it out...

I'm trying to think logically here.. so try and stay with my logic...

Fuse, and why it blows...
In order for a fuse to blow, there must be a large amount of current that's over it's rating flowing through it and overloading it. A fuse's rating should be approx. equal to the total amount of current that all the "appliances" that's connected to it.
Ok, so if any one of the circuit that connects to these "appliances" shorts out for any reason, the fuse will blow.

Now, The first thing I noticed is wrong with the car was friday nite after the drive, I found the amp to come loose from it's mounting bracket, and was held on by the cables...
then I found the trunk light to not light up... I checked the light bulb, and it's connector, all seems fine...

Then on Tuesday, I see all the "appliances" that's connected to fuse 21 are gone.. so I go to the fuse.. pull it out.. and checked that it's blown..

I tried inserting a new fuse in, and sparks and pops were happening.. *me thinks short still occurs* but I shove the fuse in anyway, and then everything works again, but the trunk light still doesn't work.. fiddle around with it and it works.. beauty!

The next morning, two doors were opened, everything was working still but as I close the driver's door, the fuse popped.. (the trunk is close at this stage) so the driver's door could be the offender!

Tried replacing the fuse last nite, as I pulled the fuse out, I found the "legs" to be melted!! very weird... tried to locate the short.. closed all doors, and tried inserting fuse again, and still sparks.. so thinking it's the dash instrument that's shorting.. pulled underdash out.. could not see anything wrong visually.. put everything back...

Now, why the heck does it spark?? if something is shorting, then the fuse would blow as I insert a new one no? but it doesn't.. arghhh...

Sorry for the long post..

and thanks lots for the help atomicalex!!


Mike
 
#9 ·
Re: Mk3 Golf electrical problem help! (C.J)

Well, I went a-digging in the Haynes, and I think the best way to do this is to disconnect the battery and start checking things with a continuity meter (ohms on a multimeter). The battery must be disconnected to do this! You should be able to get behind the fuse panel and find where the red/white striped wire goes. It should branch to power several circuits. This connector will be the place to start. You will be able to find out which of the branch wires has the short by checking the continuity between that wire and ground. Most of them should be infinite resistance. It won't hurt to remove all of the light bulbs, as ones that are in their sockets might give a false closed (shorted) circuit, especially if a door is open. Isolate all of the circuits that are shorted (no resistance) and try to trace the wires. If you can tell me the connector number and the pin that is shorted, I can tell you what it is from my Haynes.

I tried to scan the diagrams last night, they came out pretty unreadable.
 
#10 ·
Re: Mk3 Golf electrical problem help! (atomicalex)

atomicalex,
Thanks for the advice, I might try it... but I'm really busy for the next few weeks.. and might not find time.... might have to take the car to the dealer.. and get raped...


Will let you know how it turns out..

Thanks!

Mike


<![CDATA[atomicalex,
Thanks for the advice, I might try it... but I'm really busy for the next few weeks.. and might not find time.... might have to take the car to the dealer.. and get raped...


Will let you know how it turns out..

Thanks!

Mike


[Modified by C.J, 11:35 AM 10/14/2002]
 
#11 ·
Re: Mk3 Golf electrical problem help! (C.J)

Very sorry to bring this old post back..
but I got raped...


Ended up taking the car to the dealer today, and they are charging me AU$450(US$225) to take the whole dash apart and find the short... they say it's in the dash somewhere... arghhh...
not happy at all...

I'm getting rid of this car as soon as I can...


Sorry to rant, I have no one else to cry to...


Mike
 
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