[RevoTDI]

Hey there! This forum has been a great resource for me, so wanted to start by saying thanks. Skip the next part for the issues.

I recently acquired a '99 New Beetle TDI w/146k(now 148k). I really love this car! I am attempting to do the majority of the maintenance myself. So far I have replaced the Fuel Filter, Air Filter, Cabin Air Filter, Engine oil(Lubro Moly), and the Oil Filter. Everything was replaced with Mann parts, even put in a magnetic drain plug for the oil, as well as using diesel purge before changing the fuel filter. Also cleaned the intake using intake cleaner, and used a vacuum line to feed the rest of the can into. Been running great so far just want to do everything the right way and keep track of maintenance, so I could mod in the future. There's a couple of quirks I want to clear up.

I failed inspection for having the Check Engine Light it pulls up code P0380, the glow plugs were changed recently and the previous owner stated the mechanic couldn't figure it out. From my limited research it seems it could possibly the glow plug harness itself, harness connection, glow plugs, or something related in the glow plug system. Anyone have any experience for this? Pointers or what to look for? I saw the harness is relatively cheap but if I could avoid an unnecessary expensive that would be awesome.

My coolant light in the gauge at times blinks or flashes on and off in the blue color NOT the red color. In the manual it states blinking red is overheating. What could this be? A sensor not working? Anyone know the location of the sensor maybe what ohms or voltage its supposed to read out?

I also have the ABS light blink on and off at times, its not always but happens a few times every couple of days. The brakes seem okay I suppose. They stop slight squeel and decent stopping power. Haven't tried any high load braking yet. Bad sensor? Any way to test which one?

Also maybe this is normal thought I would ask at WOT or 80% throttle after about 3k I notice considerably more vibration than at partial throttle. Is this normal? What could it be if its not?

Thank you! Love the site and my TDI!

 

[Visha]

What did the previous owner's mechanic do? Thsi way you can at least double check what they did.

RE: coolant light: low coolant? Maybe the sensor on the tank is bad.

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Either coolant temp sensor below-behind driver's side coolant flange or coolant level sensor. The coolant level sensor plug should not be wet because hte tank is sealed, see the coolant migration FAQ in the FAQ.

From my limited research it seems it could possibly the glow plug harness itself, harness connection, glow plugs, or something related in the glow plug system. Anyone have any experience for this? Pointers or what to look for? I saw the harness is relatively cheap but if I could avoid an unnecessary expensive that would be awesome.

Since the GP are new it's probably the harness. Use a multimeter to test the glow plug resistance, they are probably good. If 1 is off it's bad. Your car can't tell the difference between 1-4 GP so you can't tell which one is the problem with a scan. You can test the harness with a multimeter, check each plug for 12V.

 

[Keithuk]

VAG Error Code: 16764
EOBD II Error Code: P0380

Fault Location:
Glow plugs (Q6), circuit A - malfunction

Possible Cause:
Wiring.
Glow plug relay.
Fuse.
Glow plugs.
Engine control module (ECM).

As taken from my http://www.myturbodiesel.com/forum/f9/free-eobd-ii-error-codes-software-2919/

Have you done a VCDS scan?

 

[RevoTDI]

Thanks for the responses. It's been raining all day so I didn't get to work on the car today. Really wanted to remove the snow screen and the snow box but that will have to wait.

I haven't used VSDS yet because I do not have access to one, but I do plan on buying it.

I will check with a multimeter tomorrow or tuesday to see if I notice a difference between the glow plugs. THanks guys! Also will check the coolant FAQ. Which btw thanks again chitty it has been an INVALUABLE resource for me thus far. Any merchandise I can buy to support the site?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Any merchandise I can buy to support the site?

No but there are a few google ads in the buying guides. However, don't click on them if they aren't of interest or you don't plan on looking at the site for more than a few seconds. If you click on an ad and then click away or close the window it is actually bad for advertising. I do accept paypal donations

 

[RevoTDI]

hmmm I did not know that! Have you ever thought about like bs merchandise? Like license plate frames? Coffee mugs? Shirts? Stickers or Badges? Would be awesome! What's your paypal for donations? OR like special membership for the forum with no ads or something like that? Just throwing some idea out there. Maybe I can help too

On a related note. I am going to test the glow plugs, if not I suppose I may have to replace the harness?
I did a coolant flush over the weekend, from the reservoir tank it looked sort of brownish but after I started flushing it out for a while started coming out light pink so I suppose that wasn't too bad. Since then I've only seen the "blue" coolant light flash up for like 2 seconds and never again, hopefully that did the trick?

 

[Seatman]

Your abs problem sounds like what I had, a new sensor cured mine but you might have a dirty one if there's no code, it would just come and go as and when it wanted and occassionally i would get a strange feel through the pedal at really slow gentle braking speeds.

 

[RevoTDI]

Thanks for the info Seatman, I think I saw another one of your threads or someone else's don't recall but it looks like I'll be able to get more specific info with a vagcom hopefully in a couple of weeks I can pick one up!

 

[K8T]

Blue flash solved?

Hi! In March I bought my neighbor's '98 Beetle after ten years of driving a Ford, and I am just loving it! It's been on the road for 239k miles. This site helped convince me that buying it wasn't a ridiculous idea, and I enjoy learning about the car here.

I also have a check engine light on due to a glow plug code (I forget what code now). The shop said the plugs are "a very sensitive system" and they might never be able to figure out the problem, so they didn't really try... I'm going to at least check their resistance.

My question is, now that more time has passed, do you think the coolant flush was the fix for the flashing blue engine temp light?

Mine has come on (steady) a few times on the highway this summer, which surprised me, and recently it was on when I started driving (normal), then flashed, then went away and came back on once or twice later in the drive.