1996 Jetta GLS Feaky Electrical......

[jerzy]

I have a 1996 Jetta GLS 2.0 Liter.

I have been having some freaky elctrical situations.....

Example 1:
Drvr Frnt window does not work when humid or damp out....but works when dry.

Example2:
Rear windows used to have same problems but one stopped working all together the the other did as well.

Example 3:
The hedlights are always on whne driving. When it is dry...generally all winter the headlights go off when the E-brake is engaged. This does not happen when damp....lights stay on despite E-brake being engaged.


Okay, I can live with the others but this one really get me....

On several occasions, First during snow the car died while driving....starer fine, electrical fine......after sitting overnight the car started and ran fine for over a thousand mile before doing it again in snow storm.......started agin the next day.

I left the car with a mechanic who replaced the woires and plugs and cap/rotor......which I had done about 1000 miles ago....(150.00 in parts.....)

The weather is warmer now...on damp mornings car is hard to fire up.....and I have had complete miss fires in rain storm (luckily vehiclwe recovered.) The check engine light came on and is from "missfire on all cylinders".

Can any one give me a good protocol to follow as far as what I can do to resolve the apparent widespread electrical issues.

I have inspected the wiring generally for cracked wires/connectors, oxidized, connections etc. but havn't found anything very revealing or that has helped the cause.

Your insights and help would be appreciated.

[1994GLS]

The hedlights are always on whne driving. When it is dry...generally all winter the headlights go off when the E-brake is engaged. This does not happen when damp....lights stay on despite E-brake being engaged.
"missfire on all cylinders"

Did the headlight occur recently, or the "symptom" was there since you acquired the car ?

If 2nd scenario: your vehicle may have a feature called "daytime running lights". The system knows when it is dark outside (or if the amount of light falling onto the car falls below a pre-setting), by monitoring a sensor usually located on the dash board, near the windshield. If you DO happen to locate such a sensor on your car, the simplest way to test your curiosity is to point a flash light at the sensor when it is dark. While doing that, should the lights go out, your car's behavior falls within normal operating parameters.

If 1st scenario is unfortunately true, there may be an electrical problem. You should know that almost (if not all) vehicles produced after 1996 have OBD (on-board diagnostic) ports, so that if you take your car to a shop, they'll let you kno where the problem is.

That should also tell you why your engine "missfires on all cylinders", make sure you mention it, if you should ever consider servicing your car (never go near dealers with such shit, unless it's under warranty)
Most likely your vehicle's ingnition coil pack might be gone.

That would also give your more insight about your windows.
Good luck

[boschmann]

The window problems sound like broken wires where the harness passes from the body to the door at the hinges. The lights not going off when park brake is applied (which they should) sounds like a sticking park brake switch. No start or stalling in damp weather is almost always a cracked coil housing.

[jegan]

..Well I was looking for a post like this .. But I was hoping for a simple solution ...

I was told by the dealer that my ( similar ) problem was the $700 computer module, which apparently handles all sorts of electrical functions... Get this..

I replaced the rear left window motor ( we already replaced the right front ) and the window rolled down by itself one day. I took it home and checked the connections and found green corrosion on the new terminals..I cleaned them off, sprayed the connections with battery post sealer and taped them up.. It worked fine.

The next day, the window rolled down by itself and would not go up.

At 11:30 PM, my wife woke up and told me the car alarm was going off. ( We live in a very secluded area ..) - I went outside and the alarm was sounding, the interior lights were on and all windows were down..I could hear the chugging sound of the lock motor in the trunk.. I used the key and turned off the alarm and went to bed.

THe next day, I got in the car and rolled all the windows up.

Two hours later, my wife was sitting outside and all the windows rolled down by themselves... The motor in the trunk was chugging away again.

The explanation I received is that due to the alarm circuits being on, the computer module is always active and if messed up, can actuate the lock motors, alarms, lights and windows as they all run through it..

Hmmm....