Some electronic issue

[Ackeofsweden]

Hello all

My first post so be kind

Let's just go to the problem.

First my outdoor temp is showing -45 deegres Celsius. which also make the A.C. not to start. I have change the outdoor sensor and the problem is still there.

Anybody have an idea.

When one of my car technical try to do something with the electric, I don't know what. But the MFD stopped working. I cannot press the button to change from the clock to outdoor temp and all the other functions. The positiv is that the A.C. is working again

Then in the same time. The coolantlevelsenor starting to show that there is no level. But it is level in the tank. There is no signal to the sensor at all.

Does anyone know any of this.

Is there any fuse in the car for only these fault?

Thank you for a answer

BR

Andreas

[jamwatn]

There's a gremlin somewhere there. Firstly, get your car onto diagnostics.

Secondly, check every connection possible. Begin with simple things such as earths in the engine bay, then move on to key connection points such as the ECU connector, Central Convenience connector and behind the dials for example.

Sounds like a tricky one I'm afraid.

[Ackeofsweden]

When I put it up on diagnos it give me a couple of fault.

The most of the fault is power issue. I don't know what the English word is but When you put plus and ground toghether (short-circuit maybe it says that it is some issue with ground.

But it just came up and I saw that my technical took of the ground from the battery and took a screw driver between ground and plus. He said that this will reset something, I don't know what.

[Ackeofsweden]

I can add what he did when this came up.

He unplugged the ground and put a screw driver between ground and plus.

Then he unplugged the ECU box to see if everything looks great there.

Then he unplugged some ground cables and put it back toghether. After that everything of this came up.

The multi diplay dosent work and the coolant level sensor start showing as a fault.

[jamwatn]

What are the codes? Can you screenshot and we can help.

[Breezy_Pete]

Check fuses 1 and 16 in the cabin fusebox, both 5 Amp. Both have something to do with the instrument cluster. The coolant level sender seems to be wired straight to the cluster electronics, and I'm sure the MFD switches do also.

[Ackeofsweden]

Jamwatn: I can see what I can fix tomorrow.

Wino: I tried to check power supply to the fuse and it showing that there is power to every fuse and the fuse looks ok . But I can try to change them any way.

Do you have some other alternatives

[fabdavrav]

You need someone to plug in VCDS or VAG diagnostics to see what fault codes it is producing.

 

You say the technician shorted the "-" & "+" & then all the faults showed up? I would sayhe messed up!

[KenONeill]

You need someone to plug in VCDS or VAG diagnostics to see what fault codes it is producing.

 

You say the technician shorted the "-" & "+" & then all the faults showed up? I would sayhe messed up!

I agree; deliberately shorting terminals like that is a good way to fry circuit boards as a rule.

[Ackeofsweden]

He unplugged the "-" from the battery then I put a screwdriver between them. So the minus wasn't connected to the battery.

He said that he erased some memories or something

[Breezy_Pete]

What year is the car (helps in finding best wiring information)?

I think if the fuses mentioned are both OK, I would suspect a bad earth connection somewhere. Ambient temperature reading so low suggests a very high resistance in the circuit, consistent with a badly corroded earth point, possibly.

One wiring diagram I was just looking at showed the earths for the ambient temp sensor and MFD selector switch connected via one of the cabin-to-engine bay connectors on the bulkhead under the windscreen wipers. So one fault could possibly affect both.

[Ackeofsweden]

You guys are really helpful

The year of the car is 2003

[Breezy_Pete]

See if pin 2 of the ambient temperature sensor connector (brown/yellow wire) has any volts on it relative to battery negative, with ignition on.

If it does, check continuity of the other wire (brown/white) to battery negative (should be close to zero Ohms).

 

For both tests, unplug the connector from the sensor.

[Ackeofsweden]

Okej

I Will check that. But first I have to make the MFD to work again. You think is the ground that is not good enough?

And the ground has some connections with both MFD and coolant temp. It is just strange that this fault came up when he was disconnecting things and then just put it toghether again

[Breezy_Pete]

No, it's the MFD switch (E91/92 below) and Ambient temperature sensor (not coolant level sender) that seem to be connected via an earth through the bulkhead:

 

 

 

 

The checks I have suggested would be a good way of establishing whether the ambient temperature strangeness is a fault with the cluster electronics, or an earth connection fault.  You don't actually need to be able to read the outside temperature on the display, if the sensor isn't getting volts, or has no (or high-resistance) earth connection, that helps to direct your search according to which you find.

[Ackeofsweden]

Let's see

The fault code that's coming up is

Centralelectronic

01598 - battery voltage to low/signal to low

Gaslevelsensor

00771 - short circuit to plus or not answering, permanent

Outdoor temp sensor

00779 - short circuit to plus or not answering, permanent

Air circulation engine

01596 - short circuit to plus or not answering, permanent

01596 - short circuit to ground

01596 - blocked or missing voltage

Combo instrument

01317 - read memory wrong

[Ackeofsweden]

I don't think there is no problem with the MFD swich. Before when I start the car the temperature was showing directly. Now is nothing showing except for the watch. Is like the multifunction just stopped working

[Breezy_Pete]

Have you tried new fuses for No.1 and 16 yet?

[Ackeofsweden]

I took them out and looked at them. And they look intact.

[Breezy_Pete]

Let's see

The fault code that's coming up is

Centralelectronic

01598 - battery voltage to low/signal to low

Gaslevelsensor

00771 - short circuit to plus or not answering, permanent

Outdoor temp sensor

00779 - short circuit to plus or not answering, permanent

Air circulation engine

01596 - short circuit to plus or not answering, permanent

01596 - short circuit to ground

01596 - blocked or missing voltage

Combo instrument

01317 - read memory wrong

 

Sad about the fuses, that would have been a nice easy fix.

 

Of these codes, the last one 01317 might be your priority that needs investigation.

01598 will be stored just because the battery was recently disconnected.

01596 is the fairly standard recirculation flap motor dying/dead.

00779 is to be expected from your observation that it's reading -45C outside, or was when the display was working.

00771 is unexplained. Have you had any trouble with the fuel gauge? May be associated with general cluster electronics malfunction.

[Ackeofsweden]

Non of these problem we're there before the technical guy check the car. I didn't have any fault at all before, not for the outtemp as well. These came up when he put a screw driver between minus and plus after he unplugged the ground, after that he unplugged the ECU box and cleaned one of the ground that was in the bulkhead.

[Breezy_Pete]

Take it back to him and say "Fix it, and don't charge me any money"...

[Ackeofsweden]

He still has it unfortenly. I don't want to take it back until he give me the car back in the condition that I gave it to him. I'm trying to figure out what he have done to it

[fabdavrav]

. I'm trying to figure out what he have done to it

 

Easy, he has FUBAR the car.

 

Why was he messing & shorting the plus & negative in the first place, what was he trying to fix when you first took it to him?

[rum4mo]

Easy, he has FUBAR the car.

 

Why was he messing & shorting the plus & negative in the first place, what was he trying to fix when you first took it to him?

 

Is this not just due to the "way it was said/written" ie, did the mechanic not just do what is normally suggested to clear faults and clear some memory locations, ie "disconnect battery and short the leads together for a minute or two" - as opposed to sparking the battery -ve terminal back to the car earth? Just a thought that is all to avoid the OP raging at his mechanic.