Regsmyth

Thanks Pete, I took the glovebox off, and decided not to mess with anything there, so cut the wires in the engine bay and joined them. The warning light then went out, so I guess the fault was the corroded wiring near the connector. All good now. Case closed. Thanks all.

Is it possible that a fault code might be stored leading to the warning light staying on? If not I guess I could extract the two wires from the bundle, cut them and twist them together, but it's a pain if that doesn't solve the problem! Any thoughts anyone?

Well I decided to have another look at this problem. I have removed enough stuff around the battery to see that the wires join a big bundle and head off through the bulkhead and into the mass of wiring behind the glove box. You cant really see the cable in this photo - it's on the hidden side of the taped up bundle. I also cleaned up the ends of the cables and joined them, but the warning light still shows.

I have the same noise. I don't know what it is, but I think it's something registering or initialising or resetting. Maybe the climatronic? I've got used to it, and it doesn't seem to have ever got worse. Maybe someone more experienced can enlighten us.

Yes I think the wires to the pad sensor are either broken or corroded, but I'm not sure where. I've stripped the pad sensor cable almost to where it joins with the ABS sensor cable. They are grouped in with the ABS sensor cable and together they go through the wheel arch grommet and then join a bundle that disappears through the firewall sort of behind the glove box. I want to know how I might access the other end of the cable to see if it can be repaired or needs to be replaced ie what I have to dismantle to get to it.

I have been having the warning light coming on intermittently. Then it would come on when I turned the steering wheel. It's now on permanently. I had the ends by the brakes joined together and taped up since buying four years ago, so assumed I would redo it. But it didn't work - the copper wires are black and presumably badly corroded and the light stays on, so I'm thinking about getting a new cable (£70). But I don't know where the wires go to. They join into a big bundle that goes through the firewall at the far right end, but I haven't got further than that. From the photo of a new one, they appear to be only a few inches longer than that. Does anyone know how to access the hidden end or what they connect to? Thanks for any tips.

Thanks for your thoughts. It's a 58 plate, and as with any old car, it costs to keep it alive. I've had it for four years, but I think most of the corrosion is from before then. The bodywork is almost spotless, and I've been good to the engine with regular oil changes. I think it's worth spending the money on to ensure that I don't have to get rid of it on account of worsening corrosion. I only do about 10K miles a year so it could last another ten. I'm concerned that even if I changed the lower suspension arms, it will be difficult to ensure correct wheel alignment if none of the other bushes/bolts are able to be adjusted, and tyres are expensive! If I felt confident that I could get all the bolts etc off, I'd be happy to spend the £200 on a full set of replacement arms with bushes and bolts, and then get a full wheel alignment. But then it makes sense to consider whether it would be better to get a new subframe first for £200, and fit the new arms to that. Is changing the subframe likely to be something I could do? I guess i'd have to take out some brake pipes and the exhaust, so it would be quite a big job. If it cost a grand to change the lot, I still think it would be worth it, as long as I keep on top of it mechanically.

I had an advisory on recent MOT for lower suspension arm inner bushes. I think I can manage this job (new arms c/w bushes and new bolts), although I will have to grind through the bushes as the bolts are corroded onto the bush. However I'm in two minds as to whether I should replace the other control arms at the same time, given the state of most of the bolts. The whole rear axle/wishbone area is badly rusted. The anti roll bar bushes seem pretty bad too, and the bolts/nuts are severely rusted, and won't budge. If I have to replace them, I think I'll need to use a grinder/blowtorch to get the bracket off. Can anyone advise what might be the best approach to all of this? Also would it be worth trying to treat some of the corrosion eg underbody seal or is it too late to expect any treatment to be of benefit. The car is on 135k miles, so I hope it's got a few years left in it. Any thoughts much appreciated thanks.

Its the wiring that goes to the injectors inside. I had the same problem - oil leaking and ending up everywhere. I didn't want to move it any more than necessary so I loosened mine just enough to clean the joint properly and smear some high temp silicone around the flange using a toothpick I think. Still dry a year later. Fingers crossed.

Ok thanks all. Still working after 3 days. I'll be keeping an open mind until the fault becomes permanent or correlations become clearer.

Thanks all, I'm still not sure. Yes all the sensors are clicking (even when the display is flashing and erratic). Tonight the system was working perfectly, after driving around town for a couple of hours. First time for several days or perhaps weeks. When I had the bumper off in December I had access to the module, and it all looked fine, wiring and connections good. The rear washer pipe is disconnected at the front, so not the culprit. I noticed some water below the battery. Not sure how it's getting there, but my thoughts were maybe there's some damp somewhere at the front which is affecting the system, and after some driving the heat dries it out and the system works again. I can't really explain it otherwise, but i'll keep on hoping for that eureka moment.

I wish it was that easy! When I took the rear bumper off in December, I took each of the sensors out, cleaned them, tested their resistance (all similar), put it all back together - same problem - not working. But the next day they decided to work. I have read about the reversing switch and wondered if it might be corroded/damp. Can anyone advise where/what it is? Thanks,

I've had this problem with my reversing sensors since about last September. Sometimes they work fine, sometimes they don't. These days mostly they don't. When they don't work, the display shows them both flashing and beeping with varying degrees of proximity, even with nothing behind the car. I took the bumper off in December and checked them all, all wiring looked good. The only time they seem to work now is after a long drive. I wonder about dampness or corrosion somewhere. Does anyone have any suggestions where I should try looking. Thanks,

I had similar issues recently after removing a rear caliper, putting it back and bleeding the brakes - the pedal was solid with the engine off, but gave way slowly when the engine was running. I too searched for answers, and found a video where the solution had been to activate the ABS (skidding on a gravel patch). I tried it, not sure if it worked, but i didn't seem to feel I had a problem with my brakes after that.

The other "humming" thread reminded me that I should update this thread. I went for a drive with a mate in the boot trying to locate the rattle noise. He concluded it would be the drop links. I changed them - no change. Then I touched the rear strut cover - and found it was loose and had dropped down from the bump stop. Wedged it back up with a bit of old sponge, and the rattle was gone! The strut cover had dropped down because the strut had leaked and rotted the bump stop. All sorted now though.

Thanks MicMac, I don't know if I have excessive crankcase pressure but the rocker gasket appeared to be leaking and maybe also the rear main seal. I cleaned them off so going to see what develops. I have to confess to missing an oil service too - so I'm trying to make up for it by giving the car some TLC now. The EGR was pretty oily and crusty too - and I wondered where the stuff was coming from. If the PCV diaphragm was split and caked in goo like in those videos, I assume it would be a bad idea to leave it like that if it can put lots of deposits into the EGR and turbo. But I just don't understand why it would be sealed so it can't be swapped or checked like most other PCV valves. A new diaphragm is £15, but a new rocker cover is a whole lot more.

I'm checking out possible excessive crankcase pressure, and I removed and cleaned out the EGR over the weekend. The breather pipe from the rocker cover was fairly clean with just some oily residue but no build up or deposits. I have a 1.9 TDI bxe and the rocker cover has a sealed pcv. I have watched a few greek videos where the pcv is split open to get inside, and there is a replaceable diaphragm and spring. It appears the cap is then glued back on using a suitable silicone adhesive. This one for example.... Has anyone here done this successfully? Or can anyone suggest how I might check for a damaged diaphragm before taking things apart? And does anyone know why I can't find any uk videos of the same thing?? Thanks for any suggestions.

Well I've spent some time messing about, getting oily. I got a better look at the engine and there's quite a bit of oil coming down from the rocker cover seal. This could be making it's way down to the bottom, or the bottom oil might be from the main crankshaft seal. I don't know. There's also oil on the pipe at top right - but I think that's coming from above too. I've cleaned up the engine case so when I look again if there's a leak it might be more obvious where it's coming from. I took off the EGR and throttle valve and gave it a really good clean. By sucking hard on the top tube the plunger lifts, so I guess it's ok. There doesn't appear to be a replaceable PCV valve. It seems to be part of the rocker cover, which I'm not overly keen on removing. When the engine is running I can feel a slight puffing from the breather pipe so I guess that's also ok. Does the egr/throttle valve look bad enough to cause excessive crankcase pressure? I haven't had any warning lights.

Thanks both, I'll clean it up tomorrow. Any pointers on how to check the vent system? I don't know where to begin. Thanks again.

Did an oil change today (120K miles) and noticed this leak. Would I be right in suspecting the crankshaft seal? If so, is this is quite an expensive job and would it be worth doing the clutch at the same time? Cambelt and water pump were renewed when I bought the car in Jan 2019 (97K miles). Thanks for any input.

Well I finally decided to have a closer look. To my inexperienced eye, the bushes in photo 1,2&3 look worn. There is also the ARB bush, but I couldn't get a good photo. The rear drop links were also difficult to see. Are there any wiggle/lever test I can do to identify bits that might need replacing? Thanks for any advice.

I replaced mine just a couple of weeks ago because the "finger" at the back was broken so the lamp was a bit wobbly. You have to loosen the two torx screws. Each of them connects to a small rectangular plate that clamps up against the underside of the steel mounting. The plates are prevented from rotating by a couple of plastic lugs on the bottom of the unit. As you loosen the torx screw the plate should move down, and when they are looser you can wiggle the unit forward and off. But I think the screws and plates get rusted together, and then the problems begin.

Thanks, well the heat shields are a bit loose, but what i hear is a bit heavier, clunkier. Just wondering if the MK1 is similar to MK2 in terms of suspension/bushes set up.

Hi, over the last few months I've begun to notice a rattle from the back - perhaps the rear wheel drivers side. I haven't investigated yet, but I suspect worn bushes or something similar. I have a Haynes manual for the mk1. Is it likely to be a similar detail or will I need a new manual? Thanks for any advice.

Since buying this car two months ago, I've occasionally found that the brake wear warning light stays on after starting the engine. If I stop the car after a few miles and restart, the light goes out. Can anyone explain what the sensor is actually sensing? When I've had the wheels off, the pads don't look particularly worn. Is this a known issue? Thanks for any tips.