SHARKY 0 Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 Hi folks...Just recently started driving the car again after being off the road for several months after knee surgery and my instrument cluster is acting up.Firstly, the speedo has stopped working. It stopped the other day, but I flicked it and it was fine. Today it's stopped working all together. (m) Secondly, on the trip computer stuff, the average speed and the MPG don't register anything (well just three dashes "---"). On a previous outing the MPG was 1.0. (m) (m) Thirdly (and this is wierd!), my fuel guage is acting like a economy guage. When I accelerate, the needle goes down towards empty. Then as I slow down, or drive a little more "carefully" it rises back towards full. :S Can anyone help!!?????!! *-) :^) :S I've unhooked the battery for 30 minutes to see if it reset anything, but nothing happened.I'm sure I've read somewhere about the fuel gauge being able to be set up like an economy guage, but I can't find the info now.It seems like the clocks are faulting slowly. It's not the ecu or anything...??The car drives great, no problems with anything except the clock cluster.Can anyone offer any help as to possible causes and what solutions would correct it.Cheers in advance guys.... Link to post Share on other sites
shail 0 Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 This is of no help but....There is a way to make they fuel gauge behave in this way, but like you can't remember what the trick was. Has the car been run over the last few months or was it standing while your knee got better? Link to post Share on other sites
SHARKY 0 Posted August 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 This is of no help but....There is a way to make they fuel gauge behave in this way' date=' but like you can't remember what the trick was. Has the car been run over the last few months or was it standing while your knee got better?[/quote']Hi...Yes I was running the car once a week or so, just to keep things charged and oil circulating.I spoke to my local VAG dealer about possibly new clocks and was told £170+VAT but the mileage will read 0000000 and can't be changed. He also said it maybe the engine speed sensor on the gearbox - he said check the connections aren't corroded. Also, he said to take it out and have a look at it as it has a plastic toothed wheel which could have snapped/ knackered.I'll have a look tomorrow and post an update. Meanwhile, any other people offering ANY advice at all......???? Link to post Share on other sites
dellert 0 Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 The clocks can be adjusted, I think. Thought you could set them up as long as they had not covered 100 miles or something. Cant help on how to fix it though!!! Link to post Share on other sites
jpc 0 Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 sure when u turn on the ignition whilst pressing the trip button makes the clocks behave similar, but when you turn the ignition off it reverts back to the usual, not sure if the problem you are having is related or not. Link to post Share on other sites
SHARKY 0 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Ok guys... Here's an update of the situation.I've changed the speed sensor thingy and its drive from the gearbox, but the problem still remains.I spoke to a service guy and a parts guy at my local VAG dealer and was told that if its not that sender, then it could be the clock faulting slowly (hence only a few things going wrong) or the ECU. I'm not convinced its the ECU - otherwise the engine would have problems wouldn't it. It's running great. They're trying to get me to book it in to diagnose the problem, but at £75 + VAT I think I'd like to try other avenues first. The mechainic guy who does all the work on my car would do 2/3 hours work for that for me! I think they may be a little quiet and need the work! He's on holiday at the mo so I'm trying to sort it out. When he gets back, he's got one of those really posh diagnostic computer thingy's so I'm hoping he can find the fault straight away.Anyhoo, whilst talking to them, I was talking about changing the clocks over (I'm contemplating buying a second hand set to see if its the clocks). As soon as I said this the service guy said you can't do that bacause each set of clocks is coded to the transponder on the key (the immobiliser system). Is he serious or is he trying to get my car in to cream some cash of me!????!!Have any of you guys changed your clocks over and experienced problems??The thing is if I give it to them and they don't find a fault in say 2 hours, I'll have given them almost £200 for nothing! And seeing as I'm out of work following knee surgery I can't afford to do this sort of thing.Another thing they said, is that you shouldn't use a booster or jump start a VR. The electrics don't like the spike of electricity and can cause faults (I had to jump start it once because it had flattened the battery a bit being stood, but that was two months ago and there were no problems until the other day so I don't think its that!).Anyway guys, has anyone had any experience of changing clocks? Or does anyone know anything I can try to solve my dodgy clocks problem?Could it be a sensor/ relay faulting? I've no access to a VAGCOM so for now I'm relying on any info from you guys..... Link to post Share on other sites
purple highline monster 0 Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 ner heard of the clocks being linked to the transponder! i think he may be talking bollocks! newre golfs may have that set up? i would try a different set of clocks mate, it is possible to fry them by jump starting and maybe? a small amount of damge occured when you jumped it and it has just burnt something thats noe given up the ghost, this was a problem on mk1 nad 2 golfs on the rear of the clocks was a voltage regulator and blue printed circuit, these often failed as then burnt the tracks, i have never seen a mk3 set of clocks out but they are probably similar? try the cheapest option before vw charge you £150 just to tell you you need new clocks!!! you can buy a set quite cheaply i am sure Link to post Share on other sites
SHARKY 0 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Cheers P.H.M...Another guy mentioned the voltage regulator (cheers thegoth ).And, I thought that about the clocks too, otherwise people who do conversions would have all sorts of problems. Maybe someone can comment on that??I can't find any reference to one (voltage regulator) in the Bentlay manual, but I think I'm gonna take the clocks out and check that the plugs are connected properly anyway. Gonna check all relays and fuses are in porperly too.As before, any comments or advice are appreciated.Please help a sick VR6 owner who owns a sick VR6 *-) Link to post Share on other sites
SHARKY 0 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Hey guys...Just been doing a bit of "googling" and found a few possibilities I'm going to check tomorrow (weather permitting).Firstly, a guy had a similar problem which turned out to be a 'dry' (I think) solder problem on one of the resistors/ capacitors on the board. (vortx forum I think - looked on so many links!!!).I'm also going to check grounding points (don't know the technical terms) for as much as I can (starting with grounding point under battery tray and then trying the grounding point under dash where most of the electrics for the instruments and interior stuff grounds).If anyone has any other possibilites/ pleaces to check, I'm open to all suggestions.....Will keep you up to date... In the mean time if anyone can offer ANTHING please don't hesitate...Cheers guys...Please help a sick VR6 owner who owns a sick VR6 *-) :^) Link to post Share on other sites
IbiVR 0 Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Later Mk4's have the clocks tied in with the immob systems, clocks, keys loom and ecu all need to match on say a 1.8T.Mk3 vr no such probs, get another set in there, if it doens solve the problem sell them on.Also check your earthing points are good.Tom. Link to post Share on other sites
thegoth 5 Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Firstly' date=' a guy had a similar problem which turned out to be a 'dry' (I think) solder problem on one of the resistors/ capacitors on the board. (vortx forum I think - looked on so many links!!!).[/quote']'Dry' is the correct term. The solder will either look matt or there might be an orange(ish) ring (unburnt flux) around the leg of the component as it meets the solder joint.If you can get to a Maplin, or similiar, pick up a can of contact cleaner for the plugs and sockets of the cluster.Good luck.goth Link to post Share on other sites
SHARKY 0 Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Whoo hooooooo... :-d 8-| Right guys...I seem to have fixed it. I took the clocks out and thought I'd take them apart to check for dry solders. Turns out that you can't fully take my clocks apart. I was following a giude I found on Vortex about putting dials on. Mine don't have the screws to separate the circuit from the clocks. Anyway....Whilst I was sat with the clocks in bits I noticed a bit of a "corrosion" on the two terminals above where the connector block goes onto the board.(I've got a piccy but can't get it uploaded??).Anyway, I cleaned the connector/ terminals and put the clocks back together and HEY PRESTO!!!!! they are working again??? These connectors seem to be for the bulbs which light up the clocks so I can't figure out if this is the fix for my problem, or if simply unplugging the clocks and reconnecting them did the trick?? All I can say is that as of typing this, the clocks have started working. Fingers crossed that its fixed and not a temperamental clock which is working now and faults at a later date.Anyhoo guys, just thought I'd put up that they are working, and I'll try to get the picture up so you can see where I mean. Maybe if anyone else gets a similar problem, this will proove of help...Thanx to those who posted and pm'd me with advice... Link to post Share on other sites
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