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Car is totally dead; battery is fine. How do I track down the problem?

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Old 04-23-2009, 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by guyindfw07
What was the resolution to your issue?
My 2001 Audio TT is Dead. The right hand display says FUSE. I also checked all the fuses and the user manual nothing there.

Please help me out.

Thanks
Kirk
Dallas Texas USA
You can email me at guyindfw07@yahoo.com
You know, I still haven't fixed this problem. I tinkered with the wires in the main bus - basically removed and tightened them and I got the car started! But then the next morning I had the same problem. The car would start and then shut off right away. I'm really not sure what's going on at this point.
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Old 04-23-2009, 12:11 PM
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By the way, what I say "shut off right away" - mean everything would be dead. No lights, ignition, anything.
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Old 04-23-2009, 12:15 PM
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Damn, it's wierd that it worked but only for a little bit of time. Sure is acting screwy.
Last edited by complacentsee; 04-23-2009 at 12:20 PM.
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Old 04-23-2009, 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by complacentsee
Damn, it's wierd that it worked but only for a little bit of time. Sure is acting screwy.
My absolute guess is that the cold weather in the morning made the contact points on the main bus contract and that's why the car would start and then die completely each time.

Maybe I should replace the bus or the leads/end points? It doesn't look like there's any infiltration...

Ideas ANYONE?
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Old 04-23-2009, 12:49 PM
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My only sugestion is to start taking readings and figure out if its the bus, or the batter lines, or the terminals or where the issue really is.
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Old 04-24-2009, 07:28 AM
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Originally Posted by complacentsee
My only sugestion is to start taking readings and figure out if its the bus, or the batter lines, or the terminals or where the issue really is.
What kind of readings should I be looking for? Obviously 12.5 at the battery lines, but aside from that?
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Old 04-24-2009, 09:39 AM
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I would remove the battery and start mesuring resistances myself. Big thick wires should have real low resistances. And as long as your talking about clean terminals all the measurments should be very low.

Neg terminal to grounding .
pos terminal to the 12 bus.

And I would go nuts and try combinations of locations bus to bus.

Battery should read mid 12Vs. low 12Vs and things should light up, but the battery is more or less dead.
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Old 04-24-2009, 11:02 AM
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BTW where are you located. I might be able to help you out some time for use of your VAGCOM.
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Old 04-24-2009, 11:42 AM
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Originally Posted by complacentsee
BTW where are you located. I might be able to help you out some time for use of your VAGCOM.
I live in Astoria, NY and work in Bergen County (Allendale), NJ
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Old 04-24-2009, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by complacentsee
I would remove the battery and start mesuring resistances myself. Big thick wires should have real low resistances. And as long as your talking about clean terminals all the measurments should be very low.

Neg terminal to grounding .
pos terminal to the 12 bus.

And I would go nuts and try combinations of locations bus to bus.

Battery should read mid 12Vs. low 12Vs and things should light up, but the battery is more or less dead.
The resistances look pretty good.

You know, the weird thing is that the power is routed fine when I bend the second post from the left on the main bus toward myself (I just put a socket with extension over it and bend it very slightly toward myself)... And when I bend it back, everything cuts out...

Is it possible the relay on top of it is busted or something?
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