electrical gremlins cured: load reduction relay write-up

[ModifiedA4]

the archives are pretty unclear about its position, its function and part number. this is specifically for a 2000 1.8t, your setup may be different.

symptoms of failure:
What doesnt work:
-no heat or A/C, the blower isnt working. but the console does.
-no turn signals, but parking lights work
-no fogs
-no boost gauge lighting (directly wired to 75X)
-no wipers

*edit, the only DTC vag-com reported during a full scan, was that of the climate control unit and the blower "not responding". not very helpful.

At first i thought maybe the nut came off the 75X post, no luck, i dropped the knee bolster at lunch, everything is secure. Also I checked every fuse 25Amp and greater, even the 40 and 50 under the relays. all are ok.

What works:

-heated seats
-interior lights
-stereo (audi symphony)
-hi and low beams

the load reduction relay is in position #2 under the dash, its NOT in the ecu box.
position #2 is the second relay from the left in this pic(marked "213"):


to change the relay you need to drop the driver's side knee bolster, as written up here. There are (4) 8mm hex head screws, two behind trim pieces, one behind the fuse panel, and one down low above the gas pedal.

part numbers:
443 951 253J (BLACK MARKED "213"), is what was shipped with the car

superceded by:
8D0 951 253 (GREY MARKED "370"), is the replacement part

it cost $39 from a VW dealership, its probably cheaper online.

*edit* Autopsy pics

[Kris Hansen]

nice work. Mind if I grab this?

[ModifiedA4]

sure, you can use it in the tech section

[boostedfun]

but the headlights wont work if the switch is bad

[Kris Hansen]

my old school Bentley is fussy ever since I installed FireFox...

[ModifiedA4]

early in the diagram section is a schematic of where "2" is...also you can barely make out a "3" in the picture above where the empty relay socket is...i didnt check, but i bet there is a "2" behind the relay.

i agree, the bentley wiring diagram section sucks, you never know if the information is accurate...i only knew to look for a "2" based on some of the information in the archives.

[WJM]

[ModifiedA4]

quote from you: "No idea which relay it is"

great help!

just kidding :P

Are you able to make it tomorrow?

[77'911]

Hope someone logs your post into the FAQ or tech section. I'm sure there are going to be a few people who'll need it in the future. Quality posts like that are what make AW one of the better forums out there, especially the B5 A4 Board.

[ModifiedA4]