ferguscawley

MATT Be careful when buying jump leads. Make sure you get the biggest ones (ie largest diameter) you can find. Smaller diameter cables heat up and increase resistance, thereby limiting starting current. My advice to you would be to make your own. Go to your local welding supplies store and buy a few meteres of heavy duty welding cable and some good strong clamps. Welding cable will be black but you can put red tape on each end of the postive lead so you don't get them mixed up. Cheap too and they will last you a lifetime (unless the missus throws them out again :huh: Ferg

SUCCESS !!!!! B) Sure enough, above the blue switch (cruise control) was a black brake switch (it was impossible to see with the blue switch in it's way). Got the part number and drove to the VW dealer and got a new switch for

Your car is still wired for cruise control, only the stalk is missing. Are you sure the switch has two connectors as some have 3 and are a dual purpose switch. If it only has two wires then make sure there is not another switch behind it. Yep -definitely only 2 wires - very small wires too - I reckon 0.5mm cross sectional area - probably too small to be switching power directly to brake lights. It must be part of the cruise control system alright. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced there must be another switch hidden up there somewhere for the brake lights only. I'll have another look tomorrow. BTW, where do I get a stalk for the cruise control from ? Is it easy to fit ? Thanks ferg

Thanks guys Maybe there is another switch that I haven't seen yet - I'll have another look tomorrow when the rain has stopped pissing down :D I did see another one up there but it seemed to be activated by the clutch pedal (I have no idea what it's purpose is though). I'll let you know what I find. All the best Ferg

VR6 - thanks for your reply - much appreciated ! I don't have cruise control on my car so it's definitely the brake switch I was testing- a blue 2 pin switch above the brake pedal. The switch definitely goes open circuit when the pedal is depressed. I tried unplugging it and shorting the pins also - no difference - the lights still don't work and the warning lights on the dash stay on. Thats what leads me to think there is either another inline fuse or relay somewhere between the brake switch 'unit' and the rear lights. As an aside, a friend of mine borrowed my trailer last week and damaged the lights on the lighting board. I have used the trailer since so there possibly may be a short somewhere in the trailer lighting circuit that could have caused a fuse to blow. However, the main fuse (number 20 as I recall) is still OK. If there is another inline fuse or relay (although I cannot see why there should be), it must have a lower current rating than the primary fuse. I have checked the earths at both tail-light clusters and they are sound. There is no evidence of corrosion or anything simple that could be causing it. Bulbs and bulb holders also perfect. The power supply to the right rear brake light is via a red/black wire. This is dead - no voltage. This thing is driving me mad. I hate vehicle electrics with a passion - simple circuits but finding the f**king wires or a decent wiring diagram is a nightmare. The Haynes manual is almost useless electrically. Any other ideas ?.

Got the warning lgihts on the dash of my 97 Sharan TDi showing that neither of my brake lights were working. Sure enough, they were not, including the high level brake light. Checked the fuse. Ok Checked the brake switch - OK (goes open circuit when brake pedal is pushed) Checked the loom that goes through to the tailgate via the rubber bellows thing - OK Anyone got any ideas why all 3 should suddenly fail ? I have looked thought the ETKA cd antil I almost went blind. No help there. Is there an interposing relay for the brake lights ?. If so, where is it and what number is it ? Any help at all would be appreciated. I feel nervous driving the car with my kids on board without having brake lights. Thanks Ferg

Steve What year is your car ?. Ferg

I change the filters as a matter of course. They are cheap so I usually do the whole lot together in one go. One thing I did notice when last servicing the car was that the intake air manifold seems to be missing an O-ring just where it joins the maf sensor (the flange where the 2 allen-headed bolts attach to the maf sensor). Is it possible that I might be hearing the whine through here ?. I have been meaning to get an o-ring over the past few days but with Easter etc it slipped my mind. (Just grasping at straws really).

Between your rev counter and your speedo, there is a panel that has the usuaul tell tale lights on it - oil, lights, brake fluid level etc. On this panel (on some models) there is a model picture/sketch of a car in white. If you open a door, a little light should light up alongside the door that is open on the model. You may not have this on your dash - it depends on the spec of the car first day.

My 1997 Sharan TDI 110 seems to have developped a strong turbo whine. While I could always hear it 'in the distance' with the windows open, it seems to have increased substantially in volume. Performance seems unaffected. I have just had a quick look under the bonnet (over my lunch break) and cannot see any obvious leaks or splits in manifold hoses etc. Is this a sign of a turbo on the way out or is there something else that I should be looking for ?. I do not have a boost guage installed so I cannot say for sure whether boost pressure has dropped or not. My gut feeling tells me turbo is starting to fail - somebody please tell me otherwise. Mileage is 83K miles. Full VWSH plus since owning the car I have changed oil and filters every 5k miles (including air filter). Many thanks Fergus

Engine number on the 97 should be printed inside the wheelbrace compartment on a white sticker, along with VIN number etc. .

Busman I just changed my brake fluid this morning. I used the gunson eezibleed kit. Makes it soooo easy. First you need to remove the big black plasitc enine cover/scuttle drain thingy ( 3 bolts) to access the brake fluid reservoir. Follow instructions (to the letter !) with the eezibleed kit. Correct bleeding order order is front left, front right, right rear, left rear. Whole job took about 2 hours (removing roadwheels etc for easier access to bleed nipples). I used almost a litre of brake fluid as the old stuff was almost black. I doubt if it ever was changed. Difference in braking power and pedal feel is immense. Do a search on ebay for gunson - the kit cost me about

Try contact cleaner. The best I have found is 'motul' contact cleaner - comes in a red/white spray can - available from most good motorcycle shops. Spray a wee bit onto a clean rag and apply/rub to the affected area only. Ferg

There is a big difference between engine oil and gearbox oil. Never confuse the two :D

Consider depreciation costs before you buy. If you intend to keep the car until it is ready to be scrapped, then depreciation doesn't matter. If you wish to sell on in 2 years, then do the sums. The diesel depreciates a lot less than the petrol model. (especially here in Ireland where anything over a 2 litre is highly taxed and therefore depreciate v quickly)