seatkid

Before changing solenoids - which I think may involve stripping the gearbox - check the wiring loom(s) and connectors from the gearbox to the control unit, as they have been known to have broken/chafed wires/intermittent connections.

On basic diesel models there is no (maxidot) display available to communicate a fault, so on diesel models, the flashing glowplug light has been used to indicate problems that potentially have safety implications have been picked up by the ecu (e.g. brake light operation). There are probably several faults that can trigger the glowplug flashing light, but other faults that are not safety related probably dont flash the light. No idea what petrol engined models would do with a brake switch/wiring fault.

Check the wires in the two rubber gaitors to the tailgate, broken and shorted wires are a known common problem. See Faqs, Common Questions And Solutions 31. Examining wires in door to pillar rubber boot 43. Detailed instructions for Reparing wires in Door gaiters 44. Soldering Instruction Guide, Joining And Splicing Properly

Could be an immobiliser issue Dropped the key or had the keyfob open? (and the PATS chip fell out.....) in that case you need to use the spare key, or try and find that PATS chip.....

Back bleeding should never be done as it can push debris into the abs block and ruin it.

Front box IS a catalytic converter. Grey smoke is possibly the oil burning in the cat. Should eventually clear.

Not recommended for the locking bolt as its easily damaged and you'll then have a problem getting it out.

Make sure both the camshaft and the sproket are locked before you tighten the bolt. Do not overtighten it either!

Check the wiring in all the rubber gaitors to the doors - see tech faq - common for wires to break here. Do you have climate control (LCD panel and push buttons) or manual heater (knob controlled)? When you say the heater doesnt work do you mean the fan doesnt work or is the lack of hot air as opposed to cold air?

Could be air in the ABS block as you say. Possibly crack the unions on the ABS block one by one while someone has some pressure on the pedal? Also maybe try forcing the ABS to operate (emergency skid - somewhere safe though!) to purge it out the block and then rebleed.. I checked the TIS cd and even if the abs unit is replaced, it says conventional bleeding only is necessary, have you pumped plently of new fluid through? (Several strokes of the pedal, closing the bleed valve every time you (slowly) release the pedal)

Double post - sorry

Check the camshaft timing pulley bolt is tightened correctly ( you'll have to lock the camshaft/pulley) I've seen a figure of 35lb/ft with some sites recommending 40lb/ft to stop it slipping round. Make sure the taper is clean and oil/grease free.

Yes, 170Nm (125lb ft) is the official torque setting for a MK 2 My Mk1 alloys I tighten to 140Nm and are easily removed using an extendable wheel wrench, or a torque wrench. Tips: Clean the bolt threads (use solvent or oil and a toothbrush) and bolt/alloy seats and lightly lubricate/grease, also clean the mating faces on the alloy and hubs and lightly grease (I use LMF grease - others may recomend copper grease) I personally prefer a torque wrench to remove the bolts and particularly the locking wheel bolt as the car wrench and extendable wrench are angled rather than at 90 deg to the wheel. If the alloys are corroded to the hub and wont come off easily, then with the wheel jacked off the ground, loosen the bolts a couple of turns, lower the car putting weight on the wheel, this usually seperates the wheel from the hub, otherwise lower it completely and rock the car sideways to seperate the wheel from the hub. Re-lift the car with the jack and continue to remove the wheel.

Yes there is a connector in the MAF loom that goes nowhere - its the same on all Mk1's - nobody really knows what its for. Theres a clip nearby on the strut housing that it sits in, but it doesnt connect to anything... Regarding the difficult starting......check your timing hasnt drifted out again, maybe something wasnt tightened up properly.

These are probably due to broken/shorting wires in the rubber gaitors from body to doors and tailgate. (total of 6 to check...) see Tech Faqs for more detail

Could be a number of reasons, but usually sticky/faulty vane actuator in the turbo is a favourite. Can sometimes be fixed by physically exercising the actuator c/w lubrication, or better if stripped and cleaned, but not guaranteed. Other reasons are leaky vacuum pipes/accumulator, faulty fuel temp sensor, faulty MAP sensor, leaking boost pipework/intercooler, N75 valve to name just some. Oh.... and dont forget to check if your airfilter is bunged up with dirt.

The two switches have four possible states - only two of which should ever occur. If you scan the ECU with VAGCOM/VCDS - you will see an error code - brake switch "implausible signal" - which means an illegal combination was seen by the ECU.

If you have linked out one the the two switches (its a dual device) then thats the reason the glow plug light comes on - the dual brake switch - basically one side controls the brake lights and the other sends a signal to the ECU for engine management purposes (inc cruise control cancellation amonst other things). Both sides go to the ECU for monitoring. If the two dont work together as expected, it throws a fault, flashing the glow plug light and you will lose some ECU management functions. If the brake switch unit is bust, it needs to be replaced as a unit - it cant be frigged off......

Yes there are a few fuses missing, usually those associated with different engines (e.g. no fuel pump fuse on a Mk1 Tdi) or missing/ not fitted options. Heres a picture of my 98-99 Mk1 fuse box - you can see some fuses missing.... Intermittent c/l is usual before total failure, sometimes weak battery in keyfob, more often final step before keyfob remote failure (common fault) - if you do change the 2 batteries in the keyfob, take care not to lose the little cuboid that sits in the key head - this is the PATS transponder - if often drops out when opening the key - you wont be able to start the car without it (immobiliser) No heater? Be more specific with the description of the fault......

Glad you got it sorted. Actually BigDog should take the credit for pointing out the cog suspect. Its happened so many times now that maybe calls for an entry in the Tech Faq under "Difficult Starting a Mk1 Tdi? it could be the timing pulley..." or something..... Wish I had the balls to be able to change the timing belt...metaljim must some kind of expert by now!!!

Dont know about the range, but the computer stores two sets of data - mpg/mileage/time driven/averages for journey or total. On my Mk1, IIRC, you press the up button to scroll through the data items and press down to swap between the data sets - set1 (journey) or set2 (total). A little no.1 or 2 appears in the corner of the LCD to show which set you are looking at. It might be a different procedure for the Mk2 but you will have all the same information too. (consult the manual)

Yes, the belt has not slipped/jumped and thats confirmed by crank - camshaft - diesel pump lining up, but the crank pulley will probably have slipped on the crank, so you need to check at the flywheel. Yes its normal, the glowplug power actually stays on longer than the light, the light just indicates you should hold off starting until the light goes out and power stays on until the engine has had a chance to warm the cylinder walls/piston crowns a little. First cold start with stone cold engine will give longer light time than a restart up to 3 or more hours later because the (water) temperature of the engine is still quite high compared to a completely cold block. You only start to see longer glow plug light times when the engine (water) temperature drops really low (I would guess below about 8 deg C)

Does your car have the full dual zone climate control? - this can be seen by the presence of roof vents over the passenger seats in the rear (not just a dual LCD display). In that case, only one side rear quarter window will open electrically as the pillars that normally carry the harness are filled with a/c piping instead.

It's highly likely that its a timing issue but IMO It is very difficult for a belt to "jump" over notches, even with a sloppy tensioner.... Its starting to sound as if you have the classic worn bottom timing pulley or sheared woodruff key (dependent on year I think) - its a known issue with Mk1 TDi's, the bottom pulley keeps slipping a bit on the crank and puts the timing out. Needs to come off and be replaced with a new pulley/key. A forum search will reveal more.

If any other door works its definitely NOT a control module issue Its most likely a broken wire(s) in the rubber gaitor from the A pillar to the door and its easy to fix. Check out the Tech FAQs - there are 3 topics that cover this extremely common problem 31. Examining wires in door to pillar rubber boot 43. Detailed instructions for Reparing wires in Door gaiters 44. Soldering Instruction Guide, Joining And Splicing Properly