Aux Heater Not Working?

[Munter]

Hi all,

 

I have searched and read lots of posts on the aux heater and now have a basic understanding of what it is for. I was initially looking for information on white smoke at starting but this lead me to the aux heater.

 

I have a tdi 1.9 130 ghia, I have located the aux heater and looked for smoke coming from its exhaust when starting but see nothing. It is 4c here today so the aux heater should kick in. I started the car and waited 5 mins for it to warm up, during this time I kept touching the aux hear exhaust to see if it was getting warm... it wasnt. I decided to check the fuses... no fuse in location #9 which is for heated seats or aux heater. So a trip to the local auto shop for fuses.

 

I now have a 5amp fuse in location #9 but after letting the car cool down and restarting the aux heater is still not getting warm to the touch. I tried VAG-COM but it will not connect to the AUX-Heater module.... any ideas please?

[Mirez]

If you can't connect to it using Vag-Com then you either still have no power to it or the main controller isn't responding (I assume you know how to use vag-com, ie ignition on not off). Double check all the fuses that go to it, preferably by removing them and using a volt meter to test. If all's ok then check the heaters connected - there are two connectors down by it, one internally just inside the casing and one about a foot back up the wiring loom from the car. If they are both ok then you could measure for voltages down at those connectors to confirm supply and ground but after that it'll be a controller fault :D

[swifty]

Its more likely that you need to replace glowplug in the heater and then clear the fault on vag-com.

 

swifty

[Mirez]

Its more likely that you need to replace glowplug in the heater and then clear the fault on vag-com.

 

swifty

 

 

Did you actually read the OP's post? :D How exactly is that more likely? If he can't connect to the heater with VagCom now then changing the glowplug isn't going to help - its a power or comms issue.

[Munter]

Yea, I think this is something more sinister. I just gave it another try after reading that one guy needed to have the engine running before VAG-Com would connect to the AUX Heater. So i just tried that but it still will not connect to the controller.

 

I will have a look at the connection blocks in the morning but i'm not clear on the following... where is the controller actually located? Would this be on the AUX heater unit itself?

[Mirez]

Yea, I think this is something more sinister. I just gave it another try after reading that one guy needed to have the engine running before VAG-Com would connect to the AUX Heater. So i just tried that but it still will not connect to the controller.

 

I will have a look at the connection blocks in the morning but i'm not clear on the following... where is the controller actually located? Would this be on the AUX heater unit itself?

 

Corrent, If you look at Ivor's photo:

 

http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t139/IvorGTO/Alhambra/Pict0008.jpg

 

...the controller is on the left hand side, you can see where the wiring enters the heater - there is a connector just there and then follow it up under the car and there is another one there. If the heaters been taken apart before its quite easy to not properly engage the internal connector. Also you don't need the engine running but you do need the ignition on for vagcom to connect.

[Jayton]

I'm having a similar problem, where I felt the aux heater after a short run on a 3C morning and it wasn't even warm. My VAG-COM won't connect to it either...

 

 

Today my eldest daughter was in the very back of the car and I asked her to feel the heaters on the floor and she said they were very warm, but this was after about 30mins or so driving, would the coolant be hot enough to warm the rear of the car up without the aux heater?

[George106]

I'm having a similar problem, where I felt the aux heater after a short run on a 3C morning and it wasn't even warm. My VAG-COM won't connect to it either...

 

I personally had problem with USB lead version which didn't want to connect to all modules, especially 18 - Aux Heater. I bought serial version which can't be set wrong and it connects straight away. I may be a problem with the lead rather than with module itself. Try to find someone else with diesel shalaxy where you can test you lead is working fine.

 

George

[Munter]

Ok an update.

 

Today I stripped the AUX Heater down to find a broken wire on the connector block under the car. I think this was the main 12v supply as it was the thickest of the wires. After a repair (cut wire stripped back and soldered new wire in) and puttin it all back together I can now connect via VAG-Com! Yay.

 

On connection there was 5 errors, all flame outs, so I cleared those and started the car. Amazingly the jet engine kicked in and smothered me in thick white smoke!... lots of it. I let it do its thing then checked VAG-com again and had another flame out error. I cleared that and went for an hours drive. Anfter I checked again and had another 3 flame outs.

 

So I think I am now ready to get me a replacement glow plug and strip it all down again. But I am happy... it is now working... in a fashion.

 

Thanks for your help and advice on this.

[Jayton]

Well done :25:

[Munter]

I'm having a similar problem, where I felt the aux heater after a short run on a 3C morning and it wasn't even warm. My VAG-COM won't connect to it either...

 

 

Today my eldest daughter was in the very back of the car and I asked her to feel the heaters on the floor and she said they were very warm, but this was after about 30mins or so driving, would the coolant be hot enough to warm the rear of the car up without the aux heater?

 

After 30mins the coolant should be plenty warm enough to warm the cabin up. I think you may have a similar problem to mine. First check the fuse for the heated seats / aux heater, on my 2005 tdi it is fuse number 9. Mine was missing altogether.

[Jayton]

Already checked & replaced, I have a suspicion that it's the same or similar problem as yours.

[Munter]

Just another quick question, is this the correct glowplug? It certainly looks the same as the one i saw in the heater today...

 

http://www.vwspares.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=54

[swifty]

Sorry I spoke....Mirez..Seems I was right about replacing the glow though!!!!!! Edited February 7, 2010 by swifty

[Jayton]

Looks like the one I found when looking for the correct GP for the aux heater.

[Mirez]

Sorry I spoke....Mirez..Seems I was right about replacing the glow though!!!!!!

 

Yes you were but by pure luck only, the symptoms didn't point to that and the problem with communication was indeed a power supply issue.

 

My reply wasn't supposed to be personal, my concern was with your wording "more likely", you could have unnecessarily cost Munter (and future readers) a new glow plug and the time taken to fit it when it has absolutely nothing to do with a comms issue.

 

Hey-ho he has to anyway now :25:

 

Friends? B)

[swifty]

fair enough

 

No!

[Mirez]

fair enough

 

No!

 

Why are you being picky? I'm not. :25:

[swifty]

Only jesting. Friends again....

 

Swifty

[Tim Wilkinson]

appologies for latching onto your thread but my galaxy has same problem - jet engine noise with plumes of white smoke, the aux heater mini exhaust gets warm. Reading through the tread its seems like best course of action (to avoid

[George106]

put on VAGCOM to see what it says

if flame out then get new glowplug for

[Rusty Nail]

Hey there guys (and gals)

 

I have just had to strip my aux heater after it failed to spin into life this year.

 

I VAG COM'd and had a Open Circuit Glow Plug.

 

I was most intruiged by this as Fraud had only replaced it (allegidly) about 2 1/2 years back. My first suspition was that they hadn't actually replaced it and just reset a fault to get it going again (I don't trust the stealers...)

 

Anyway I was wrong; I found the glow plug to be fine and it had been replaced as you could see where some bodge artist had soldered the new lead in.

 

I checked the connectors and re-fitted everything (using a touch of high temp grease on all bolts just in case I had to take it all apart again) before starting it up.

 

Outside temp is 3 degrees, so off it went - YEY :lol:

 

Then it stopped just as it got really going. VAG COM stated over temperature. Hmmmm

 

So I reset, re- scanned, and off it went again, only to stop. Grrrrrr

 

After checking the codes again it had 2 faults - Open Glow plug & Over temperature.

 

I checked the input pipe to check I hadn't pushed it too far into the sill, checked the external connector again, reset the faults and re-tried. IT WORKED. Took the car round the block and all was good, VAG COM showing max working temp at about 315 degrees and it shut down when the water temp was showing 70 degrees.

Luckily it restarted properly again when the water temp dropped. I have check all codes and there are no faults - I shall update should things go 'pu stit' again.

 

Enjoy your aux heater - I know I just love it...... when it works :16:

[Mirez]

Rusty, sounds like the aux water pump might be on the way out as thats a common cause of overheating - when the full engines just idling the main water pump isn't turning fast enough to pump the coolant around the block and aux heater fast enough.

[gregers]

yep im thinking that as well,there is a fix for it in the faqs,

funnily enough mine is spooling up/down again,then realized the after run pump wasnt working,gave it a shake and fiddled with the wires and it sparked back into life,

mmmm wonder if it needs stripping down again.

[matthew_narvik]

I'm having a similar problem, where I felt the aux heater after a short run on a 3C morning and it wasn't even warm. My VAG-COM won't connect to it either...

 

 

Today my eldest daughter was in the very back of the car and I asked her to feel the heaters on the floor and she said they were very warm, but this was after about 30mins or so driving, would the coolant be hot enough to warm the rear of the car up without the aux heater?

 

After 30mins the coolant should be plenty warm enough to warm the cabin up. I think you may have a similar problem to mine. First check the fuse for the heated seats / aux heater, on my 2005 tdi it is fuse number 9. Mine was missing altogether.

Yepp. Once you see the temperature gauge going up the heater in back starts putting out plenty of heat even with a non-starting aux. heater. (As mine currently is...)