B4 Passat '94 TDI GL - alarm type beep

[graemetherunner]

Hi,

this has recently started occuring & havn't yet worked out the cause - it happens at slow speed, motorway speed, on roundabouts... pretty much any time.

Its a beep like a watch alarm going off. Lasts around 3 mins then stops. Stopping the engine & starting again also stops it.
The VW handbook doesn't seem to mention it neither does haynes.

It's not the buzzer sound when lights are on & door opened.

No lights come on the dash to indicate what the beep might mean.

Does anyone know?

Thank you

[couga]

how cold was the weather, may be its an outside temp warning saying it is -0 tem out side

[chipped3]

Remove the whole instrument binnacle and dismantle removing each instrument in turn off the printed circuit board after unplugging the multiplug on the rear. It has about 20 small pins in two rows. It hinges forward after removing screws at the front top corners. It disengages from the speedo cable when removed.

Check the solder connections to all components on the circuit board but especially the multiplug ones. We found that our 1994 Passat GL Estate had a total of 19 cracked solder joints......
the three on the voltage stabilizer which is screwed to the plastic binnacle but connected to the circuit board and 16 on the multiplug connection on the curcuit board. apply a little flux to each joint and with a loaded small electric soldering iron, resolder each one and any others that are cracked. A magnifier really helps here.

Reassemble in reverse order carefully reinstalling the whole instrument cluster ensuring that the speedo cable is lined up with the cone on the cluster.... it will connect itself if lined up. reconnect multiplug and you should find that many or all of your previous problems have disappeared.