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Thread: Golf Auto won't start - flickering dash lights and clicking - dodgy grounds?

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  1. Golf Auto won't start - flickering dash lights and clicking - dodgy grounds? 
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    Car: 2004 Golf 1.6 Auto Estate

    My dad's car is refusing to start after being moved a short distance the other morning. When you turn the key, the dash lights pulse on and off really fast and there's a clicking sound. All the interior electrics - interior lights, red visibility light on the inside of the driver's door, indicators etc all work fine.

    I've been doing research and most of the answers refer to a faulty battery and dodgy grounds. The battery being dodgy is entirely possible, as before we got the car a couple of months ago it had been sitting on someone's drive for weeks without being driven. The cold weather and a number of shorter journeys probably haven't done it much good. We're going to try and get that replaced. I just wondered if someone could explain the bit about dodgy grounds - what that means, how we can check for it and what to do if it is the case?

    Also - we'll need to move it to be able to get it positioned to jump start it. It's currently in Park, how do we get it into Neutral to push it if we can't start the engine?

    Cheers!
     
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  2. Re: Golf Auto won't start - flickering dash lights and clicking - dodgy grounds? 
    #2
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    With the ignition on, you should be able to put your foot on the brake and move it to neutral without the engine running.

    As for starting problems, you might want to take a look at my posting from a few months back on what happened with mine.

    Question Snapped starter cable


    With grounding problems, start with the -ve terminal on the battery, and the cable then goes to an earth point on the bodywork nearby first (remove battery and its tray and the earth point is underneath), and then the same big cable continues across to another earth point on the engine. All these three connections need to be clean and tight.

    Then from the positive side of the battery, there will be a thick cable (the one that broke in my case) that goes down to the solenoid. Check solenoid connection.

    Then you could be looking at a solenoid fault or starter motor fault. But if it's either of these or a cable/grounding problem, it won't jump start.
    Last edited by Midge; 31-10-2018 at 09:26 PM.
     
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  3. Re: Golf Auto won't start - flickering dash lights and clicking - dodgy grounds? 
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    Thanks so much, that gives me loads to check. Best regards
     
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  4. Re: Golf Auto won't start - flickering dash lights and clicking - dodgy grounds? 
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    Sounds very much like a flat battery BUT DO NOT jump start it from another car, this can damage ECU's on both cars and the Golf 4 dash is very prone to rolling over and playing dead if spiked. Just fit a new battery.
    Anthropogenic climate change, the biggest con inflicted on mankind since religion...

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