2003 Passat TDI(130) estate Sport....SUDDEN Electrical failure

[johncoops]

Hiya,
I thought I'd try getting help from all those Passat B5 owners regarding a problem that suddenly appeared on my trusty Passat yesterday.
I have lost power to all of the following:-

1. Headlights low beam not functioning when switched on with ignition on.
2. No indicators works whilst ignition is on.
3. No heated rear windscreen functioning.
4. Air blower on climate unit does run when speed setting altered like normal.
5. No horn.
6. No main beam (flash on stork works ok)
7. No front or rear windscreen wash/wiper function at all.
8. No rear fog lights (no front fogs fitted)

Apart from the above the following items work and function correctly:-

1. Side lights,tail lamp and dash illumination all work as normal along with warning buzzer
2. leave indicator on either direction without keys in function still does the relevant side lights etc.
3. Hazard lights function correctly.
4. Car starts and drives ok
5. All normal warning lights work when going through starting procedure.
6. All dials and gauges work ok.

I have pulled down front cowling to expose all fuses and relays but all fuses are looking good and relays look new, there is no sign of damp ingress from bulk head area.
There is no obvious signs of any electrical failure as in burn outs or shorts etc.
Battery good and terminals all clean & tight.

It would be much appreciated if anyone from the forum could shed some light on this major fault I'm experiencing. I can't see that every item listed above has suddenly failed.

I look forward to hearing from you all soon !!

John

[Sam]

You mentioned no dampness but have you lifted the carpet up to see?

The carpet (and its foam backing) is very thick and can hold a lot of water, the void beneath the carpet holds even more water still.

It shouldn't take you too long to get under there though

Put the passenger seat as far back as it'll go.
Remove the tiny plastic cover from the kickpanel in the footwell and remove the screw (crosshead and sunk quite deeply into the panel).
Lever/swear the panel free - it requires a lot of force.
Remove the sill cover - use a flathead screwdriver and prise it up, starting at the front and working back.
You'll need to remove one of the mat pins too, I think they also prise up.

That should give you enough leverage to get the carpet up to see if you can see any water at all.

Chances are it's not water but it's better to be 100% sure.

Next step would be a fault code scan.

[yaman]

Sounds like a faulty ignition switch

Regards
Jim

[Peter D]

Sounds like the X Power Relay has failed/burn contacts. Relay number 2 in the Micro-Central electrics relay carrier. Behing the drivers parcel shelf. This relay turns these things on but off when you are actually cranking to preserve starting current. Regards Peter

[Peter D]

Yep if your rear fogs do not come on then the ignition switch if suspect. The feed to the rear fogs also feed the coil for the X Power Relay and it feeds several of the items you detail. Regards Peter

[johncoops]

Good evening all,
I had the car plugged into computer to see faults but nothing was listed as faulty and all codes apparently read OK.
Next step done was to inspect carpets area, again nothing showing other than a hole in the heel area where there a small amount of damp, but nothing really to worry about.
I then stripped back steering column covers and removed steering wheel to expose ignition barrel and switch assembly, this is where the fault lies.
On removal of the multi-plug which was quite difficult and tight it was noticed that the large red cable had melted to the yellow and there was exposed core of inner strands.
I linked out the red and the yellow which proved that some of the items listed above came back to life.

Parts now ordered from dealer which include new ignition switch and loom harness for around £65 +vat, should be in on Friday.

Much appreciated for all your help in the diagnosis.

Thanks John

[johncoops]

Good evening all,
I had the car plugged into computer to see faults but nothing was listed as faulty and all codes apparently read OK.
Next step done was to inspect carpets area, again nothing showing other than a hole in the heel area where there a small amount of damp, but nothing really to worry about.
I then stripped back steering column covers and removed steering wheel to expose ignition barrel and switch assembly, this is where the fault lies.
On removal of the multi-plug which was quite difficult and tight it was noticed that the large red cable had melted to the yellow and there was exposed core of inner strands.
I linked out the red and the yellow which proved that some of the items listed above came back to life.

Parts now ordered from dealer which include new ignition switch and loom harness for around £65 +vat, should be in on Friday.

Much appreciated for all your help in the diagnosis.

Thanks John

I'll let you know how it goes after rebuild of all components and dash.