ingnition, heater plug, battery lights going mental on the dash car won't start!!

[gibbo1]

Hello, I have a 1993 golf 1.9d. I've just got in to start it, relays are going like mad battery and heater plug lights are flashing like mad and the car won't turn over at all. Can anybody help me?

[kenney]

Hi Check the battery and the teminals

[edaresek]

99% sure your battery is dead.

I've seen the problem before on several old cars, its caused by people locking their car via remote/alarm (which eats battery very slowly) and then leaving the car alone for a week or more.

It's a slow equivalent of leaving your lights on overnight.

Solutions:

a) Try a jump start using another car and if you're lucky it will start, then take it for at least ten minutes of driving.... but this might not be a lasting solution.

b) Remove and charge the battery indoors on an external mains charger.
This is useful when a jump start does not provide enough power to turn your engine over. The mains charger can be found online fairly cheaply, search google. To get the battery out do all this:

- IF you have an alarm unit, you need to disable it (usually found at top right of engine bay near bonnet hinge/suspension bracket). Otherwise it goes spaz when you disconnect battery.

- Hopefully when you got the car, with the keys you were given a smaller key.

- Find the alarm unit (looks like a siren held in small metal bracket with a thick cable going into it). Next to that thick cable is a small rubber cap. Pull it off.

- Stick the small key into the lock under that cap, and switch off the alarm.

Once disabled OR if you dont have an alarm, disconnect the battery:

- Disconnect negative lead first (black -) or you'll get zapped. Then the positive lead (red +). For both leads all you need to do is loosen (not remove) hexagonal bolt clamps.

- If you're mk3 is like mine, (it should be, but i cant guarantee obviously) then that means when you are standing at the front of the bonnet, remove the closest battery lead first then the one 'behind' it.

- Once the leads are disconnected, you must remove the small metal plate holding the battery in place. This is held by a hexagonal bolt down at the base of the battery. It's hard to get to, so you'll need a wrench with an extension piece.

- Once all is removed, lift the battery out, take it inside, and leave it hooked up to the mains charger for at least three or four hours.

When it's been a few hours replace and reconnect everything, including:

- the battery clamp plate (or the battery will slide around while you drive)
- the battery leads in the opposite order you took them off, so pos/red first, and neg/black second.

Remember to switch your alarm unit back on last thing, otherwise you wont have an alarm on your car!

c) There is a chance that whole process might not work, and you'll neeed a brand new battery if your one is really old, BUT that's expensive so its worth trying the mains charger first.

PLEASE CONSIDER: I'm not a professional and it doesn't sound like you are either, so if you dont feel comfortable playing with the electrics (you could get seriously zapped) call for professional help.

Hope that works!