Vag com error 01206

[fulcrum111]

Hi Guys,

My A4 B6 will not start for me. Sorry for the long message below!

Yesterday I was mucking around with the slipring behind the steering wheel as I was trying to install a MFSW. Disconnected the battery negative terminal a few times, installed the slipring, steering wheel, put everything back together, fixed the steering angle sensor fault with vagcom and everything went fine. Started the car, went for test drive, all ok. Later that evening went to start the car again and it wouldn't start. Jump started it and all was ok, Ran vagcom and got fault 01206 - see description below. I removed the MFSW and slipring I had installed earlier, put back the original parts, jump started again and cleared the fault. Went for a drive, turned off the engine and started it again. Ran vagcom and the fault was gone. Though it was sorted!

I drove it for about an hour on motorway to ensure the battery was charged. I put a volt meter across the battery terminals and it was reading abour 14.39 V so that tells me the alternator is charging the battery.

When I got up this morning it wouldn't start. Jumped started it again and drove for half an hour to work on motorway, turned off the engine and it started again once and then wouldn'd start again. Ran vagcom again at work and the same fault comes up again - 01206.

When I run vagcom I get error 01206 in controller 08 - Auto HVAC.

The full fault reads:
01206 - Signal for duration of ignition off time
27-00 implausible signal

Can anyone help me out with suggestions? What do I need to look at? I checked the wiring at the back of the ignition and it seems ok. I assume that I did something while playing the the MFSW install, but having put everything back I thought I'd be ok again but thats not the case.

Any suggestions gratefully accepted.

[Crasher]

You jump started it, so the battery went flat? I can’t see an air conditioning fault code causing it not to start, presumably there are no error codes on the engine ECU? When you say it will not start, is it cranking over and not starting?

[fulcrum111]

Its not cranking over at all. For all intents and purposes it as if the battery is flat. There are no other fault codes and the car drives fine once started.

The date and time reset to 0:00 and some date in 2002 - again gives the impression that the battery is flat. As I said the alternator seems to be charging the battery but maybe it's not holding the charge. I noticed the negative terminal end of the battery was warm last evening - maybe the battery is dead?

It seems like a bit of a coincidence that the battery would go at the same time I'm trying to do the MFSW mod!

What ya think?

[Crasher]

It is either a poor connection or a dead battery but being as it cranks over when you jump start it, it sounds like a faulty battery or a very heavy current drain.

[fulcrum111]

Any idea what could be draining the current it thats whats happening? I've re-installed the original slipring, steering wheel and airbag. The car is in the configuration it was in prior to my messing around when there were no problems.

Thank.

[RickT]

First things first... Would it not be best to Jump start the car, leave it running for a short period of time, then take a battery reading... leave it over night and then re-take the reading in the morning..

Then the following night / day... do the same again but disconnect the battery and check the voltage in the battery..

Then you will know if you have a drain or a duff battery..

Rick