Build Thread: Victoria, my 1990 Jetta GLI

[akern2]

So....uh....what are you planning on doing with those clear/red tails?.....

If your exciter wire, brushes, and what not are all good, keep in mind the age of the alternator belt. I had one that stretched too far and wouldn't let the alternator charge, but it made no squeeling noise.



Edit: new page bitches.

[steveo27]

The battery light will come on as steveo mentioned, when the key is switched on and the alternator exciter is hooked up properly. If that does come on (and goes out when the car is running), then I'd try changing out the voltage regulator, or at least checking the length of the bushings.

yep. the charging systems on these cars is stupid, the circuit goes through the cluster, and if the bulb is burned out/not lighting, the system will not charge properly

[VDub2625]

It's not a bulb, it's an LED so it's not likely it'll ever burn out in the car's life, and that's just the indicator light, there are resistors in the cluster that actually put a draw on the exciter wire like is required. but it is a little odd that they're there. Guess it's a safety rhing (require the cluster for the car to run right).

[steveo27]

LED, bulb, same thing. if it does not light, its not charging :p

[akern2]

LED, bulb, same thing. if it does not light, its not charging :p

Do you freak out when the light comes on? Like check EVERYTHING only to realize the interior lights were on overnight killing the battery slightly.....

[twinrado]

whats the size for the upper dash speakers?

[VDub2625]

3.5".

[Volkswageneer1990]

when you turn the key to on, does the battery light come on?

the exciter wire runs from the alternator to A2/02 on the fuseblock, test for continuity between those 2 points

No, the battery light does not turn on when it is turned to the ON postion.

So I just connect the positive probe of a multimeter to the blue wire, and the negative probe to the negative on the battery and just see if it is getting any charge?

and for restoring the paint, give this a good read

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...le-stage-paint

This was an eye-opener! That's crazy how well the paint can look after a good polish!
Thanks for this

Yeah, i used turtle wax rubbing compound first to get rid of the heavy oxidation, its really aggressive stuff, so use it only on paint that really needs it. then claybar, polish, then wax. I used zymol it seemed to work pretty good. plus it smells like bubble gum. i dont remember if i clayed it before or after the polish, somebody else should be able to chime in with the etiquette. dont go to crazy because there is a thin clearcoat.

Thanks for the advice. I'll look into this

The battery light will come on as steveo mentioned, when the key is switched on and the alternator exciter is hooked up properly. If that does come on (and goes out when the car is running), then I'd try changing out the voltage regulator, or at least checking the length of the bushings.

As for the AC, that brown wire is just a ground, the green wire (still hooked up) is the signal. So ground that brown wire (or connect it to the brwon wire in the sheath again) and you'll be all set.

The light does not come on in the ON position. The only bulb is the oil pressure indicator that is blinking.

Awesome. Looks like I'm gunna have to break out the soldering equipment....

So....uh....what are you planning on doing with those clear/red tails?.....

If your exciter wire, brushes, and what not are all good, keep in mind the age of the alternator belt. I had one that stretched too far and wouldn't let the alternator charge, but it made no squeeling noise.

Haha I don't really know... PM me an offer for 'em

Hmmmm good info. Thanks

Edit: new page bitches.

^ This.

yep. the charging systems on these cars is stupid, the circuit goes through the cluster, and if the bulb is burned out/not lighting, the system will not charge properly

Are you serious?? That is stupid....

[VDub2625]

The wire from the harness, ground it, the battery light should come on. That will tell you if the wiring from the laternator back through the fuse box to the cluster is ok.

[Volkswageneer1990]

Take the wire from the harness, ground it, the battery light should come on. That will tell you if the wiring from the laternator back through the fuse box to the cluster is ok.

I think you missed a word... Just kidding. How exactly do you want me to take the wire from the haness and ground it? You want me to de-pin it or something? Electrical stuff is not my strong suit at alllll.....

[VDub2625]

Unbolt it from the alt, touch it to ground (or connect it to a jumper wire if it can't reach).

[Volkswageneer1990]

Unbolt it from the alt, touch it to ground (or connect it to a jumper wire if it can't reach).

Gotcha.

And once I do that the light should come on?

[VDub2625]

Yep, the battery light should light. if not there's a wiring problem. If it does, the alt is messed up in some way (maybe the voltage reg, check that too).

[Volkswageneer1990]

Yep, the battery light should light. if not there's a wiring problem. If it does, the alt is messed up in some way (maybe the voltage reg, check that too).

Great! Thanks again!

[akern2]

$25 shipped! jk lol

[Volkswageneer1990]

$25 shipped! jk lol

[steveo27]

i was experiencing a similar problem with my car after i swapped the 12v into it. turned out the exciter wire was cracked / corroded inside the plug, where you couldnt see it. fixed / replaced the broken wire, and it was gravy

[Volkswageneer1990]

Ok, well yesterday I got back from my trip to D.C. and I must say, I loved the weather

Anyway, it is too hot today to go out and test the alternator wire so I will wait for around 7 PM when it cools down.

In the meantime, I am estatic about all the stuff I got from the mail today!!



1/8" Pinstripe for the dash
NOS Late Rear VW Emblem
Spare fuses
Front Euro Plate Tub for when I get my custom licence plate from Sweden
And my favorite thing....
NOS rear power window switch surround! With the banana looking clip still attached!
(close up)



I also got the suspension refresh kit from WRD. Pretty good stuff.

[CCRyder]

i'm not feeling the red ra's...i like the stock silver look of them on any color mk2...

ditto on the red center wheels.......
You drove 1400 miles to Virginia, I'm getting ready to fly to San Diego ( 1400 miles) and drive back to Longview Texas in a 1990 GLI ! Hard to find Mk2 Jetta's in Texas ....but no trouble finding nice looking pick up trucks ! LOL

[Volkswageneer1990]

ditto on the red center wheels.......
You drove 1400 miles to Virginia, I'm getting ready to fly to San Diego ( 1400 miles) and drive back to Longview Texas in a 1990 GLI ! Hard to find Mk2 Jetta's in Texas ....but no trouble finding nice looking pick up trucks ! LOL

Well we flew to Virginia and drove back but yeah 1400 miles! Haha no way! Trust me, if the car makes it back in one piece like mine, you are going to love the drive.

When you get it, post some pictures so we can see it! It's always awesome to see another person in Texas with a Mk2! The only ones I've seen in the DFW area are 2 Golfs. No Jettas! You're right about that! And personally, I think bone stock F-150's are nice looking trucks. My friend has one of them and it's pretty nice

[akern2]

You were in D.C (I'm assuming our nation's capital) and didn't tell me! I'm like 45 mins away!

[Volkswageneer1990]

You were in D.C (I'm assuming our nation's capital) and didn't tell me! I'm like 45 mins away!

Hahahaha sorrryy! I didn't bring the tails though... What else were you planning to meet for?

[twinrado]

When do you plan on giving and car a buff then wax job? I started doing mine and I must say it makes a whole lot of a difference and also how much did you spend on the whole suspension refresh kit?

[akern2]

Hahahaha sorrryy! I didn't bring the tails though... What else were you planning to meet for?

I dunno. Show you my car?

[Volkswageneer1990]

When do you plan on giving and car a buff then wax job? I started doing mine and I must say it makes a whole lot of a difference and also how much did you spend on the whole suspension refresh kit?

Whenever the low temp here in Dallas decides to dip under 90 degrees.... It's too hot to do it during the day!

I spend $69.XX Shipped (I don't remember the cents). It is on sale right now:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...ENDS-June-27th!!

I dunno. Show you my car?

Haha dang, well maybe next time

[steveo27]

watch out for john. he listens to dave mathews band, plays alotta gamecube, reeks of ax, and drinks natty light

[Volkswageneer1990]

watch out for john. he listens to dave mathews band, plays alotta gamecube, reeks of ax, and drinks natty light

Hahahaha! Well "Space Between" is a perfectly acceptable song.....

All the other things.... thanks for the heads-up Haha just kidding, but gamecube? Those things still exist?!

[Volkswageneer1990]

Ok, update time. Well I went out and tested the alternator last night. Turns out, it doesn't work for s**t.

We tested to see how much voltage the battery had by itself, no jumper, not running, and we got 11.92V

Then we jumped the car and tested it again, and it was the same, 11.92V. So we have established that the alternator is not working. I am taking it to autozone to see if they can repair it, and for how much.

On a seperate note, I tested the alternator by unbolting the blue wire and grounding it to see if this happens:

Yep, the battery light should light. if not there's a wiring problem. If it does, the alt is messed up in some way (maybe the voltage reg, check that too).

The light did not turn on. So is it still the alternator? Or should I see if the LED in the cluster still works?

On a seperate seperate note, I forgot to post a picture of my new favorite thing that will be on my windshield at shows

[akern2]

Damn! I know you got that off of "greatfox". Nice piece.

[VDub2625]

The light did not turn on. So is it still the alternator? Or should I see if the LED in the cluster still works?

The alternator could still be ok, the exciter wire is what turns it on when the engine is running so if the connection to the cluster is bad, it won't charge. Try groundig at the fuse box end of the cluster harness, and at the point where the exciter wire enters the front end harness from the fuse box. That will tell you if it's the cluster, fuse box, or front end harness.

[Volkswageneer1990]

Try groundig at the fuse box end of the cluster harness, and at the point where the exciter wire enters the front end harness from the fuse box. That will tell you if it's the cluster, fuse box, or front end harness.

Ok, ok. So you are saying to take the male end of the reciever of the blue exiter wire from the T1/f single plug near the battery and ground it there?

Or are you saying to take the A2/01 wire from the fusebox harness and ground it on the grounding plate left of the fusebox using a small jumper cable?

And will the bulb tell me if it is the cluster, fusebox, or front end harness? Or something?

I don't understand too well how you want me to ground it, sorry, noob moment.

[VDub2625]

Apparently

Any of those points can help. You need to ground it at different points along the wire until you see the desired result, that will help isolate the problem.

[mullenite]

You can check that the led itself is fine by turning the key to on but leaving the engine off.

[VDub2625]

You can check that the led itself is fine by turning the key to on but leaving the engine off.

That is only if it's properly hooked to the alternator. The light is on when you do that becuase the alternator is powered but not charging or spinning. if you unplug the blue wire the LED will never come on.

[mullenite]

That is only if it's properly hooked to the alternator. The light is on when you do that becuase the alternator is powered but not charging or spinning. if you unplug the blue wire the LED will never come on.

So these cars don't have a KOEO circuit in the cluster itself? That seems strange considering my old '82 Chevy C10 did, and every other car ive owned.