# Circuit for brake vacuum pump 17837 ?????



## tochtli83 (Nov 15, 2005)

2001 Jetta 1.8T auto-tiptronic. 137,000 miles

So, no info here on title/data or recent/archived searches.
No information on the Ross-Tech wiki either.
Some folks have gotten the code, but no-one has figured out the cause.
I've cleared the code repeatedly, and it just pops back up, and it seems to be the only repeating code.
I've also checked the connections at the battery: they look good.
It should also be noted that the car is doing some funky stuff as of late. The door locks will lock and unlock themselves repeatedly while driving. The car has shut itself off at stop-lights with the brakes applied. And, the radio will turn itself off and on while driving. When I connected my VagCom with the key on, the controller just disconnected and the radio went to SAFE mode. Then I started the car, and the radio came back on line. I suspect the ignition switch is bad, but am not sure how it would be related to the brake vacuum pump.
Also worth noting. The car has been dealer serviced for some time. Customer claimed that the ABS light was on for a while after a rear brake job by the dealer. They took care of the light, but apparently this relaed? code keeps coming back.
Anyone have a clue??
Sunday,21,June,2009,22:25:34:39225
VCDS Version: Release 805.3
Address 01: Engine
Control Module Part Number: 06A 906 032 HF
Component and/or Version: 1.8L R4/5VT G 0004
Software Coding: 07550
Work Shop Code: WSC 00066
Additional Info: 3VWSE69M32M012885 VWZ7Z0A3841531
1 Fault Found:
17837 - Circuit for Brake Vacuum Pump: Open Circuit 
P1429 - 35-00 - - 
Readiness: 0110 1101


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## Uwe (Jan 16, 2000)

*Re: Circuit for brake vacuum pump 17837 ????? (tochtli83)*

Repair Manual says: "Check brake booster control module J542".
But given all your other funky symptoms, I'd suspect a bad power or ground connection somewhere.
-Uwe-


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## tochtli83 (Nov 15, 2005)

*Re: Circuit for brake vacuum pump 17837 ????? (tochtli83)*

Customer car. Turns out the local dealer replaced the Vac pump for the ASR/ABS and the tube that leads to it.
Any thoughts?


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## tochtli83 (Nov 15, 2005)

*Re: Circuit for brake vacuum pump 17837 ????? (tochtli83)*

Just an update. Most people skip this when they try to get troubleshoot advice here.
Turns out the fuse for the pump was missing. It's located in the small black box mounted to the driver's side firewall inside the engine bay. It's a 20 amp fuse. I cleared the code, and it hasn't come back (yet).
If this solves the problem, I think I'll advise the customer to sue/complain to VWOA. They charged her about $1100-1400 to replace the vacuum pump and the hose (and other items).
Being a "shade tree" VW mechanic, I'm really starting to think these dealer mechanics are focking inept.



_Modified by tochtli83 at 7:23 PM 6-25-2009_


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## Uwe (Jan 16, 2000)

*Re: Circuit for brake vacuum pump 17837 ????? (tochtli83)*

Dealerships and the mechanics at dealerships vary. I know some very good ones. But I've also heard plenty of horror stories. In any case, you shouldn't paint them all with the same brush.
-Uwe-


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## tochtli83 (Nov 15, 2005)

*Re: Circuit for brake vacuum pump 17837 ????? (Uwe)*

Good point. People only find me after they reach the end of their rope with the dealer. So, I realize that I hear only the failure stories. 
Given that caveat, the overriding theme in all the stories I hear is the inability of the mechanics to understand the theory behind the engineering of the vehicles they work on. Most of them could not diagnose a car that did not have an OBD hookup. You need to learn how to crawl before you can run. 
These guys generally run out of tech schools, and land a job at the dealer. Then they run to the most expensive part possible to clear a code. Lets not be coy: the dealership is out to make money: by any means possible. If that means raping a customer or twenty and losing their business in the future, so be it. 
Also worth noting (and especially relevant for this case): even IF the (usually expensive) part they replace does NOT fix the code, the customer STILL has to pay for the parts. In this case, even after replacing the parts (which may, or may not have been bad to begin with), the code STILL was there. I can only guess that they ignored the code, or didn't even scan the system after their work. If they had, they would have realized that the $500 worth of parts they put on had no effect.
While I agree, they're not all that bad, there are enough stories out there to confirm the stereotype. I'd like to think we live in a world where stereotypes don't exist, but when people routinely lend themselves to them, well, there's not much I can do...


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