# Has anyone encountered Glow Plug problems with a V10 TDI?



## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

Has anyone here encountered any problems with the glow plug system on a V10 TDI Touareg? I am in the process of troubleshooting a glow plug problem - I think it might be either the wiring harness or the 475 glow plug control module - just thought I would inquire if anyone else has encountered a similar problem, and if so, what your fix was.
Michael


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Has anyone encountered Glow Plug problems with a V10 TDI? (PanEuropean)*

Folks, I am tearing my hair out trying to troubleshoot this glow plug problem. Here is the story:
Nice, new V10 TDI - perfect in every respect. Runs great, starts great, but the MIL light will usually come on after about half a dozen start cycles. When fault codes are interrogated, the following appears:
Address 11: Engine II
Controller: 070 906 016 BG
Component: V10 5,0L EDCG000AGSª5979
Coding: 0060575
Shop #: WSC 90956
2 Faults Found:
18362 - Glow Plug Control Module 2 (J703): Malfunction in Glow Plug Circuit
P1954 - 000 - -
17063 - Cylinder 9 Glow Plug Circuit (Q18): Electrical Fault
P0679 - 000 - -
I have done the following:
*1)* Fully inspected the glow plug harness from the connector at the front of the engine to the glow plug. No fault found.
*2)* Swapped the glow plug with a known good one. Fault remains the same.
*3)* Swapped the glow plug control module (475 relay) with a known good one. Fault remains the same.
*4)* Constructed an overlay wiring harness from the connector at the front of the engine back to the glow plug control module. Fault remains the same.
I am now at risk of losing my reputation as a 'competent and useful diagnostician and troubleshooter' at my local VW dealership. Plus I am getting tired of driving this truck around. I don't really want to swap out the slave ECU but I can't think of a logical next step other than that.
Can *anyone *help?
Michael


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## LeBlanc. (Jul 15, 2003)

*Re: Has anyone encountered Glow Plug problems with a V10 TDI? (PanEuropean)*

hit with brick
seriously, though... that's a comprehensive troubleshoot there, michael.
if you're at the final decision of replacing the slave ecu... then that's
about it. since you made an overlay harness, you've eliminated all 
possibilities of any short/bad/poorly connected circuits. *shrugs*


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## black(R32)bart (Jan 11, 2004)

*Re: Has anyone encountered Glow Plug problems with a V10 TDI? (PanEuropean)*

Although I've had other problems with my V10 no glow plug problems with 16,000 miles on the odom. Hope you can solve the problem


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## BoostAddiction (Aug 31, 2004)

*Re: Has anyone encountered Glow Plug problems with a V10 TDI? (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_Folks, I am tearing my hair out trying to troubleshoot this glow plug problem. Here is the story:
Nice, new V10 TDI - perfect in every respect. Runs great, starts great, but the MIL light will usually come on after about half a dozen start cycles. When fault codes are interrogated, the following appears:
Address 11: Engine II
Controller: 070 906 016 BG
Component: V10 5,0L EDCG000AGSª5979
Coding: 0060575
Shop #: WSC 90956
2 Faults Found:
18362 - Glow Plug Control Module 2 (J703): Malfunction in Glow Plug Circuit
P1954 - 000 - -
17063 - Cylinder 9 Glow Plug Circuit (Q18): Electrical Fault
P0679 - 000 - -
I have done the following:
*1)* Fully inspected the glow plug harness from the connector at the front of the engine to the glow plug. No fault found.
*2)* Swapped the glow plug with a known good one. Fault remains the same.
*3)* Swapped the glow plug control module (475 relay) with a known good one. Fault remains the same.
*4)* Constructed an overlay wiring harness from the connector at the front of the engine back to the glow plug control module. Fault remains the same.
I am now at risk of losing my reputation as a 'competent and useful diagnostician and troubleshooter' at my local VW dealership. Plus I am getting tired of driving this truck around. I don't really want to swap out the slave ECU but I can't think of a logical next step other than that.
Can *anyone *help?
Michael

Hi Michael,
Two of my glow plugs were replaced under warranty when I got the appropriate message on the MFI. 
The dealer did the work, of course, so I don't really know the actual details.
In your case, I'd start again at one end and test. You have swapped out the glow plugs, which is good. Are they the green-tops or the ceramic ones? I think the test for the ceramic-sheathed glow plugs is an resistance test that should show less than 1 ohm. I don't know how to test the green top plugs. If that tests out, check the wire that leads to the glow plug from the controller. I think there is a VW tool for testing connections; if you have access to it via the dealer, I'd try that. Otherwise, I'd check every connection with an ohmmeter. I like to check AFTER the connectors with a piercing connector so that problems in the connectors between two parts are caught. Sometimes each end is OK but the connection is suspect. If both the plug and the cable check out, the next thing in line is the controller. If I understand your post (and the way these things work), you've already replaced this controller. Are you sure this one really is good? Is ther a test for it beyond swapping it out? Sometimes a unit that is marginal will work in some trucks but not others. In any case, I'd try to find a way to validate it. Since the message you showed indicates circuit Q18, I'd spend most of my effort there, assuming the error message data is accurate. 
Sounds like you have a good start. Let us all know what you find when you do! We have confidence in your skills!
-Will


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## BoostAddiction (Aug 31, 2004)

*Re: Has anyone encountered Glow Plug problems with a V10 TDI? (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_Folks, I am tearing my hair out trying to troubleshoot this glow plug problem. Here is the story:
Nice, new V10 TDI - perfect in every respect. Runs great, starts great, but the MIL light will usually come on after about half a dozen start cycles. When fault codes are interrogated, the following appears:
Address 11: Engine II
Controller: 070 906 016 BG
Component: V10 5,0L EDCG000AGSª5979
Coding: 0060575
Shop #: WSC 90956
2 Faults Found:
18362 - Glow Plug Control Module 2 (J703): Malfunction in Glow Plug Circuit
P1954 - 000 - -
17063 - Cylinder 9 Glow Plug Circuit (Q18): Electrical Fault
P0679 - 000 - -
I have done the following:
*1)* Fully inspected the glow plug harness from the connector at the front of the engine to the glow plug. No fault found.
*2)* Swapped the glow plug with a known good one. Fault remains the same.
*3)* Swapped the glow plug control module (475 relay) with a known good one. Fault remains the same.
*4)* Constructed an overlay wiring harness from the connector at the front of the engine back to the glow plug control module. Fault remains the same.
I am now at risk of losing my reputation as a 'competent and useful diagnostician and troubleshooter' at my local VW dealership. Plus I am getting tired of driving this truck around. I don't really want to swap out the slave ECU but I can't think of a logical next step other than that.
Can *anyone *help?
Michael

Hi Michael,
Two of my glow plugs were replaced under warranty when I got the appropriate message on the MFI. 
The dealer did the work, of course, so I don't really know the actual details.
In your case, I'd start again at one end and test. You have swapped out the glow plugs, which is good. Are they the green-tops or the ceramic ones? I think the test for the ceramic-sheathed glow plugs is an resistance test that should show less than 1 ohm. I don't know how to test the green top plugs. If that tests out, check the wire that leads to the glow plug from the controller. I think there is a VW tool for testing connections; if you have access to it via the dealer, I'd try that. Otherwise, I'd check every connection with an ohmmeter. I like to check AFTER the connectors with a piercing connector so that problems in the connectors between two parts are caught. Sometimes each end is OK but the connection is suspect. If both the plug and the cable check out, the next thing in line is the controller. If I understand your post (and the way these things work), you've already replaced this controller. Are you sure this one really is good? Is ther a test for it beyond swapping it out? Sometimes a unit that is marginal will work in some trucks but not others. In any case, I'd try to find a way to validate it. Since the message you showed indicates circuit Q18, I'd spend most of my effort there, assuming the error message data is accurate. 
Sounds like you have a good start. Let us all know what you find when you do! We have confidence in your skills!
-Will


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## depiry (Feb 16, 2005)

Micheal,as boostaddiction suggested use an ohmeter (with glow plug wire disconnected) from connector #9 to glow plug relay,also chec others to get readings to compare resistance to controller,move wire coming into connector to see if value changes. good luck Marty


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: (depiry)*

Guys, thanks ever so much for your suggestions. I am in the USA right now - just finished spending a couple of days at Ross-Tech (the manufacturers of the VAG-COM software and hardware), getting all the software for the Phaeton polished up. Uwe Ross, the company owner, drives a Touareg, so you guys are lucky - he has really easy access to your vehicle.
As soon as I get back to Canada (probably Monday), I will head over to my VW dealer and try out some of the suggestions you have provided. The problem Touareg is still there.
BTW - on a totally different topic - what is this business with the multi-coloured pretzel stickers on the back end of vehicles in the USA? It seems that about 50% of the cars on the road have a pretzel on them. There are a vast range of pretzel colours - some white, some blue, some yellow, some multicoloured. The other 50% of the cars that don't have pretzels on them are driven by people who have little coloured bands on their left hands - again, in a variety of colours, either white, blue, yellow, whatever.
I am getting a little bit worried because I do not have either a pretzel or an armband, though I am hoping I will be excused for this omission because I have a Canadian licence plate. Is there some website I can go to get a 'decoder' to understand what the significance of the different colous of all these pretzels and armbands is? Is this some kind of new security procedure that has been recently put in place in the USA? Let me know, I am getting worried - if someone sees me in my car without either a pretzel or an armband, I don't know what that could lead to.
Michael


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## spockcat (Jun 5, 2003)

*Re: (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_BTW - on a totally different topic - what is this business with the multi-coloured pretzel stickers on the back end of vehicles in the USA? It seems that about 50% of the cars on the road have a pretzel on them. There are a vast range of pretzel colours - some white, some blue, some yellow, some multicoloured. The other 50% of the cars that don't have pretzels on them are driven by people who have little coloured bands on their left hands - again, in a variety of colours, either white, blue, yellow, whatever.
Michael

The "Support our Troops" stickers - no doubt made in China. Guess whos troops we are really supporting?


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: (spockcat)*

But, what's with all the different colours? Heck, I work in Iraq from time to time, and I have never seen any of these pretzels on any US military vehicles there.
Michael


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## Paldi (Sep 4, 2004)

*Re: Has anyone encountered Glow Plug problems with a V10 TDI? (BoostAddiction)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BoostAddiction* »_
In your case, I'd start again at one end and test. You have swapped out the glow plugs, which is good. Are they the green-tops or the ceramic ones? I think the test for the ceramic-sheathed glow plugs is an resistance test that should show less than 1 ohm. I don't know how to test the green top plugs. If that tests out, check the wire that leads to the glow plug from the controller. 

Hmmm, green tops and ceramics. Do you think this controller or this ECU is super sensitive to one type and would not be so sensitive to the other? If you have green, swap them all for ceramics or vice versa? Just an idea. Long shot.


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## Macrabbit (Aug 9, 2000)

Make SURE you are using the right glow plugs, the TD1 Touareg uses a lower voltage glow plug than anything else vw has. Confirm you have the correct glow plugs.


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## 4x4s (Dec 18, 2003)

*Re: (PanEuropean)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PanEuropean* »_But, what's with all the different colours? Heck, I work in Iraq from time to time, and I have never seen any of these pretzels on any US military vehicles there.
Michael

Well, if you wanted to be safe, and blend in, just stop at any drive-through car wash. These magnetic ribbons get blown off there all the time, and you can usually find several of them either laying on the ground, or in a pile somewhere where the car wash maintenance guy's have stacked them.
And a big rubber band on your wrist would fool anyone from a far enough distance.


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## spockcat (Jun 5, 2003)

*Re: (PanEuropean)*

They are supposed to be ribbons. The yellow ones are the traditional ones from the 1973 Tony Orlando and Dawn song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” The pink ones are for breast cancer. I guess the cammoflage ones are for the troops in Iraq. And of course the faded ones are for who knows what.
But really what bugs me about these is that you find them for sale at any convience store in an unmarked bag and they do not say where they were made. I take this to mean that China is cranking them out by the thousands and any idiot who buys one is really only supporting the gas station owner and the Chinese.


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## depiry (Feb 16, 2005)

Micheal,Max resistance is 1 ohm on ceramic glow plug,ceramic has white band,metal has green band,tip of glow plugs are different one is stepped. VAG 1594C is a tester for the wire connectors. Marty


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