Electrical Issues - 2004 GTi

**SoCalabrador** · 06-28-2012, 12:23 AM

Okay so some weird stuff started happening in my car about a week ago.. I have an alpine deck with an ipod plug in (ipod specific, not mp3) and the other day my friend plugs in his ipod and ALL the lights go off in the car. I was on the freeway, and the car kept running just fine, no engine sputter, nothing. The lights just turned off. I didn't think much of it but then it happened again today on the way to my girlfriends house.. and it happened about 30% of the time I hit my turn signals, brights, etc, anything involving the turn signal lever. I then tried plugging in my iTouch and it also tripped the lights off for a split second. When I arrived at her house I got out of the car, closed the drivers door, then went around to the passenger side and opened the door, and there were no indoor passenger lights. I went back around, started the car, and there were no lights for about 4 seconds. When they came back on, my trip odometer, clock, and stereo were all reset (all my saved channels, gone!) and were acting as though I had just push started the car or something (ODO read 0.0, clock read 12:00, etc)

Just to be clear, this issue seems to have absolutely no effect on the drivetrain. I will keep this thread updated if anything else develops...

But for now, anyone know what the heck this could be?! I'm not a master electrician by any standards...

**Euro** · 06-28-2012 12:23 AM

**1965truckrod** · 06-28-2012, 08:21 AM

You sir are a victim of the ground problem our lovely little cars have issues with. There is a Main grounding point underneath the battery tray that attaches most of the instrument/dash electronics to the chassis. Its either loose or corroded, you will need to pull your battery out, and its tray and plastic bits, loosen up the nut, clean up the connections on each of the ground point, clean up the bare spot on the chassis so there is a good connection, and then tighten up the nut again. This should solve your problem, if not then it may be an in dash ground that will need the same treatment and if that is the case I'll help you locate the little guys.

Jesse

**Das Holz** · 06-28-2012, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by 1965truckrod

You sir are a victim of the ground problem our lovely little cars have issues with. There is a Main grounding point underneath the battery tray that attaches most of the instrument/dash electronics to the chassis. Its either loose or corroded, you will need to pull your battery out, and its tray and plastic bits, loosen up the nut, clean up the connections on each of the ground point, clean up the bare spot on the chassis so there is a good connection, and then tighten up the nut again. This should solve your problem, if not then it may be an in dash ground that will need the same treatment and if that is the case I'll help you locate the little guys.

Jesse

^^^Good call on the ground issues.^^^.

How long has the stereo been installed? Did all this start after it was installed? Poor installation issue? Would start with the basics, check the fuses, battery cables are clean and tight, radio installed correctly and cleanly. Then go from there.

If you can not get to the bottom of it, give us a call and get it handled.

good luck.

**SoCalabrador** · 06-28-2012, 12:11 PM

Not sure on the stereo. Pretty sure it's been in there for several years, I only brought it up because the iPod cable seemed to be involved. The radio installation is overall very clean from what I can tell. I will try cleaning that ground soon, on lunch at work right now. Will hopefully have time to do it this evening. Thanks for the input guys.