Aux Heater Issue

   #1  

Ramp Rat

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During the Auto Scan on my ’06 Jetta TDI BRM one of the issues is the Aux Heater is labeled defective by the OEM computer. But, with the VCDS I can make the Aux Heater work. Or, at least the VCDS says it’s working. I’ve attached a screen shot. (I think. First try at this).
https://imgur.com/hWmVIfO

OK, that didn't work. Anyway, the VCDS showed that the Aux Heater was ON, showing Voltage, Current and Output.
So, my question is who’s right? VCDS or the OEM computer?
Thanks for any help,
Steve.
 
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PetrolDave

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Please post the Auto-Scan from your Jetta.
 
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Ramp Rat

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OK, I've edited my post with a link to my image.
[img]https://imgur.com/hWmVIfO[/img]
hWmVIfO.jpg

See if this works????
Steve
 
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Uwe

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Click EDIT on your own post above to see how I fixed it. To embed an image in-line, you must put the URL of an actual image file in between the IMG tags. The most common image file names end in .jpg or .png, but there are others. What you did above didn't work because it was missing the ".jpg".

-Uwe-

PS: 340 watts strikes me as a bit weak. It would be interesting to see what that value is on a heater that's free of faults.
 
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NZDubNurd

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My PTC this morning (It was 12C! outside) ran at 77Amps initially, quickly dropping to about 63 as long as I was over 2500 rpm... eventually it dropped to low 50's, then shut off once my coolant hit 75C (90C on the gauge).

I aslo suspect thoguh, that the current draw is a calculated value, based on the PWM of the 3 separate heater elements - if one of yours is open circuit, the other may work, but the fault is still logged.

If you google "PTC heater dry joints repair" or similar, you should find the repair procedure that helps. THIS ONE has the pictures screwed by photoshop, but there are some big/obvious resistors that get dry joints.

Re-flow everything you can manage with a fine soldering tip and real solder (with lead in!). MAKE SURE you don't bridge anything with solder.

Peak draw should get close to 80 Amps during the test.

EDIT: Better Thread: https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/auxiliary-heater-element-fault.208717/page-2

P.S. my R32 engine is *slightly* less efficient than a TDI, so the PTC only runs for 6 to 8 minutes in the middle of winter, before the engine is up to 75C and it shuts off :D
 
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Ramp Rat

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Thanks Uwe for the posting lesson. I am trainable. :rolleyes: Maybe next time I'll get it right.

AS for the cold solder joints, I'm not in a rush to pull the heater unit as yet. (I live in southeast Arizona so the nights aren't what I would call "Cold" as yet). However, this vehicle spent most of it's life back east and is suffering from some corrosion. I've noticed some of the power lead connections at the fuse box showing some corrosion. I think I'll try cleaning those points up before pulling the heater unit. It may not help but there's no harm in trying, eh?

Thanks, everyone.
Steve.
 
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