Mk IV golf intermittent electrical problem

Kellerman

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Mar 4, 2009, 11:58:32 AM3/4/09

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I'm trying to help my son fix an intermittent electrical fault on his
1.6 petrol Mk4 golf (R reg). The snag is that he's 250 miles away in
Cornwall working for the Summer.
The symptoms he's describing fit the "relay 109" fault. Thing is is
there such a relay on the petrol Golfs and is it in the fuse box below
the steering wheel? His is a standard UK spec right hand drive version.
--
Blow my nose to email me

soulman_uk

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Mar 4, 2009, 2:03:54 PM3/4/09

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Yes there is a 409 relay on the golf, its located underneath the
steering wheel trim on the relay board.

What are the actual symptoms he's having ?

Are there any warning lights ? has it been scanned with a diagnostic
tool like VAG COM ?

If there is some symptom to fuel starvation, purely guessing ... it's
usually a good idea to change the 409 relay as this is a common fault,
if not next up is the fuel filter which is located on the drivers side
front door on the underside, looks a bit like a bake bean can. If it
still hasn't cured the problem its onto checking the fuel pump/sender
unit, which is located underneath the rear seat bench from memory.

But first off we need a bit more detail of what the symptons are
before we can have a go at diagnosing as it could be just about
anything :-)

Kellerman

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Mar 4, 2009, 5:20:33 PM3/4/09

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Thank you for that. I'll pass on your answer to him and see if I can get
any additional detail.

Kellerman

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Mar 5, 2009, 10:43:23 AM3/5/09

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Had a further chat with my lad.
The problem is that the car cuts out intermittently.
i.e. the engine stops but can be re-started.
The thing is that he can't find "relay 109". Is it on the bulkhead
behind the panel under the steering wheel or is it behind the glove box?
I can only find info for a left hand drive car that shows it underneath
the left hand steering wheel. Is it therefore behind the right-hand
drive glove box or has it also moved to the right hand side of the car?

soulman_uk

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Mar 5, 2009, 1:37:43 PM3/5/09

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There is no "relay 109" on a mk4 golf that I believe is on earlier
golfs. Its definitely a 409 relay.

The 409 relay is definantly on the relay board under the steering
panels above the drivers knee area.

I think I've got a photo from a golf enthusiast site that pictures
it ... *wonders of to find link* http://xrl.us/beifoy (all credit goes
to imagewerx aka chris from the ukmkivs.net, for his great pictures he
takes)

As you can see its along the bottom line of relays counting 4 across.

Hope that helps you son a bit.

I definitely advise getting it scanned with some diagnostic software
like VAG COM to possibly help narrow down the problem.

Good luck

Kellerman

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Mar 5, 2009, 6:25:23 PM3/5/09

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Thank you for that. I've sent him the details.
Lets see what happens now.

Paul Turnill

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Jan 2, 2012, 2:29:58 PM1/2/12

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Hi Kellerman,
I found your discussion after extensive internet searching, in desperation,
to find a fix for the intermittent electrical fault that my 2002 Golf MkIV
appears to have developed. The fault appears to be similar to the fault that
you describe on your sons car. My local dealership are unable to diagnose
the problem.

Have you managed to find what was causing the problem? Did you replace to
409 relay? And did it make a difference?

Many thanks for your time.

Paul

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