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any way to simulate a hard battery reset?

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carboncow

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
2008 V6 150K miles

I've got the slightly common issue where the vehicle ignition will not recognize to start via push button or key in dash. I figured out the first time about 1.5 years ago that disconnecting the battery solved the need. It's happened a total of 3 times so basically every 6 months. I can live with it because it takes me 10 minutes to get to that stupid battery...but if it happened to my wife I'm pretty sure nobody other then a VAG masochist would be able to get to that battery to solve such a simple need. I also have no interest at this time in having a dealer try to solve this due to the terrible stories of 3 and 4 attempts at replacing steering columns, key sys systems, mobillzers, so....

How can I simulate such a hard reset? Is there a fuse in the engine bay or on the dash sides that will rest the offering module and/or battery? Having to disconnect that battery is to painful for a non DIY'er of the used Touareg world?

Any ideas?

PS. The VCDS offers little insight as it received no power via port with the T2 in non ignition state and once I reset the battery it triggers quite a few codes including related to the steering angle sensor and modules. Best I got that may have been different then last time is:

00288 Steering Column Lock Actuator (N360) Implausible signal - Intermittent

which also sounds like a no power situation from the disconnected battery.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Battery cut off switch?


When you reset, a bunch of modules have to adapt sensors.

If your battery is more than 5 YO or wrong amp. that will cause weird problems like you are saying. Also the remote battery (because it is a active RFID and not passive).

Start with remote (cheaper battery).
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Xeno555 said:
Battery cut off switch?


When you reset, a bunch of modules have to adapt sensors.

If your battery is more than 5 YO or wrong amp. that will cause weird problems like you are saying. Also the remote battery (because it is a active RFID and not passive).

Start with remote (cheaper battery).
Click to expand...
Both batteries are fine and or replaced when happened first time.

What does your comment on adapt sensors have todo with the discussion? Are you stating post battery reset why the codes are tossed?

Yes wiring in such a shut is an option but not easy. Hoping for a fuse pull theory but not sure what is most likely a acceptable work around.
 
#4 ·
My best guess is to pull the ecu fuse. Don't know for sure. Not willing to try it. Don't know if it would break something and not willing to try it just to find out.

My other best guess is that Xeno555 was just reminding you that the car gets a little funny after a full battery reset. It will start and move, just be prepared for the wifey questions about what is wrong with the power seats, why the auto power windows stopped going up with one touch, did you know the power mirrors are acting funny, etc.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Xeno555 said:
Lets see some load testing on your batteries.
Click to expand...
Again if this was a CCA issue (and the battery passed my load tester at work just fine in the fall). I would think this issue would rear it's head a bit more often. Doing it once every 6-8 months doesn't sound like a battery quality issue by any stretch. I do understand that come cars have sensitivity to battery issues.

Never had a an issue with any systems going whacky after a battery reset...and my Volvos had issues every time I swapped a batter. Either the sunroof, locks, windows or seats modules wouldn't come back online and out would have to come the Vida Dice (like a VCDS but OEM/better) to reset the modules.

I may bust out the load tester again this week to amuse you and me but I have a feeling it will pass just fine.

I'll poke around a bit more to see if there is a specific ECU fuse. I was just hoping someone would tell me to pull fuse #X and life would be fine!
 
#7 ·
Sorry carboncow. If anyone here has pulled the fuse, they are not speaking up. And I don't remember any posts when anyone posted it was done either.

So you might be on your own here. If you do find that you can pull fuse xx to reset it, please let us know. It would be here for the next person who needed to know.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Yeah if it wasn't 20F the other night and the T2 was away from home I should have taken the time to find a flash light, my fuse cheat sheet and just gone at it for a half hour...I'm sure one for either the system that is failing or the ECU will bring it back to life just like a battery reset.

Stay tuned!
 
#10 ·
Xeno555 said:
Jeeze, The extent people will go NOT to replace with correct battery.
Click to expand...
You seem very sure it is just the battery type. To diagnose if it is the battery or not, can you please state what specs the battery must be?

Sounds like i may have the same problem as this guy. It happened to me yesterday. I do not want to have to carry tools on the off chance it happens again. I have them in my boot now until i'm confident on the cause.
 
#11 ·
Xeno wants a load test done on the battery first.

While it is not a waste of time, and could eliminate a few possibilities, I am not sure that is is necessary. Every touareg seems to be a bit different. Mine personally sets a center diff error when the battery drops to a low voltage when cranking. Yours may pick a different controller. I guess it could be the steering, although this would be the first time I have seen it documented.

In fact, this is classic of the T1. Engine starts but you instantly get an error on the MFD. You let it idle for about two minutes (to recharge from our huge water cooled alternator). Turn it off. Restart it. Error is gone.

^^That is the classic your T1 Touareg battery is going.

Notice that normally these are errors that go away when you restart. Your problem is not going away which makes me think it probably is not the battery. But the only way to say for sure is to test the battery.

If you had a VCDS, you could look in the log to see if any of the controllers are complaining about low voltage. Most controllers will set an error code if the voltage drops too low (which usually happens when the Touarag is cranking)

However, if you wish to do test the battery, take it by someplace like advance auto and be ready to pull the front seat bolts and to tilt the seat back yourself. They will then bring out a big battery tester, connect it directly to the battery, and load test it for free.

You will get either a pass or a fail on the battery.

So, to test the battery is just about the same amount of trouble as disconnecting it.

Most of the touaregs until 2009 or later have the tilt hinge on the back of the front seat. Check yours. If it does, you can tilt the seat back without having to take the back two bolts out.
 
#12 ·
#13 ·
I seem to recall reading that disconnecting the earth strap that is on the floor in front of the seat, and therefore only one bolt with easy access to undo, clears residual voltage?

I am not a sparky so others are welcome to say "that's bollocks"!!
 
#14 ·
noobytoogy said:
I seem to recall reading that disconnecting the earth strap that is on the floor in front of the seat, and therefore only one bolt with easy access to undo, clears residual voltage?
Click to expand...
I noticed that earth strap yesterday and wondered the same thing. I see the other end doesn't go directly to the battery so i was hesitant to give it a go. But I'm also keen to hear. That way the only tools needed would be a Flathead screwdriver, and an adjustable spanner (compared to what is needed if trying to get to the battery terminal - screwdriver, ratchet handle, 12point spline, elbow grease & minutes)
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
Chrome_GT said:
You seem very sure it is just the battery type. To diagnose if it is the battery or not, can you please state what specs the battery must be?

Sounds like i may have the same problem as this guy. It happened to me yesterday. I do not want to have to carry tools on the off chance it happens again. I have them in my boot now until i'm confident on the cause.
Click to expand...
Just ignore him...he's not bring anything to to the discussion other then throwing darts in the dark w/o any data to back it up. Even if he has real world experience, he's doing a terrible job of explaining his theory. Typical for Vw forums!

I just did a full battery test on my OEM battery (previous owner serviced at dealer even after warranty!). It has a 520 CCA battery and I just tested the battery tonight with a proper load tester. This was after it was sitting for 8 hrs in 25F weather and it still gave a 100% rating with 12.56V at 3.72 milli Ohms.

I've had my T2 start dozens and dozen of time is sub 10F weather, high humidity, low humidity, hot days...and on day "x" it choses not to start. I can tell you that it's been sub 40F each time and happened in February twice (a year apart), but I don't think the month is to blame! Since many have complained about the key sys system I'm sure it's to blame although I fully don't understand the issue by a long shot. What I do know is about once aver couple weeks I get a KEY OUT RANGE message too and again the battery in the fob(s) is new, within spec, etc. A few times the keyless didn't work but the key in the ignition started it fine.

In my case I can get to the battery in under 2 minutes since I leave the back plastic strip off, only have one bolt holding the front seat in (the other doesn't line up the hole with the threads so it is almost impossible to line up anyways). So tonight I just ordered another 10mm triple square and have an old racket I'll eave in the glove box.

Seriously if you cannot live with this you are going to drop some money at Vw and from a few posts I've read they struggle to know the cause too, you can easily spend $1000-2000 on them playing the Marco Polo method of troubleshooting. Nothing shows up in VCDS to point a smoking gun either.

If your vehicle like mine runs fine but is only worth $6000-7000 and you don't want to spend another 20-40% of it's value on figuring this out...the extra triple square method might be the way to go. Of course I'm also not going to let the wife drive it out of town either!
 

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#16 ·
I don't know what else to say other then good luck. No need to go over the stuff I posted earlier, except to say I did not think it was the battery either.

What I know about that battery strap is that the early 2004 models were delivered to the dealer shipped with two mods. The first was a stick on the window solar panel that was installed to keep the battery charged. The second was a switch that was connected to your battery strap. They would turn the switch off when the car was being transported. The dealer had to remove both the the solar panel and the switch when it arrived.

Ask your dealer if the Touareg tech has been there since 2004. If so, that tech will remember this. I have linked to a pdf file that shows this disconnect switch.

vw.tsb.00-07-13 PDI - Battery Cut Off Switch, Disconnecting and Removing During Perfect Delivery Ins

BONUS: Pages 6 & 7 of the above PDF tells you how to reset all the modules on the 2004 that get confused when the battery is disconnected.
 
#17 ·
Good document. Not seen that before.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
nickyt said:
vw.tsb.00-07-13 PDI - Battery Cut Off Switch, Disconnecting and Removing During Perfect Delivery Ins

BONUS: Pages 6 & 7 of the above PDF tells you how to reset all the modules on the 2004 that get confused when the battery is disconnected.
Click to expand...
Thanks for good info for me and others that find this thread as they "no starts" are showing up more and more.

Worth noting on my T2 is that I have no confused modules. I had the battery off for 12 hours last night and other then resetting the clock...all is well. Maybe the T1 has more of issues with battery disconnect concerns.
 
#19 ·
So to summarise then, how do you solve this problem is it the Kessy? is it a fuse? Should I just get buy with disconnecting and reconnecting the battery?

Getting the same problem, bought 2 new batteries this year, only to realise that all I had to do was disconnect and reconnect the battery for the car to start....:-(
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
It's not a fuse or you would be down until replaced. I think it's relays (for me) that don't do well when it's cold. Mine is a bit worse this year then last and the push button start (2008) doesn't work below 35F at all but the key in the dash does. Then when it gets WAY below freezing even the key in ignition doesn't work and a reset is required.

I haven't yet but I was going todo some research about putting a break inline of the ignition wire to the battery and finding a way to put a battery disconnect/reconnect switch on it not unlike the old school ones your turn...I use them on boats at times.

For me no sense in spending big $$ to Vw for something they don't know well enough to fix as I'm 2008 with 180K miles.
 
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noobytoogy
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