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1997 VW Golf 2.0L Check Engine Light - Help!
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Posted by mister_h (My Page) on Tue, Nov 6, 07 at 12:10
What a disaster....
I just bought this VW for my teenage son's first car and we wanted to do spark plug replacement at home. The previous owner said he never replaced them! While doing it I managed to damange (internal break) one of the spark plug wires. When the engine was started w/o knowing that, the CHECK ENGINE light was "flashing" because it was running only on 3 cylinders. Installed a brand new set of spark plug wires ($100+!) and the engine ran great. But the CHECK ENGINE light is "steady on" now instead of flashing. I disconnected battery cables, but the light won't turn off. Then, the anti-theft radio would not work - it displays "SAFE" on the display. The radio is not much of concern right now. But the CHECK ENGINE light being ON is. Can someone tell me how to shut if off?
Thanks in advance.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: 1997 VW Golf 2.0L Check Engine Light - Help!
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You don't. you need the code reader,puller to do that.
By diconnecting the battery you also screwed up the
anti theft feature of the radio. you now need the anti theft code to get the radio to work again. disconnecting the battery does not work in anything past 1996. sometime
even earlier. Maybe john might help you.If you had the manual for that car You might not have had this problem. Good luck. |
RE: 1997 VW Golf 2.0L Check Engine Light - Help!
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A bit of patience should suffice. 50 or so miles of driving and about 4 or 5 key cycles and it should go out on its own. If not then have the codes read to see what it is trying to tell you. Check your glove compartment carefully for that radio code that will have to come from the manufacturer and is a big hassle if you do not have the code. Good Luck
PS: not sure why some people are so abrasive it may have something to do with the cold climate they live in? |
RE: 1997 VW Golf 2.0L Check Engine Light - Help!
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dnt1,
I almost went to a mechanic at a gas station down the street who said he would turn it off for $50. Then, I tried what you said after reading your post. And it worked! I drove first, not more than 10 miles, but the check engine light still remained on. Then, I cycled the key ign ON/OFF for 4 or 5 timems and the light turned off from the dash. What a relief for me! My teenage son's bigger concern was the stereo system not working, not the check engine light(obviously!). So, I called the seller and asked if he's got it, thinking that he might have replaced the car battery and must have had the radio code. And he did! He gave me 4-digit code and the procedure (wondered why he didn't give that to me when he sold the car...). So, everything is fine now and the car runs great.
Thanks! ps. Hope other people with the same problem also would benefit from this post - like I did. |
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