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After removing the instrument cluster my car wont start

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10K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  PlasticMac  
#1 ·
Hello!

After removing the instrument cluster of my Audi TT MK1 2000 model (europe) and reinsterting it my car wont start anymore. Or, it will start but then shutdown after a second. The instrument cluster lights seems to be proper, and the immobilizer light does not light up. I have a spare instrument cluster that isn't programmed to the car, and it has the same issue except in that case the immobilizer light actually lights up, but it still wont start (starts then stops in one second).

After calling my local Audi/WV dealship they said it most likley was the immobilzer. They said i "might" need to reprogram it because the instrument lost it power and therefore needs new keys. But i find that is weird because the immobilizer light does not come on.

They also said to me that it might not work and that it has taken them 5-6 hours of work before with a 50% success rate. I find that weird because i woulda thought that the audi authorized dealship would actually know how to fix the issue quickly. They seem rather incompetent to me and keep giving me vague answers. I also don't want to pay 2000 dollars for a new one because that seems rather expensive.

Any one has any idea if it's possible to do on its own? the ecu, instrument cluster and keys are all original and have been with the car the entire life cycle. I know there has been problems with reprogramming clusters not beloning to the car, but this is the original one.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
#3 ·
Hoggy said:
Hi, Disconnect battery, remove cluster, check the connections, replace the cluster. Make sure drives door is closed & reconnect battery. Leave for 15 minutes before switching On Ign. Leave Ign ON for 1 minute before attempting a start.
Hoggy. :D
Same problem as before. Car starts up for 1 second then turns off. No other indication of problems. Imobilizier light does not turn on or blink or anything.
 
#4 ·
I think the fact that you don't get the immobiliser light means that the RFID in the key is talking to the cluster Ok, but the shutdown means the cluster isn't talking to the engine ECU properly. VCDS should be able to shed some light. The other thing worth doing is checking the pins / sockets on the dash connectors to make sure none have been broken, bent or pushed back. Obviously also check for broken wires. Pay particular attention to orange with a coloured stripe wires as these are the CAN Bus.

I have removed and replaced the cluster on a MK1 to replace the LCD screen - it worked without a hitch when I put it back. Might also be worth trying another dealer as this really shouldn't be rocket science with the right tools.
 
#5 ·
John949 said:
I think the fact that you don't get the immobiliser light means that the RFID in the key is talking to the cluster Ok, but the shutdown means the cluster isn't talking to the engine ECU properly. VCDS should be able to shed some light. The other thing worth doing is checking the pins / sockets on the dash connectors to make sure none have been broken, bent or pushed back. Obviously also check for broken wires. Pay particular attention to orange with a coloured stripe wires as these are the CAN Bus.

I have removed and replaced the cluster on a MK1 to replace the LCD screen - it worked without a hitch when I put it back. Might also be worth trying another dealer as this really shouldn't be rocket science with the right tools.
I have a friend who's a car mechanic who brought over a geniuen vag-com to try and diagnose it. With the old cluster i only get "bad gateway" and no information what so ever, it wont even connect. When i try the new one i get the fault code with immobilizer causning the engine to not start, that is expected.

He tried to get the codes out from the old instrument cluster but were unable to, maybe it's been fried by accident? How am i supposed to get the old immo codes when i am unable to even enter the vag-com interface on the old one?
 
#7 ·
Vagcom won't synchronise the cluster with ECU.
Don't think that is quite right. Vagcom won't read the PIN from the cluster but most posts I've read recommend using Vagcom to synchronise once you know the codes - you need the both the old and new codes.

If your old cluster is fried then the old PIN can be read from the engine ECU using a free tool

http://nefariousmotorsports.com/forum/i ... pic=1168.0

VAG Commander (and others) should be able to read the PIN on the new cluster.

Cloning your cluster is not a job for the faint hearted so do lots of Googling and reading before attempting it. Unfortunately there is lots of mis-leading / incorrect information out there so read several posts and see which methods have had the most success.

The bad gateway command suggests a CAN Bus fault between the Gateway (assuming you can talk to other powertrain modules) and the cluster. I really would check those orange wires!
 
#8 ·
John949 said:
Vagcom won't synchronise the cluster with ECU.
Don't think that is quite right. Vagcom won't read the PIN from the cluster but most posts I've read recommend using Vagcom to synchronise once you know the codes - you need the both the old and new codes.

If your old cluster is fried then the old PIN can be read from the engine ECU using a free tool

http://nefariousmotorsports.com/forum/i ... pic=1168.0

VAG Commander (and others) should be able to read the PIN on the new cluster.

Cloning your cluster is not a job for the faint hearted so do lots of Googling and reading before attempting it. Unfortunately there is lots of mis-leading / incorrect information out there so read several posts and see which methods have had the most success.

The bad gateway command suggests a CAN Bus fault between the Gateway (assuming you can talk to other powertrain modules) and the cluster. I really would check those orange wires!
How would i go about using the tool? Do i plug directly into the ECU or do i need to do it through the normal OBD port? I am unable to get a connection to anything with the old cluster in but with the new i am able to access normal functions.

At this point i don't really care if it's synced or if i just immo delte it. What would be easier?
 
#9 ·
Ross tech goes through quite a process of synchronising a cluster with ecu and then keys...

An immo defeated BAM ECU is about ÂŁ100-150 or you can send yours off, or use things like VAG Commander etc, of open it...i bought a spare ECU as got into mapping and wanted an emergency swap out.. if i bricked it..
 
#10 ·
Does the immo light come on when turning to first ignition point? It should do as a bulb check .

If not maybe the bulb is screwed and you still have a immo light flashing situation but can't see it.

I had a problem like this on return of my modified cluster.

I left it overnight and then did a battery disconnect and reconnect about 10 mins gap

Ignition on for 20s for TB alignment to happen and the start.

It fired up straight away.
 
#11 ·
Are you saying that with the old cluster plugged in VCDS will not talk to any other ECUs? If so then there is a CAN bus fault in the cluster and you could try sending it to one of the cluster repairers like:

https://www.ecutesting.com/

although there ar several others. Be sure to phone them first and tell them you believe it is a CAN fault as you can't talk to it with VCDS becuase many of these companies only repair certain faults - usually replacement of the LCD screen.
 
#12 ·
Wak said:
Does the immo light come on when turning to first ignition point? It should do as a bulb check .

If not maybe the bulb is screwed and you still have a immo light flashing situation but can't see it.

I had a problem like this on return of my modified cluster.

I left it overnight and then did a battery disconnect and reconnect about 10 mins gap

Ignition on for 20s for TB alignment to happen and the start.

It fired up straight away.
No the immo light does not come on at all. All the other small lights in the cluster do however, like the EPC, engine, battery and such. Ill try the battery disconnection now.
 
#13 ·
John949 said:
Are you saying that with the old cluster plugged in VCDS will not talk to any other ECUs? If so then there is a CAN bus fault in the cluster and you could try sending it to one of the cluster repairers like:

https://www.ecutesting.com/

although there ar several others. Be sure to phone them first and tell them you believe it is a CAN fault as you can't talk to it with VCDS becuase many of these companies only repair certain faults - usually replacement of the LCD screen.
No matter what i try i always get the "Bad gateway" error with geniuen vag-com. It says "found interface OK" and such but as soon as i try to communicate with it i get an error. Can't enter any blocks or even read fault codes.

It does however work with the used replacement cluster that i have, where i get all the expected results for a vag-com scan, including the immobilzer fault code. Ill make some calls today, thanks for the recomendation!