Ah, sorry, missed a few posts there. Yeah, I'd go with your thinking there. 

This seems  to be a particularly troublesome issue to track down.

 

Does it seem to fail more in wet weather or when it has been raining as a bit of water can create a problem if there is some dodgy wiring insulation.
 

Something else to try…

 

Take the black plastic cover off that is above the heater motor, be careful with it as it’s very thin and can get brittle. Check the main cable run from the + battery terminal to where it exits the bulkhead as it heads down towards the the starter motor. Look for any signs of the cables being pinched or rubbing against metalwork. 
 

The Steering rack is mounted on the bulkhead too with moving parts, make sure the cabling is free of that and not rubbing on it.

 

 

been talking about it with a mate

 

says batt cable more likley melt or catch fire than cause a drain

 

ign coil isnt fused...can you confirm you found the relay next to the ecu , if thats stuck the ecu and coil could be on , its hidden under that rain tray near the fuse box   

 

if ign switch was faulty dash would light up when faulty

2 hours ago, steveo3002 said:

been talking about it with a mate

 

says batt cable more likley melt or catch fire than cause a drain

 

ign coil isnt fused...can you confirm you found the relay next to the ecu , if thats stuck the ecu and coil could be on , its hidden under that rain tray near the fuse box   

 

if ign switch was faulty dash would light up when faulty

Hi yes I removed and tested the relay next to the ecu. 

3 hours ago, mk2tastic said:

This seems  to be a particularly troublesome issue to track down.

 

Does it seem to fail more in wet weather or when it has been raining as a bit of water can create a problem if there is some dodgy wiring insulation.
 

Something else to try…

 

Take the black plastic cover off that is above the heater motor, be careful with it as it’s very thin and can get brittle. Check the main cable run from the + battery terminal to where it exits the bulkhead as it heads down towards the the starter motor. Look for any signs of the cables being pinched or rubbing against metalwork. 
 

The Steering rack is mounted on the bulkhead too with moving parts, make sure the cabling is free of that and not rubbing on it.

 

 

Hi the weather appears to make no difference but the idea of checking that wire near bulkhead sounds good.  Thankyou. I have been looking at what wires are visible but I haven't tried that. 

It’s a good point about the main cable and melting etc, that definitely a possibility,   so I’ve been thinking about which circuits would cause most drain and with relays involved. The HRW  has already been mentioned.

 

I’ve got no experience of working on 2f’s but I know from my own carb version MK2 that there is a inlet manifold heater(hedgehog) which draws around 30a on startup, dropping off as it gets warmer.

 

The Haynes manual shows that with the Single Point Injection system there is also a manifold heater. If this is fitted to your 2f, feel underside of the inlet manifold below the SPi unit. If it’s operating it’ll feel warm even with the ignition off.

 

Drawing attached, heater is 25, relay is 24 and is unfused. On my MK2 the relay is above the fuse box. Normally they are switched through the ignition.

 

We’re maybe at the ‘clutching at straws stage’, but we’re not beaten yet.😉

 

 

Edited 4 March, 20224 yr by mk2tastic

good call on the hedgehog.....now its above freezing you could disconnect it and have no issues , make sure the unplugged end isnt touching anything

22 minutes ago, mk2tastic said:

It’s a good point about the main cable and melting etc, that definitely a possibility,   so I’ve been thinking about which circuits would cause most drain and with relays involved. The HRW  has already been mentioned.

 

I’ve got no experience of working on 2f’s but I know from my own carb version MK2 that there is a inlet manifold heater(hedgehog) which draws around 30a on startup, dropping off as it gets warmer.

 

The Haynes manual shows that with the Single Point Injection system there is also a manifold heater. If this is fitted to your 2f, feel underside of the inlet manifold below the SPi unit. If it’s operating it’ll feel warm even with the ignition off.

 

Drawing attached, heater is 25, relay is 24 and is unfused. On my MK2 the relay is above the fuse box. Normally they are switched through the ignition.

 

We’re maybe at the ‘clutching at straws stage’, but we’re not beaten yet.😉

 

 

That really sounds a great idea.  I'm going to make myself look idiotic now but where abouts do you mean?  There is a pipe that looks like it draws air from the exhaust manifold and connects to the air intake,  pre filter.  Do you mean that pipe?  And what is an spi?

Sorry to have to ask.  And once again.  Thank you to both you and everyone else taking their time to help me.  

see the spikey thing inside ...kinda looks a bit like a hedgehog , that heats via that  pink wire to help with running in cold temps....if it was stuck on you would feel it hot if you reach under there 

 

 

No question is a stupid question and never be worried about asking if you aren’t sure.

 

SPi= Single Point Injection unit, aka the modern day carburettor😉, lives below the air cleaner.

 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, mk2tastic said:

No question is a stupid question and never be worried about asking if you aren’t sure.

 

SPi= Single Point Injection unit, aka the modern day carburettor😉, lives below the air cleaner.

 

 

 

 

Cheers for the kind words.  This group has some really helpful,  thoughtful and knowledgeable members.  It's a breath of fresh air compared to other social media sites. 

Unfortunately I'm having to work all day today but as soon as I get a chance I'll look for the latest suggestions.  The big wire running down the back and the hedgehog.  Cheers all.  

Yeah, haha. Just thinking of the answers you'd get on Arsebook or Twatter...

1 hour ago, dvderlm said:

Yeah, haha. Just thinking of the answers you'd get on Arsebook or Twatter...

100% dude.  I had to come off Facebook. Its not good for mental health.  I'll post the findings from latest advice ASAP.  It could be Monday now.  Have a good weekend.  👍 

fb is great if you need to talk about roof racks /stupid wheels that dont fit and bodging cone filters onto base model polos 

3 hours ago, steveo3002 said:

fb is great if you need to talk about roof racks /stupid wheels that dont fit and bodging cone filters onto base model polos 

Just seen a post on one of the Touareg groups A guy with a V6TDi complaining about a missfire at idle, first reply "It'll be either the spark plugs or coils " 😕 

 

The thing with FB is with a problem like this, after 24hrs it just gets lost in the other posts so you need to really search to find it again whereas on here it's easy to find each reply 

forums used to be great , really active and some really knowledgeable folk that didnt talk rubbish

 

will be interesting to see whats up with this one...at least its one of the most basic cars on the road no and not some lexus or something , think id be driving around with all the non essentials unplugged for now 

I wonder what happened with this one,?

 

I’m intrigued to know if a cause was found!

Hi, the problem was never resolved. It was still intermittent. I ended up running a wire from the battery to a switch inside the car.  I just switch it off when I'm leaving the car to kill the electrics. 

I really appreciated all the advice I received. It just never fixed the issue.