I'm not a car expert, I can do some basic maintenance. I am seeking tips on dealing with the electrical system on my 1998 Golf, it's acting up.
There are intermittent failures on one of the turn signals. Also, an intermittent problem with dead power locks has turned into a more or less permanent condition. Around the same time, I started having problems starting the car even though the battery is strong (getting it diagnosed).
Because these all happened around the same time in increasingly wet/icy weather I am suspecting some gunk or corrosion on vital electrical contacts. As a first step, I cleaned the battery terminal contacts. Checking with my meter, I know this contact is fine.
What else should I check, and what should I be cleaning? There is a lot of ice and snow in my area, the car is parked outdoors for long hours. I know there is a fuse box on the driver's side, under a flap near where your left knee sits.
A friend mentioned that some cars have a second relay panel - does the VW Golf have one? If so, where? Any tips on how to clean these contacts?
Start with those relays that are specific to the problem areas. If you do not realize an immediate cure DO NOT make the mistake of attributing the two problems to a single common cause. Your vehicle is approaching 10 years old, and so you may be having multiple small failures.
IF the cause is common, it will most likely be a ground that has failed in or around the fuse box area, or the ground rail for the relays that serve both uses.
Other possible Causes:
The wiring harness that goes through the door hinge may have some failures in it. You might be lucky and check this by wiggling it some and see if locking function comes back while you are doing it.
"One" of the turn signals... The flashing relay is common-to-all, so this is likely a supply and/or ground wire to only *that* signal which is at fault. Start there by cleaning your lamps (bulbs are to be put in the ground in anticipation of flowers), sockets, and check the ground leads and sockets for same at/around the failed signal. This won't be a fuse, either.
Notes: Fuses are never intermittent, their sockets exceedingly rarely so. The nature of them is that if the socket is intermittent, it will heat up rapidly causing all sorts of problems before rapid failure. Similarly relay _sockets_. Relays themselves are quite often intermittent so the only true test is to use a substitute. Not saying
*never* intermittent, just very rarely. So if this is the case, you are catching it early... a good thing.
Some Peugeots and Fiats are exceptions to the above. Peugeots for a time used 'printed' circuits for body wiring leading to printed fuse sockets with printed fusible links. No Kidding. Only the French. And Fiats invent new failure modes at each use.
Back on-topic, start with the turn signal, that should be an easily identifiable fix and give you the confidence to go after the locks. With the locks, I suspect you have a bunge somewhere in the main switch (driver's door). A PITA to get to. That is why I suggest diddling the harness to see if you get any results. And when you do get both fixed, you will feel confident about keeping the car another
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