check engine VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1996 Owners Manual

AND
Anti-theft alarm system
The anti-theft system triggers an
acoustic
When the is
engine compartme nt
ignition
when the driver 's or front passenger 's door is position for at seco nds after
the
14
An indicator of the driver 's door , and a sound when the
does not sound , check the
doors, a nd hood and
To see if your system is on or not , insert your key into either front door and in the if th e
or hood are switched
on .
with the key even when the system is active.
This When the rear is circuit. The
The are
ope ned without the key, or if th e ignition is
switched on. When the
the syste m i s
swi tc h ed off with the key at eithe r the dri ver 's
o r front passenger 's door.
The is
interfered with again after the has
s topped (for instan ce if the rear is opened
afte r one of the doors has been forced
open).
To make certain that the is se­
cured, make sure that the doors are
is in the

~-----------------------------------------------------------------
Average fu e l mpg
secon ds driving time and a di stance
of yar ds/meters . Up to this point a dash
appea rs i nstead
switch position 1 the average consump­
tion for the single journey is indica ted.
switch position 2 the average consump­
tion indicated is that obtained during
single trips-see also on prev ious page.
Note
The amo unt of fue l consumed
no t be dis­
played .
Di sta nce covered
miles (km)
The informat i
on in also applies to The maximum dis­
t ance indicated is 9,999 miles (9 999 km).
Average speed
mph (km/h)
The information in
also applies here. En
gine
F o
C). When the engine is cold, dashes
temperature
a p proaches
Ambient outside
temperature
Disp layed temperature range between
When the vehicle is stat ionary , or when you
are driving at very driving speeds, the
temperature displayed may be
you are going to use the outside
temperatur e display to determine frost conditions, remember that road s can ice over at
temperature s above
gauge
The needle in the coolant temperature
gauge indicate the temperature of the
coo lant sho rtly after the ignition is switched
on.
When the ignition is switched on, the warn ­
ing
( c ) for a few second s as a check.
a -
Engine cold
Avoid high engine speeds and heavy throttle
when the needle is at the lower end of the
65

Warning
Your tant in dicat or a nd warning devices to tor the continued
warnings and
important
in serious age.
The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially
hazardous area. Before you check
anything in the engine compartment, stop the engine and let it cool down.
Always exercise extreme caution
when
working under the engine
hood . 1
- Coolant
........ 67
2 - Safety
.................... 69
3 - Rear
indicator light ....... (Diesel
. .......... 71
9 - Turn signals .................... 71
-High beam ..................... 71
and Canada
This come on for a few seconds just
as a functiona l check when you switch on th e ignition.
the does not go off afterwards , or
ther th e
off the road. turn off the engine and it cool down.
Check
on next
page .
67

2 -belts
Refer to warning
3 -Remote rear lid release
The is open
and the ignition is switched on.
The
go off when the rear lid is again.
the ligh t sh ou ld come on while you are driving, stop and close the rear
Never press the switch while the vehicle is in motion .
4 -Engine oil pressure
When the ignition is turned on, the sure warning comes on for a check. go out after the engine has
started.
the warning does not go out or driving (above
pressure is too
the engine immediately , check the engine oil if necessary.
is normal but the light continues to flash, do not continue to
tance.
AND
The To check the always use dipstick (see page
Engine

Braking
General notes
automobiles are
still subject to wear depending largely on op­
erating conditions and driving habits. ve­hicles which are driven mostly in stop-and ­
go city traffic or which are driven hard, the brake linings should be checked by your au­
thorized authorized dealer
more often than specified in the Mainte­
nance booklet.
steep slopes you should use the
b raking effect of th e engine. T his way , you pr event wearing d ow n the brake s ystem . yo u must use your brakes , do not hold the brakes down contin uous ly. Pump the brakes in intervals.
Under certain conditions , for example,
when driving through water or a very heavy
rain , or even after washing your vehicle, the braking effect can be reduced due to the wet
brake pads or pads which are iced-up in the
winter. A few cautious brake applications
should dry off the brake pads or remove ice
coatings.
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced when the vehicle is driven on a salt ­
covered road and the brakes are not used.
Clean off accumulated
or if you sure the air
brake circuit impair the braking capability
resulting in an increased stopping distance .
Avoid driving the vehicle and have it towed to the nearest authorized
Volkswagen dealer or qualified
workshop.
Brake booster
WARNING
to a stop with
the engine shut off.
the brake booster is not working, for example when towing your vehicle, or because the brake booster
has somehow been damaged, the
brake pedal
must be pressed harder to make up for the missing effect of the brake booster.
Always heed

you that your car
economy and performance.
towing not
hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to
the gross
for your and se­to the body . mount check with the hitch manufac­
turer to make sure that you are using the cor­
rect hitch.
Do
not use a bumper hi tch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way
that it does not interfere with the impact-ab­
so rbing bum per system. No modif icat ions
fastened.
When you are not towing a
hitch
been do ne at
the factory. Otherwise , overheating may oc­
cur when the engine is working very hard
(mountain driving, high outside tempera­
ture). Ask your authorized authorized
swagen
brakes
your is equipped with a braki ng sys­
tem, check to be sur e that it conforms to
connected to the
use safety chains bet ween yo ur ve­an d
Trailer
must meet Do not co nnect th e
Mir rors
Check whether both sides of your can
be seen from the driver's seat.

However, we urge you to give your
parts and trained to your running
pages describe a ber of procedures which can be performed
on your with ordinary
Before performing any of these
procedures,
the
instructions given.
serve the provided.
If you change the engine seNings , this
Serious
The engine compartment of any motor
Do not attempt any of the
maintenance , checks or repairs described on the
you must work underneath the vehicle without safety stands but with the on the ground,
ground, that the are
commonly accepted safety practices and general common sense. Never risk personal injury.

For safety reasons , make
sure the engine hood is
the engine hood , check it to make sure the safety catch has engaged. The hood be with the surrounding body parts .
125

B31-113C
Engine oil iden tifica tion symbol
symbol
( A). The starburst symbol indicates that the
oil has been certifjed by the American Petro­
leum
Another oil identificatio n symbo l (B ) could be added to th e oil con taine r to help you se­
lect the correct oil.
1 The top portion indicate s the oil q uality
by designations.
2
The center portion sh ows the oil
viscosity grade.
3
The lowe r portion indica tes that the oil
has fuel saving capabili ties. No
te
is normal for your engine to consume oil.
The rate of the oil consumption depends on
the quality
and viscosity of oil, the speed at
which the engine operated, the climate, road
conditio ns
as well as amount of dilution an d
oxidatio n of the lubricant.
Beca u
se of these variables, no standard
rate of oil consumption can be established ,
but drivers should expect an increased oil
consum ption at high speeds and when the
engine is
new.
The engine in your vehicle depends
on oil to lubricate and cool all of its ing parts. Therefore the engine oil should be checked regularly and kept at the required level.
Make it a habit to have the engine oil lev el checked with every fuel filling.
Lack of sufficient engine oil may lead
to severe engine damage .
The oil pressure warning

The best time to check the engine is warm .
To get a true reading , the be
on
After turning off the engine , wait a few minutes for the to return to the
Reinsert dipstick ; push it
d ipstick out again and read the
Make sure that the dipstick is pushed in
ma rkings. The the goes down to the mark, you must add Do not exceed the marking.
Adding engine
Unscrew the cap from the head
cove r and add a quart with the dips tick, (see lus tration).
The
must never be above the mark. Otherwise
with a burn in the converter and cause age.
which is a fire hazard.
screw the cap back on and dipst ick ou t when the engine is running.