Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Technical questions and answers about the Mazda Bongo

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Alison01326
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Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Alison01326 » Sun Jun 14, 2020 3:55 pm

We have finally got our Bongo back since he went to the local garage in early March for a gear box transplant. The gearbox was bought from E-Bay but seems to be doing the job although Seymour (the Bongo) has had to go back to the garage twice for potentially related issues.

I drove him the 12 miles home on Friday with no apparent problems (apart from the fact that the gearbox has an awful whine, which I posted about on here the first time I brought him home) and drove him a few miles yesterday, again with no apparent issues. I am aware that the battery is probably a bit on the flat side, as the lights are dim and the electric mirrors are slow to operate.

Today, however, when I had planned to go for a long drive to charge up the battery a bit, the glow plug light started to flash. Not a quick flash, but I would say the same speed as perhaps an indicator would be.

Is it advisable to go and drive 20-odd miles with the light flashing, or should I be checking the cause first and going back to the garage again (or indeed a different garage)?
Alison

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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Bob » Sun Jun 14, 2020 4:30 pm

Can you check the alternator by putting a multi-meter on the battery terminals?

Voltage should be about 12.7 not running and go up to 14ish when started up.

Lots of You Tube vids show how, and likely Geoff will help. :wink:
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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Alison01326 » Sun Jun 14, 2020 4:46 pm

Thanks Bob, we do apparently have a multi-meter, but it's not at home!!! Will see if I can persuade my husband to go and find it.

Seymour has been sitting on a local garage forecourt for months and, I imagine, being driven 20 yards back and forth to the actual workshop to be worked on which has possibly had some effect. Having said that, he starts immediately.

I was planning on driving him 20 miles or so to see if it's just a weary battery but couldn't bear the thought of some other issue rearing its head and being Bongo-less for another several months (not to mention costing us more money ......... at least we haven't been spending any money on diesel recently).

As you say, I'm sure Geoff will be along soon.

Thanks again. Hope all is well with you?

EDIT: To my shame I have just realised that I should have checked the warning light list before I posted. Seymour has been so reliable over the years I completely forgot about that. However, it's not the fuse.
Alison

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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Bob » Sun Jun 14, 2020 7:14 pm

We're both well, thanks. :D
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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Bob » Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:26 pm

Another thought, could you put a charger on the battery for a few hours?

Also, if the multi-meter is on it's holidays, and can't be found, they aren't terribly expensive. Though none of us wants to buy something we already have. :wink:
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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by g8dhe » Sun Jun 14, 2020 10:12 pm

The Flashing Glow Plug light is a warning from the ECU that it is reporting a fault, it could be something as a simple as a flat battery, if you have a leisure battery fitted then its likely flat after little use and need charging, in which case after a second start the flashing light should not come back, but if it does then there is a fault that needs investigating. The error codes are listed here along with how to get them read out http://www.philmcfadden.co.uk/MazdaDiagnosticBox.htm
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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Bob » Sun Jun 14, 2020 10:19 pm

Sound. =D>
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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Alison01326 » Mon Jun 15, 2020 12:43 pm

Bob wrote: Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:26 pm Another thought, could you put a charger on the battery for a few hours?

Also, if the multi-meter is on it's holidays, and can't be found, they aren't terribly expensive. Though none of us wants to buy something we already have. :wink:
We know where it is, it's in my husband's lock-up. He's currently in agony with his back (again) but as soon as all his medication has kicked in and he feels competent to drive, he'll go and fetch it. Battery charger is over there as well.

For reasons that I am not going into, I am not allowed to go there EVER (brief reason - my utter incompetence with the alarm means he'll end up going there anyway).

Based on the leisure battery theory offered by Geoff, I shall go for a spin later (perhaps via the lock up if I am allowed).
Alison

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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Alison01326 » Mon Jun 15, 2020 12:48 pm

g8dhe wrote: Sun Jun 14, 2020 10:12 pm The Flashing Glow Plug light is a warning from the ECU that it is reporting a fault, it could be something as a simple as a flat battery, if you have a leisure battery fitted then its likely flat after little use and need charging, in which case after a second start the flashing light should not come back, but if it does then there is a fault that needs investigating. The error codes are listed here along with how to get them read out http://www.philmcfadden.co.uk/MazdaDiagnosticBox.htm
Thank you Geoff, and thank you for the link to the error code information. I will take a risk on driving it to see whether that will put enough charge in both batteries to eliminate the issue. If not, I shall have to get it looked at professionally.

Could it be that perhaps my split charge relay has failed (Willinton circa 2009/2010)!!
Alison

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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by g8dhe » Mon Jun 15, 2020 12:52 pm

There's lots of could be's! Much better to make sure both batteries are fully charged, then after the second start the ECU is reset if the light doesn't start flashing your good, if its still flashing then time to get it looked at by a garage that knows how to read the codes out and diagnose from there.
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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Alison01326 » Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:50 am

I have just realised that I never posted an update. It was there in drafts, but I clearly got distracted by something. Home learning supervision no doubt :cry:

The issue was indeed electrical - two flat batteries and a non functioning split charge relay.

We were recommended a lovely auto-electrician who dealt with it all for the princely sun of £35 which included a rear light bulb as that failed a couple of days before we went to see him.

If you are in Cornwall, and need a quick electrical fix, the chappie is called Mark, he trades as Audiotronics and is at Unit 9, Triplet Business Park
St Day TR16 5PZ, tel +447769338910

He was clear that doesn't do alternators!
Alison

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Re: Slow(ish) flashing glow plug light - safe to drive?

Post by Bob » Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:16 am

Well done getting fixed.

And useful contact, thanks. :)
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