Flashing Glow Plug Light - Ford Ranger, codes and video...

[aidanb]

Firstly thanks for the info on your site, shorted the 2 pins in the diagnostic port and sure enough I appear to have 2 codes.
Symptoms are flashing glow plug when warm and slightly sluggish (maybe its just sluggish anyway?)

I have recorded a short video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrzm9tD4Ic , if bothered you only need to watch the first minute or so as it repeats.

First, I get P0400 - EGR Malfunction
then, P1312 - Timer Control Valve - Circuit Malfunction

I can deal with the first one, i'll be blocking it off anyway, the lever on the valve moves freely by hand and when engine requests. Will replace vac lines, block off the actual egr then do the reset procedure.

Any idea what the 2nd one is? I'm presuming its the electronics of the pump, but as there only seem to be about 10 available fault codes for this vehicle, it could cover quite a broad area.
Anyone had this code before? Its the Zexel/Nippon pump, and it does have evidence of a tuning box once spliced in to 16 pin plug of the pump.

[aidanb]

Further googling,
P1312 Mazda Injection Pump Timing Actuator Circuit

Would this suggest that maybe the timing will be a bit retarded when warm reducing power? Or maybe it runs advanced on a cold start, then can't retard itself, but that shouldn't reduced power. Normally advanced timing would make it run quite loud, but it does quieten down when it warms up.

I should probably mention the Ranger runs great, it seems a bit heavy on fuel, it doesn't smoke, the flashing glow plug starts every time the coolant temperature goes over about 1/8th and stays on. If you turn it off then again while its warm it will flash straight away.


What are the chances of this code being just due to the scotchblocks on the pump wiring and maybe a wrong connection, and the egr causing the loss in performance by sticking open after a while? Where is the sensor on the EGR system that actually detects a fault?

[francophile1947]

Welcome to the madhouse
I suspect that your Ranger is different to the Bongo, as it's not possible to fit a tuning box to a Bongo engine (unless the newer models are different) - it's purely a mechanical pump.
Hopefully somebody else will know.

[scanner]

Welcome to the madhouse
I suspect that your Ranger is different to the Bongo, as it's not possible to fit a tuning box to a Bongo engine (unless the newer models are different) - it's purely a mechanical pump.
Hopefully somebody else will know.

Yep - I think the introduction of the Ranger to the UK market was closely followed by adoption of the "drive-by-wire" injector pump on the Bongo - as I think (no proof) that the Ranger was "drive-by-wire" from the start.

[aidanb]

From what I gather on here, Bongo was DBW from September 99. The Ranger wasn't, it came out in 99 also as far as I know, but got the DBW WLT-3 (euro-3, to meet commercial vehicle emissions?) engine about 52 reg, around 6 months before the facelift model came out. There is also an 85ish bhp model in the 2wd version, luckily I don't have that one, it must really struggle.

There isn't a Ranger owners site as far as I know, but it seems that any powertrain problems should be shared with the later Bongo. Only thing I can offer back is the Ranger workshop manual, the one off ebay. I'm sure you use a different 4wd system though, and the engine is mounted differently so the ancillaries aren't the same.