Glow plug light flashing

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Ca11um43
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Glow plug light flashing

Post by Ca11um43 » Sun Jul 13, 2025 5:54 pm

I have a 1996 Mazda Bongo with the 2.5 diesel engine. It was last running a couple weeks ago, when it was parked up and the battery was disconnected while a lot of rust repairs were being done. No warning lights were on the dash. But now I have re-connected the battery I seem to have a flashing glow plug light. I have tried to read the codes with an LED but the pins I need to connect to are not there in my diagnostic port, so I guess I can't read them unless there is another way?

Instead I've had a look around the engine compartment for anything obvious, and found a broken vacuum pipe (I can't seem to upload images). From what I can see it goes from the intake and in to the solenoid for the EGR valve, and it's the one way valve that has broken in half. Could this be the cause of my problem?
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by g8dhe » Sun Jul 13, 2025 6:06 pm

As you disconnected the battery the ECU couldn't store any error codes to indicate that it had lost power, hence no codes to be read out :-)
If you take it for a run then the various parameters that need to be stored will be restored and on your next start you should be OK, unless there is another fault in which case there will be an error code to be read out from the ECU control box under the passenger side foot well.
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by Doone » Sun Jul 13, 2025 6:15 pm

Try what Geoff said. 🙂
That broken pipe is unlikely to cause the flashing light.
Common causes of the flashing light: Fuse number 1 (in the fuse box by the drivers knee) can fail.
If the auxiliary fan (scavenger fan) is running all the time, then the temperature sensor by the handbrake is disconnected.
If the fan is not constantly running then a faulty temperature sensor can cause the flashing light.
Allans Garage retired. Try PGS (Plymouth Garage Services) or Mayflower Auto Services Plymouth
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by Ca11um43 » Sun Jul 13, 2025 6:36 pm

g8dhe wrote: Sun Jul 13, 2025 6:06 pm As you disconnected the battery the ECU couldn't store any error codes to indicate that it had lost power, hence no codes to be read out :-)
If you take it for a run then the various parameters that need to be stored will be restored and on your next start you should be OK, unless there is another fault in which case there will be an error code to be read out from the ECU control box under the passenger side foot well.
That's the problem. I have googled how to read the codes, but everything I read says to connect a jumper wire from the TEN to GND pin, then connect the LED from B+ to FEN. But inside my diagnostic port there isn't any pins where the TEN and FEN wires should be. So I can't connect anything to them.

Unfortunately the MOT ran out a long time ago (I bought it to fix up), so I can't drive it anywhere. I have it booked in for this Tuesday (15th) so I will repair the vacuum pipe for the EGR and just hope for the best. Hopefully the light turns off on the drive to the MOT station, which is only about 4 miles away.
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by Ca11um43 » Sun Jul 13, 2025 6:43 pm

Doone wrote: Sun Jul 13, 2025 6:15 pm Try what Geoff said. 🙂
That broken pipe is unlikely to cause the flashing light.
Common causes of the flashing light: Fuse number 1 (in the fuse box by the drivers knee) can fail.
If the auxiliary fan (scavenger fan) is running all the time, then the temperature sensor by the handbrake is disconnected.
If the fan is not constantly running then a faulty temperature sensor can cause the flashing light.
I haven't noticed the fan running all the time, but that doesn't mean it's not because I haven't really looked. So I'll double check that and fuse 1. I saw on the list of fault codes that there is one for the EGR solenoid (code 28 I believe), which is why I thought that this broken vacuum pipe which have been tbe cause. It obviously shouldn't be broken, so I'll fix that any way while I'm at it.
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by g8dhe » Sun Jul 13, 2025 9:53 pm

Regarding the diagnostic port you did notice and read the warning that it is mounted upside down in the Bongo ?
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by Ca11um43 » Sun Jul 13, 2025 11:19 pm

g8dhe wrote: Sun Jul 13, 2025 9:53 pm Regarding the diagnostic port you did notice and read the warning that it is mounted upside down in the Bongo ?
Yes. I have had this problem previously when trying to find an ABS fault...When I first got the bongo it had an ABS light on, but everything I read online told me to connect the jumper wire and LED to pins that don't exist in my diagnostic port. I put a post up on one of the facebook pages and somebody gave me completely different instructions that I've not seen anywhere else. I had to put a jumper wire from TBS to GND, then count the flashes on the dashboard which ended up working perfectly for me. But that's specifically for the ABS system and doesn't help me in this situation. I now need to know how to read engine faults, but I'm back in the same situation with everything I read online telling me to connect to pins that I don't have in my diagnostic port.

This is a generic image that I found online, but my diagnostic port looks like this. TEN should be the second one in from the left, bottom row. FEN should be the fourth one in from the left, bottom row. But as you can see, those pins aren't there.
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by Ca11um43 » Mon Aug 04, 2025 8:55 pm

UPDATE: The light is still flashing. Luckily it didn't come up on the MOT so it is now road legal and I have driven it quite a bit since, but clearly there is still a problem there. It seems to drive fine from what I can tell (never driven a Bongo before), so it's not an obvious problem which doesn't help and I'm not able to read the codes as mentioned previously.

The only thing I have noticed is that the gear changes seem to be all over the place, but not sure if that's normal or not. From 1st to 2nd it changes at just over 2,000rmp, accelerating smoothly/normally (not putting my foot down), but it seems that the higher the gear, the higher the rpm before changing gear. Probably doesn't help that the engine is quite loud (it's the 2.5 diesel) so sounds worse than it actually is.

There is also a burning/hot engine type smell. Sometimes I can smell it while driving with the window open, or when I get out after a long ish drive. Currently it hasn't got the under trays on because they were just thrown in the back when I got the Bongo, so I haven't got any of the bolts or anything to put them on with. Engine temp is normal, coolant alarm hasn't gone off, and the coolant level hasn't changed so I don't think there is any problems there, regarding the engine getting too hot.

This is the first old style diesel that I've owned and the first automatic that I've owned, so maybe these things are normal and I'm just not used to them (yet).
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by g8dhe » Mon Aug 04, 2025 9:54 pm

If the under tray isn't on then road muck/spray etc hits the hot engine and smells I believe, also when the undertray is on it deadens the road noise but also funnels the air thru the engine housing and then it gets sucked out the back so less smells to creep up towards the seat seals that can also leak.
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by Ca11um43 » Thu Aug 07, 2025 6:27 pm

g8dhe wrote: Mon Aug 04, 2025 9:54 pm If the under tray isn't on then road muck/spray etc hits the hot engine and smells I believe, also when the undertray is on it deadens the road noise but also funnels the air thru the engine housing and then it gets sucked out the back so less smells to creep up towards the seat seals that can also leak.
I do plan on refitting it at some point, after I've done a service (even though it looks like it has had one recently. Air and oil filter are both brand new). I just need to figure out what is needed to secure both pieces 🤷‍♂️ They were just thrown in the back when I bought it, but no bolts with it.
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by g8dhe » Thu Aug 07, 2025 6:35 pm

Have you referred to the diagrams for bolts and spacers? https://www.lushprojects.com/bongoparts ... mgno=.html
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Re: Glow plug light flashing

Post by Bongolian » Thu Aug 07, 2025 10:25 pm

That link is a very handy resource =D>
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