Glow plug light flashing

[Ca11um43]

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?

[g8dhe]

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.

[Doone]

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.

[Ca11um43]

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.

[Ca11um43]

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.

[g8dhe]

Regarding the diagnostic port you did notice and read the warning that it is mounted upside down in the Bongo ?

[Ca11um43]

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.

[Ca11um43]

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).

[g8dhe]

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.

[Ca11um43]

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.

[g8dhe]

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

[Bongolian]

That link is a very handy resource

[Ca11um43]

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

I didn't even know that existed, but I will look through it and take note of what bits I need. Thanks I really do need to sort this flashing glow plug light though...I'm driving the Bongo more and more now, but the light is starting to annoy me a little bit. As mentioned in my previous comments, my OBD port is missing some wires and I haven't got the ones needed to read engine codes. According to everything I could find on the Internet But some people have those pins and some people don't (like me). Sooo how else am I supposed to read the faults? Or do I just have to put up with the glow plug light flashing at me forever lol

[g8dhe]

It is my suspicion that the ECU has changed quite a lot over the years, it started of as two separate boxes, mounted on each other, then has combined. I suspect but don't have a means of proving it that the unit has slowly reduced down in size as the processors became more flexible that on some versions, the various outputs have slowly been combined. Try using the pins that exist and see if the relevant code appears on one of the outputs for what was a separate board internally and is now a single board.

[Ca11um43]

It is my suspicion that the ECU has changed quite a lot over the years, it started of as two separate boxes, mounted on each other, then has combined. I suspect but don't have a means of proving it that the unit has slowly reduced down in size as the processors became more flexible that on some versions, the various outputs have slowly been combined. Try using the pins that exist and see if the relevant code appears on one of the outputs for what was a separate board internally and is now a single board.

I had this problem before with an ABS fault. Everything online was telling me to use pins that I haven't got in my OBD port, but somebody commented on one of my facebook posts and told me to use completely different pins which worked!! So maybe he knows how to read the engine faults as well, but I'm unable to get ahold of him at the moment which is why I've just been driving around with the light flashing and trying to ignore it, because everything I've tried so far hasn't worked.