Glow plug light flashing, turbo problem(?)

[jw327793]

I have a 1998 face-lifted 2.5L diesel. For some time the glow-plug light has been coming on randomly and the car gone into limp mode. Since the start of the heat wave however the problem has appeared on every trip particularly if the car has been idling. Even in limp mode it runs reasonably well and seems to have no problems going long distances.

I have read various posts about the issue and run the diagnostics using the factsheet from the members area.
The diagnostic system is the upside down Mazda 626 socket. The fact-sheet seems to state that this should produce two digit numbers but it seems to produce 2 four digit numbers, 0400/1228 which should, according to the fact-sheet, come from the glow-plug light itself. The video of the led pulses are on https://photos.app.goo.gl/i6dkRyJqNmFyYhNMA if anyone wants to view them. This error code has been discussed in a recent post from Russian bongo owners, and the problem is "Wastegate Failed Open (Under pressure)". The post suggests some ways to try to fix the problem but the suggested solutions are beyond my technical skills.

I normally take the car to Stoke for service and repairs as there are no bongo friendly garages in Birmingham but the Stoke garage is very busy at the moment and won't be able to address the problem for some time. There is a recommended garage in Dudley but my question is, would it be best to take the car to a turbo specialist rather than a normal garage? If the diagnostics are wrong it might not be a problem with the turbo but the symptoms seem to match all the posts about turbo problems.
Any suggestions welcome.
Thanks

[Bonneville]

Not wishing to eat the lunch of specialists but any competent mechanic should smile when they see the engine in a Bongo. This thing is a doozy to work with if you spend all day on modern stuff (VW/Audi V6 timing chain, for example, is an engine out job ).
If I had to use a garage, I would gently point out how to remove the top cover and then leave them to it. Try Clickmechanic for well referenced people. I know traders using that system for their warranty work as the business model depends on good customer feedback. Mention the Ford Ranger engine if you need to.

[Gandalf The White]

Hi there.

I had a longstanding problems with our 2002 Diesel Bongo with the dreaded going into limp mode and glow plug light flashing once engine was warm and sat in traffic. I cleared all the old fault codes and found the two fault codes being displayed were P0400 and P1228. Spent hours researching this trawling for answers through the forums, FB groups and it's also well detailed on the Wastegate Actuator factsheet in the members section. It's obvious people have spent hours on this, but nothing seems to give a permanent guaranteed long term fix. After much head scratching I discovered Mark at The Bongo Master in Leicestershire, really good, decent, honest bloke, who knows Bongos inside and out, he has great reviews from all his customers. Mark immediately knew what the problem was. It's a known issue with later Bongos, due to combination of a change of turbo design and poorer quality grade diesel in the UK. Mark charges £600 to retrofit an older turbo from an earlier model and changes the relevant ducting and piping to go with it. The van then ran as sweet as a nut, with no loss in performance at all. Just thought I'd share, as it could save somebody alot of time, money and hassle in the future.

https://www.thebongomaster.co.uk/