Swapped cluster bulbs for leds, what's up with the glowplug?

[eresseraca]

I recently took the clusters out on my 2.5td (1998) and replaced bulbs with leds instead. Left a regular one for the engine light as I read that one might otherwise drain the battery. But what's up with the glowplug light. I tried a led, and with that one it continuously glows faintly. With a regular bulb it doesn't light up at all, even if the manual says that if the temp is below +10c one should wait for the glowplug light to turn off before starting. But today it was around +8c here in the morning and it still didn't glow.

I know the bulb is working as I tested it in another slot in the cluster... what can be at fault?

Many thanks in advance for any help or ideas!

[bobbari123]

Hi.
there should be a test socket for that glow plug relay, i don´t remember how to do the test but i can check from my manual tomorrow.
but i guess it could be either bad glowplug ( that big plug in your intake manifold which has a fuel and electrical connection) and this is easy to test with power from battey when removed from intake manifold, or a bad glow plug relay (very expensive part).

[eresseraca]

Thanks bobbari123 for the info and great if you can provide me with some more guides on how to test the glow plug relay.

I guess that's where I start and then next I'll have to remove the glowplug and test that one.

[vanfox]

Correct name for the Di is "Flame Start" not glow plug. If your engine starts ok in the cold forget about it.

[eresseraca]

I see thanks vanfox, haven't had any problems not even in january last year when we bought the car. But now going through the cluster bulbs I started wondering why it would glow faintly with a led that needs low power (enough leaking through to light it faintly maybe?) but with a regular bulb it wouldn't.

Found this from another thread,

"The Transit Di engine, whether MK3,4,5 Non Banana, Banana, Turbo or non Turbo has NEVER had glowplugs, some were fitted with a flame start device, but mainly for the European market this was only ever an option in the UK. The Di is designed to start down to -18c without preheating, if yours does not then it has problems"

good news that this isn't really anything to worry about then since it starts without problems even in sub-zero temps. But still since there's a light on the dashboard I guess it should be glowing as the manual says as well.

Does what bobbari123 write still stand then? That it's an option feature, engine is designed to work without it though. If so, should I still be able to confirm by testing a relay somewhere an also by removing the plug and testing that one (if it's a glow plug in the flame start 'device'?). Not knowing too much about these things and learning as I go I guess a valid question would be, is the flame start the correct term but still working with a glow plug that can be removed and tested?

[bobbari123]

Hi.
Flame heater/glow plug is not an option in northern europe every transit sold here got it.
I checked my finnish manual and here is how to do the glow plug/flame heater test.
There should be a test socket (2 wires)under the battery (manual does not say which one) short the wires from socket.
Then turn ignition on and feel the plug with your fingers is hot or not following 25 seconds.
However the glow plug light stays on only about 5 seconds but plug should glow 25seconds.
If its not heating take off the fuel line from and electrical connection from the glow plug and verify with multimeter that there should be battery voltage in electrical connector and fuel coming from fuel line when turning ignition on.
If not fuel coming suspect the solenoid (follow line to find it) if no battery voltage suspect the relay.
If you have both suspect the glow plug and remove it and check with straight voltage from battery

[eresseraca]

Hey you're in Finland as well bobbari123? or just happen to have a Finnish manual?

I prob. have that page in my manual as well then. Thanks will check this next weekend, when I should have time to be in the garage and work on some more on the van.

But being a newbie at engines and cars, more simple questions coming up. Where's the glow plug located on the 2.5TD (100PS), engine looks this (borrowed pic from what's my engine thread)... but with a bosch steering fluid holder to the right of the engine and some other stuff.



Found this thread as well, so I guess this is what I'm looking for, correct?
(pics borrowed from: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=65401)

Control valve:


Flame thrower in inlet manifold:

[bobbari123]

Hi.
Did you managed to troubleshoot your flame heater/glowplug?
Yes i'm finnish too.

[eresseraca]

Nice, thought I was the only one on here

Worked on the van today, swapped the power steering pump and fan belts among other things and did a test run... when I got back I remembered that I was about to test the flame plug as well.

I shorted the test socket, heard the relay click in the engine bay, dashboard light lit up. But the engine was semi-hot/warm already from my test run after the belt swap so I couldn't decide wheter the plug heated or whether it was just warm from the prior test drive.

So tomorrow I'll do it again when the engine is cold. When does your activate, approx at what outside temperature? My Finnish manual says +10c as I wrote above, does that sound about correct? If so then mine def. got some problems as it was +5-6c here this morning and it didn't glow when I started it the first time around 10 o'clock.

[eresseraca]

Alright, so with the test socket shorted the plug warms up and the dashboard light glows. All good it seems, but question still stands... when does it come on by itself/by temperature sensor? Manual says +10c... but every morning now has been well below 10 degrees and it doesn't activate. Maybe my manual has a typo in it and it should be -10c?

What about yours bobbari123, at what temp does it activate?

(Just a small note on my posts above. The "control valve" image borrowed above, mine doesn't have that one in that particular place.)

[bobbari123]

I don't remember. Maybe close to 0 degrees.
I sold my van year ago.
And now i have started an mk3 restoration project but i can't try that now becouse van is not ready for startup

[eresseraca]

Thanks man! Would explain why I still haven't seen it since spring (bought it in Januray but I don't remember if I was glowing or not back then, but dash bulb might have been broken at that point also).

Gotta wait for colder weather, since it's warming and light glows when tested and it started in -15c the morning after I bought it last January I really dont think there's a problem... other than maybe that the bulb was broken before.

Good luck with the Mk3 project and a million thanks for helping me with the troubleshooting!