Water in fuel filter water trap light

[vanman06]

Afternoon guys,

Just joined today and i have a spot of bother with the warning light on the dash that tells you there is water in the fuel filter water trap.I have tried draining this and nothing comes out so i unscrewed the sensor plug a bit more and nothing but clean diesel.A mate told me to just unplug the sensor to get the light to go out,did this and it is still on so i tried disconecting the battery and yes it is still on.At my whits end on what to do now is this a big problem asd it is the old mans van and hes worried if left it will cause damage.

Thanks all,hope someone can help

[100ps_drw_hicube]

i assume we are talking a mk5 transit here?? if so my light comes on for about 10 seconds on start up but thats it on my old van the light came on constantly and after draining it many times was advised by the service manager at the ford garage to unplug the sensor when we done this it was fine then all of a sudden now and again it would come on when driving so as a last resort we pulled the bulb out the dash so's not to worry about it. never done any harm unplugging the sensor, so i wouldnt worry too much. dont know why its still on if you disconnected the battery tho

[vanman06]

Well the van is m reg so i aussume a MK5,yes puzzled me to disconected the battery-light went out,reconected the battery-light came back on again,any other ideas? If not will probably just take the bulb out of the dash and just check every six months or so to make sure theres no water in the fuel,does this sound like a good move?


Thanks for the help

[100ps_drw_hicube]

ye should be a mk5 then if it were my van i would take the bulb out and just keep a close eyye on the fuel filter i always change my filters every 2-3 weeks as i do a lot of mileage but just keep a check on it and i would think it should be ok

[vanman06]

Ok sorted,Thanks for the help is the dash easy to take apart having never done it on a van before?



cheers

[100ps_drw_hicube]

ye dash is fairly simple to come apart worse bit disconnecting the speedo cable oh and you have to take the steering wheel off it should come off fairly easy but might need a bit of tugging to loosen it up any problems write back

[crazyscoot]

.....but before you dismantle the dash try this. Disconnect battery and leave it off for 60 seconds (this allows the whole system to discharge) reconnect the battery cleanly, cutting down the chances of loads of sparks. If your ECU had a bug in its program then this should boot it out. I'm not sure that the ECU has any effect with the water sensor at all but its worth a try.
My other car is a smart car and if anything goes tits up (electronically), battery disconnect/reconnect 9.9% of the time clears the prob. Let us know how you get on as it would be useful info.

[100ps_drw_hicube]

he doesnt say if its turbo or not the n/a didnt have a ecu did it?

[madvanman]

check the wiring next to the engine, going to the sensor, i have fixed quite a few transits with damaged insulation on that section of wiring.

[100ps_drw_hicube]

check the wiring next to the engine, going to the sensor, i have fixed quite a few transits with damaged insulation on that section of wiring.

didnt think about that i think on my old van the the wire had broke somewhere so only worked now and then

they seem to have a mind of there own these water trap lights

[vanman06]

Tried leaving the batt disconected for longer today...No good light is still showing will check the wires near the engine tomorrow just to make sure nothing is touching otherwise am at a dead end, i'm not sure about ripping the dash out to get the bulb out as i have never done this before especially if you have to take the stearing wheel off.

Is there anything else this light is attached to or is it just connected to the fuel filter?


cheers guys

[MrMPuk]

It will be a chaffed wire somwhere on the loom then, try checking from the wire on the bottom of the fuel filter back. I've just cut them back before, that fixes it!

[vanman06]

I hope thats all it is,although having seen some of the wires it wouldnt suprise me.I will have a good look under the bonnet tomorrow.


cheers for answering so quick,all the help apreciated for a transit newbie even though it is my old mans van i am working on.Its a bit different from working on an 1800 fiesta diesel which is what i drive.


all the best

[vanman06]

Can i just thank all you transit nuts out there,problem all sorted now.What it was having traced the wires from the sensor plug, the previous owner had wrapped all three wires leading to the plug all around each other causing a short which kept the light illuminated.


All sorted

All the best guys