Engine management light - 2008 1.4 tdci

[WarChild007]

Hi,

 

I've got a 1.4 tdci 2008 and use it every day, it started having a slight blip in the throttle, almost like a misfire, I took it to a garage and they cleaned out the EGR valve, this improved the response of the car.

At the same time I ran the fuel low and got and engine management light on the dash, I thought it may have picked something up from the fuel tank, changed the fuel filter, put some cleaner in the fuel and filled it up. Things seemed to be ok.

That was some time ago i then got the red light on after having the EGR valve cleaned out and took it back to the garage. They plugged it in and it said a fault with the glow plugs. The cleared the codes and all seemed fine for a few weeks, now im getting the red engine light on about once a day and it is regarding the engine speed.

I disconnected the battery, thinking that a clogged EGR may mean it need to relearn the air flow or something but that seems to have made it worse.

It never beeped and came with a warning light on startup but since disconnecting the battery yesterday it done it each time I've started the car.

Any ideas whats going on?

I dont have money to throw at it but am fairly handy with a spanner if things need cleaning or replacing.

 

Thanks

[isetta]

you need to have your own fault code reader. Less than twenty quid for a good one . EG. from Tunnelrat.

Good software is Forscan which is free for use on windows or about 6 quid for the app for android/apple.

https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/     price includes UK postage and they usually send them out quick.

lots of people on these Ford forums have one from there and recommend them (including me)

There are cheaper ones available elsewhere and a lot of them are rubbish, but you can't tell until you've got it (I had 2 cheap rubbish ones before buying from Tunnelrat). So I think it's better to have get one from a source someone recommends from first had experience.  I have no connection with Tunnelrat.

 

[WarChild007]

Hi,

My OBD scanner arrived this morning, using Forscan is shows P0380 - Glowplug control circuit (open circuit, short circuit, glow plug relay)

Would I be right in thinking that as it doesn't have any difficulties starting it is prob electrical than a fault with the actual plugs?

The relay seems an easy thing to replace? 

I wouldn't know where to start with a short circuit other than replace the wiring to the plugs I guess?

[TomsFocus]

You've probably got one or more knackered plugs, the way these are linked means when one burns out the rest get stuck on until they burn out too...  The PCM detects a lack of resistance through the plug hence the open circuit fault code.

It might be the relay and definitely worth checking, but I'd still say it'll be plugs. There's probably another identical relay in the fusebox, for the AC compressor maybe, that could be swapped to test.

[WarChild007]

Thanks for your reply.

 

I understand that the plugs are a bit of a nightmare to change?

I checked the relays under the dash and there weren't any exactly the same, so ordered another (only £17 delivered).  If it is the plugs why would it be intermittent when the car is running?  I thought the plugs were only used on start up in cold weather?

[isetta]

I too thought the glow plugs did not do anything after the first couple of minutes of the engine running . So I don't know why it would cause an issue after it's warmed up.

If it was mine I might be tempted to take the connector off each glow plug and measure the ohms of each glowplug to compare them.

I have never removed a glow plug and from the stories of them snapping I never will unless the issue actually stops me using the car at all.

"Would I be right in thinking that as it doesn't have any difficulties starting it is prob electrical than a fault with the actual plugs? "  not sure how cold the temperature needs to be for it not to start if glow plugs were not on.  Do you get any smoke when it starts?

 

[WarChild007]

35 minutes ago, isetta said:

I too thought the glow plugs did not do anything after the first couple of minutes of the engine running . So I don't know why it would cause an issue after it's warmed up.

If it was mine I might be tempted to take the connector off each glow plug and measure the ohms of each glowplug to compare them.

I have never removed a glow plug and from the stories of them snapping I never will unless the issue actually stops me using the car at all.

"Would I be right in thinking that as it doesn't have any difficulties starting it is prob electrical than a fault with the actual plugs? "  not sure how cold the temperature needs to be for it not to start if glow plugs were not on.  Do you get any smoke when it starts?

 

How easy are the plugs to get to?  May have a look at that if the relay doesn't resolve it.

No, I don't get any smoke, the glow plug light comes on very briefly and goes out again.  If it wasn't for the warning light on the dash I wouldn't think there was a problem with it, seems to run fine.

[isetta]

the engine management light being on is an MOT failure if a diesel car was first used on or after 01 July 2008.  Hope yours is before that date.

[WarChild007]

On 9/26/2019 at 7:09 PM, isetta said:

the engine management light being on is an MOT failure if a diesel car was first used on or after 01 July 2008.  Hope yours is before that date.

Mine was reg June 2008

If it is the glow plugs will it just get to a point that the car won't start in the cold?

[TomsFocus]

It will never stop starting in the cold without the glowplugs, they just aren't 'needed' on common rail engines in UK temperatures.  At worst you'll have a longer crank time and a bit of white smoke.

They're mostly used for emissions control on 'modern' cars.  Do you have a DPF?  If so, it won't regen without the glowplugs working which is why they cause limp mode.  Annoyingly, they seem to have left that in the mapping on the cars that don't have a DPF though.

I changed the plugs on my 1.6 version no trouble at all...but it had only done about 60k when they all failed lol.  They weren't seized and came out easily, although I did have to buy a proper glowplug socket, and one with a UJ in to reach one of the plugs.

[WarChild007]

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

It will never stop starting in the cold without the glowplugs, they just aren't 'needed' on common rail engines in UK temperatures.  At worst you'll have a longer crank time and a bit of white smoke.

They're mostly used for emissions control on 'modern' cars.  Do you have a DPF?  If so, it won't regen without the glowplugs working which is why they cause limp mode.  Annoyingly, they seem to have left that in the mapping on the cars that don't have a DPF though.

I changed the plugs on my 1.6 version no trouble at all...but it had only done about 60k when they all failed lol.  They weren't seized and came out easily, although I did have to buy a proper glowplug socket, and one with a UJ in to reach one of the plugs.

Thanks, I don't think mine has a dpf. 

I guess the ease (or not) of removing the plugs is hit and miss.

The new relay switch arrived today but since I cleared the codes with forscan last week its not come back up with a fault.

[WarChild007]

Just to give an update on this.

Since I used Forscan to clear the codes it's not come back. At the same time I removed the relay switch, cleaned contacts with electrical cleaner and re-seated it.

Not sure why, maybe relay was loose or maybe different conditions so it's not happened again.

[WarChild007]

Hi all, car has been running fine after clearing codes until this morning when the engine ran very lumpy. Like it was on 3 cylinders.

I've just run forscan again and it had code P1201 cylinder 1 injector circuit open or shorted.

Beginning to think the issues may be the wiring along the top of the injectors and fuel rail?

 

Any ideas or thoughts?

[Oliververne]

Hi, 

 

ive got a 2008 Ford Fiesta 1.4 Tdci and I used to drive it pretty regularly until recently. Tried to start it yesterday and nothing happened no sound from the starter motor or anything completely dead and then engine management light came on along with a written warning on the dashboard saying “engine high temperature” and this was on a mild day so I didn’t know why it was reading this. I Replaced the battery to try and solve the problem but no joy. I don’t know wether it could be a blown fuse but all the fuses seem visibly okay in the fuse box. Any help to solve this would be greatly appreciated,

cheers!