Hi all,

apologies if this is an old chestnut, but I have spent hours now trawling the internet to try and find an answer...

Our 140 bhp 2.0 diesel only ever flashes the glow light momentarily when starting, we've just got the vehicle and it's still in warranty but I don't want to get mucked about by the dealer.

The plugs are clearly not warming (at all I'd say) and as the days are getting cooler, it's not getting better.

I've checked the fuses and they're fine, is there anything else I can do?

Thinking of buying a fault code reader off ebay as it's gonna cost at least as much as letting a garage have a look.

TIA, Elliot.

You have 1998 in your avatar but assume you mean 2008 as it's a TDCI?

The glowplugs are used even in warm weather as they help control the emissions during starting but obviously they are only on for a very short time.

It's possible yours have simply burned out. They don't always last the life of the engine but to be honest I wonder if there is actually a problem. The glowplug light does not stay illuminated because its operation is so short so maybe you are looking for a problem that doesn't exist.

if the light is staying on its worth pulling the plugs out and giving them a clean (or even replacing them). But the issue is equally likely to be the relay.

Start off by accessing the trip computer.

Turn the engine off and then press and hold OK, do not let go, and start the engine.

You will have to excuse the fact that my video below starts the right way and ends up on its side, but when you get into test mode, you can continue to press OK as I did, until you get to DTC's

What codes do you see?

What the video here

Thanks guys, I'll go and do the fault code process now, the car is indeed a 2008, sorry.

The plugs aren't heating at all, the light flashes on for a split second, my '58 plate transit shows the light for a second or so under the same conditions. The only fault I can find commonly is where the glow light flashes indicating a fault.

I'm assuming the glow plugs and injectors are in the same place? Not used to working on these at all, more a VW flat four person :)

DTC's are:

F00616

C41568

C41668

Thank you.

Ideally you need a proper code reader to really know what it is, the F
code I couldnt find anything for, that would need to be translated by
Ford IDS into a usable vcode, or if you get a code reader, you can get
the plain english version.

The C codes are ABS
related, seems like the data is not communicating properly. I would be
tempted to say that you need to check for water ingress in the
fuseboxes, and make sure that the fuses are all OK.

Then these codes need clearing to see if they come back.

Have a look at my signature and click "Got an error on your car?" and this will tell you what you need to know.