Flashing Glow Plug Amber

P

Pilchard

Member
I've just read the "before you ask for HELP" thread, but I'm going to post this anyway and wait for the chorus of "do a VCDS scan" screamed at me.
It came on today and it drove OK for the 15 miles remaining to get home. Parked up... engine off... started her up again and.... no warning light.
I sat there and read the book which says the flashing glow-plug amber is telling me I have an engine management fault.
I've also had an occasional ABS fault light come up, and... only the other day a red light coolant temp light came up: but that light was in fact telling me I had very low coolant level, so I bunged a half litre of tap water in to bring it up to minimum and will bang some coolant concentrate in when I get hold of some.

So my question is... how likely is this to be engine management gremlins? Or should I take it somewhere that knows the dark arts of VCDS?
 
Have someone check all three BRAKE light are working while you press the brake pedall!! The flashing glow light normally refers to failed brake light bulbs or failed brake light switch.
 
>>So my question is... how likely is this to be engine management gremlins? Or should I take it somewhere that knows the dark arts of VCDS?
[/QUOTE]

Having just experienced the same - @audifan is almost certainly on the right track regarding the brake light bulbs and switch : VCDS or an ODB scan will probably return the message 'Brake light switch, signal implausible' or similar - mine did, and the brake lights did not come on when pedal was pushed having got home with the flashing glowplug signal. The act of trying (and failing) to remove the trim to replace the switch presumably shook it up a bit, as the glow plug light went away afterwards, and the brake lights subsequently started working again - but only two of them, revealing that a bulb had blown (and probably triggered the implausible signal warning). Replaced this and all back to normal again - interestingly the crackle of radio interference caused by touching the brake pedal for the past few months has also stopped.
 
Bingo!
Thank you audifan and Robin-Cox.... that'll be it!
Shortly after I first got the car, only about 1500 miles ago, my wife told me I had an O/S brake light out. When I got round to taking the bulb out I found that there was nothing wrong with it and, on holding down the pedal with a stick jammed against the steering wheel, then found that the light had begun working anyway. Poor connection somewhere I thought, and let it go.
Yesterday... after being followed by a biker for a few miles on a narrow Lake District road who then pulled level with me at an idiotic Chelsea Tractor traffic snarl-up... he informed me first that he thought I was a very good driver (sucks to you wifey sat next to me at the time) and then that I had a brake light out.
So... under certain circumstances the A2 calls a brake light failure an Engine Management problem rather than a bulb icon with a cross?

Anyway, it's better news than what I'd been dreading.
I'll take the bulb out... again... and check, but am not expecting it to be blown.
 
The stop light bulb can be put in incorrectly. It is not the best bulb holder! So if the bulb is ok just check carefully when you insert it.

If the system does not sense that the brake is being pressed and yet it senses a deceleration it throws MANY warning lights on because it sense a safety issue (I.e. a brake issue)

So it tries to get you to stop using the car.
Hence it lights up like a Christmas tree!

If the stop bulbs fail, or if the brake light switch is failing you can normally tell because the error goes away when you restart and then only shows up again if you use the brakes. If the lights are coming on even if you haven’t pressed the brakes while moving, then it could be another issue.

Steve B
 
Birchall said:
The stop light bulb can be put in incorrectly. It is not the best bulb holder! So if the bulb is ok just check carefully when you insert it.

If the system does not sense that the brake is being pressed and yet it senses a deceleration it throws MANY warning lights on because it sense a safety issue (I.e. a brake issue)

So it tries to get you to stop using the car.
Hence it lights up like a Christmas tree!

If the stop bulbs fail, or if the brake light switch is failing you can normally tell because the error goes away when you restart and then only shows up again if you use the brakes. If the lights are coming on even if you haven’t pressed the brakes while moving, then it could be another issue.

Steve B
Click to expand...
I've discovered that if I just switch on ignition and touch nothing... 30 seconds later that flashing glo-plug warning comes up.

Anyway...I checked the bulbs this AM and... not only were no bulbs blown, but both O/S & N/S are not working now. The red strip in the tailgate works though.
Then I set off somewhere local and was surprised to find for the first couple of miles there was no flashing glo-plug warning on the dash, then it came on. It came on and stayed on for the return trip home too.
I hate erratic faults.
The next time the warning stays off, I'll have to see if brake pedal, handbrake, or deceleration triggers it. But no brake lights in either light cluster isn't something I'm happy driving around with.
 
Pilchard said:
I've discovered that if I just switch on ignition and touch nothing... 30 seconds later that flashing glo-plug warning comes up.

Anyway...I checked the bulbs this AM and... not only were no bulbs blown, but both O/S & N/S are not working now. The red strip in the tailgate works though.
Then I set off somewhere local and was surprised to find for the first couple of miles there was no flashing glo-plug warning on the dash, then it came on. It came on and stayed on for the return trip home too.
I hate erratic faults.
The next time the warning stays off, I'll have to see if brake pedal, handbrake, or deceleration triggers it. But no brake lights in either light cluster isn't something I'm happy driving around with.
Click to expand...
Sounds very like the switch to me. Not the nicest of jobs but a very DIY’able one (genuine switches are about £26 from Audi) and there you is a full guide on here to do it which I managed to successfully follow. It may be it just needs a clean n jiggle and the old one will spark back into life.
 
It is most likely to be the brake switch on the way out.

One thing that you can try is as follows.

Get to the brake pedal and locate the plunger of the brake switch that activates the switch.
You should remove the panel under the steering column to get to it.

Press the brake pedal down with one hand and with the other hand ease the plunger of the switch out toward the brake pedal (they automatically adjust via a ratchet on the plunger).
Once it has been extended slightly it my buy you a little time while you get a new one.

Steve B
 
Birchall said:
It is most likely to be the brake switch on the way out.

One thing that you can try is as follows.

Get to the brake pedal and locate the plunger of the brake switch that activates the switch.
You should remove the panel under the steering column to get to it.

Press the brake pedal down with one hand and with the other hand ease the plunger of the switch out toward the brake pedal (they automatically adjust via a ratchet on the plunger).
Once it has been extended slightly it my buy you a little time while you get a new one.

Steve B
Click to expand...
On my Galaxy mk2 In the owners manual it tells you to take it to the dealers immediately believe it or not!
Same engine & electronics.
 
I could send you my spare working brake light switch for free covering the cost of postage if it helps eliminate the fault.
 
kp 115 said:
On my Galaxy mk2 In the owners manual it tells you to take it to the dealers immediately believe it or not!
Same engine & electronics.
Click to expand...

They are correct of course, brakes are not to be messed with. But all we are doing in this case is getting the brake lights to work,

Steve B
 
Not to mention that if there are brake problems, “Taking it to a dealer” is not great advice!!!!

Driving a car with brake problems???

Steve B
 
That is probably why they made the glow plug light flash and not one of the brake symbols. Avoids panic but gets the car to the dealer.
 
Erlingtheelder said:
Sounds very like the switch to me. Not the nicest of jobs but a very DIY’able one (genuine switches are about £26 from Audi) and there you is a full guide on here to do it which I managed to successfully follow. It may be it just needs a clean n jiggle and the old one will spark back into life.
Click to expand...
Any chance of a link to the guide you used? It'll save me getting lost maybe.
 
Pilchard said:
That's a really kind offer, which I might take you up on. Let me have a bit of a poke around with the pedal first and I'll let you know.
Click to expand...
Hi pilchard,
May be worth a look at brake light bulbs, I’ve had a similar problem & mine I discovered that the solder contacts on the bulbs were worn away at the point of contact with the holder arm, I can only assume mileage related as upon checking reversing & indicators showed similar wear patterns all replaced & now working correctly.
Hth
Keith
 
Birchall said:
Not to mention that if there are brake problems, “Taking it to a dealer” is not great advice!!!!

Driving a car with brake problems???

Steve B
Click to expand...
Yes I know Birchall, but I'm old school. You wouldn't believe the unsafe old wrecks I've driven in my very long driving life... miles and years... all sorts of sheds on wheels from M/C's to trucks. Never had an accident.... yet. It's the driver that creates the safety... not the car. But yes... not a very wise thing driving with no brake lights, just the tailgate strip.
 
kp 115 said:
Hi pilchard,
May be worth a look at brake light bulbs, I’ve had a similar problem & mine I discovered that the solder contacts on the bulbs were worn away at the point of contact with the holder arm, I can only assume mileage related as upon checking reversing & indicators showed similar wear patterns all replaced & now working correctly.
Hth
Keith
Click to expand...
Good point! Will check and clean all bulb contacts this afternoon before I start grubbing around at the brake pedal. Checking the simple stuff first is always a good plan.
 
audifan said:
That is probably why they made the glow plug light flash and not one of the brake symbols. Avoids panic but gets the car to the dealer.
Click to expand...
Good point. But I was panicking anyway... at the prospect of complicated and expensive engine management problems.
 
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