Flashing Glow Plug Amber

Pilchard said:
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.
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Agreed, that is why I suggested a quick, free attempt at fixing it before you drive anywhere.
But you need to do what you feel is the safest option.
Best wishes
Steve B
 
After cleaning all bulb connections, as advised by kp115, and still no brake lights on the rear corners, I realised... going from the bulk of advice here... it had to be a brake switch prob, which meant taking the covers off below the steering wheel.
What a nightmare... but I did it.
The cover is in 2 parts, the lower in plain finish and upper in textured finish... but they are bonded together and do not come apart.
Torx screw on LHS, a couple of inches above the top of clutch pedal... accessed from below. Another torx screw sneakily hiding to the RHS of the fuse block and only revealed when the top of the vertical plastic cover (which forms a continuous inner sill cover and door hinge pillar) hiding it is squashed or flattened by about 15mm. That torx screw is, again, accessed from below and the fuse block needn't be removed to get to it. Disconnect T-shaped connection at rear end of bonnet release handle by pushing rear of handle up slightly to gain enough slack to gently pull T-connector forward and into the recess in the handle.
The upper part of the textured section has 3 bayonet type tongues that slot into the dash above... one on the left of the wheel, one just right of the wheel and the other just below and slightly to the right of centre of the light switch. The light switch doesn't need to be removed because there is a cut-out in the cover which becomes visible when you start tweaking and bending the cover to horizontally withdraw the the bayonet tongues from the rest of the dash. If the whole thing was perfectly rigid plastic, it wouldn't be possible. Gentle but firm squeezing and bending is the way. The last bit holding it is in the far back RHS corner, but all it is is a white nylon slotted thing that the plastic cover slots into and pulling the whole cover out and to the left frees it. The diagnostic socket releases by gently squeezing top and bottom.
Having now located what can only be the brake light switch... a vaguely rectangular doofer sitting to the left of the upper brake pedal arm... I'm struggling to follow Birchall's recommendation to adjust the plunger on it. What plunger? Can't see or feel anything resembling a plunger. I can't even work out how to remove the switch.
Please help Birchall.
The switch might be fettle-able, but will probably only fail again... so I'm assuming it to be goosed. So sounds like a PM to Special Edition for his generously offered spare... and we'll see how we go from there.
 
Pilchard said:
After cleaning all bulb connections, as advised by kp115, and still no brake lights on the rear corners, I realised... going from the bulk of advice here... it had to be a brake switch prob, which meant taking the covers off below the steering wheel.
What a nightmare... but I did it.
The cover is in 2 parts, the lower in plain finish and upper in textured finish... but they are bonded together and do not come apart.
Torx screw on LHS, a couple of inches above the top of clutch pedal... accessed from below. Another torx screw sneakily hiding to the RHS of the fuse block and only revealed when the top of the vertical plastic cover (which forms a continuous inner sill cover and door hinge pillar) hiding it is squashed or flattened by about 15mm. That torx screw is, again, accessed from below and the fuse block needn't be removed to get to it. Disconnect T-shaped connection at rear end of bonnet release handle by pushing rear of handle up slightly to gain enough slack to gently pull T-connector forward and into the recess in the handle.
The upper part of the textured section has 3 bayonet type tongues that slot into the dash above... one on the left of the wheel, one just right of the wheel and the other just below and slightly to the right of centre of the light switch. The light switch doesn't need to be removed because there is a cut-out in the cover which becomes visible when you start tweaking and bending the cover to horizontally withdraw the the bayonet tongues from the rest of the dash. If the whole thing was perfectly rigid plastic, it wouldn't be possible. Gentle but firm squeezing and bending is the way. The last bit holding it is in the far back RHS corner, but all it is is a white nylon slotted thing that the plastic cover slots into and pulling the whole cover out and to the left frees it. The diagnostic socket releases by gently squeezing top and bottom.
Having now located what can only be the brake light switch... a vaguely rectangular doofer sitting to the left of the upper brake pedal arm... I'm struggling to follow Birchall's recommendation to adjust the plunger on it. What plunger? Can't see or feel anything resembling a plunger. I can't even work out how to remove the switch.
Please help Birchall.
The switch might be fettle-able, but will probably only fail again... so I'm assuming it to be goosed. So sounds like a PM to Special Edition for his generously offered spare... and we'll see how we go from there.
Click to expand...
Assuming your in the right place, turn the thing (clockwise I think) and it will come out. Once you have it out you can fiddle with the plunger. It’s up above the clutch and gear pedals.
 
Think it is anti clockwise, you will see it has a pointed top part like a arrow head, that corrisponds with the hole it comes out of.
 
Erlingtheelder said:
Assuming your in the right place, turn the thing (clockwise I think) and it will come out. Once you have it out you can fiddle with the plunger. It’s up above the clutch and gear pedals.
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Thanks for that. It was anticlockwise... but, turning was the thing. Didn't think of it.
Fiddling with the plunger did nothing. Not installed in the car, or uninstalled but still connected to its terminal block.
The really odd thing though, is that while installed it still operated the red strip in the tailgate, but uninstalled yet still connected... it didn't. So I thought... OK, there's an earth connection on the switch that earths to the steel mounting bracket. But I have it sat next to me in the house, and it's all plastic... no metal other than the 4 prongs that mate with the terminal block. Any explanations? Sorcery?
Anyway... is there a simple test procedure?
 
You could test it with a meter. Probable one or more contacts are burnt and either not making contact or have welded themselves closed. If you have the patience you could disassemble the switch and see what has gone wrong , you may even be able to perform a repair on it . No guarantees as to how long it will last afterwards. Have you replaced both rear bulbs correctly?
 
Pilchard said:
Thanks for that. It was anticlockwise... but, turning was the thing. Didn't think of it.
Fiddling with the plunger did nothing. Not installed in the car, or uninstalled but still connected to its terminal block.
The really odd thing though, is that while installed it still operated the red strip in the tailgate, but uninstalled yet still connected... it didn't. So I thought... OK, there's an earth connection on the switch that earths to the steel mounting bracket. But I have it sat next to me in the house, and it's all plastic... no metal other than the 4 prongs that mate with the terminal block. Any explanations? Sorcery?
Anyway... is there a simple test procedure?
Click to expand...
Basically just press the plunger in and out, clean the contact point and re install. That’s what I did and the problem disappeared.
 
audifan said:
You could test it with a meter. Probable one or more contacts are burnt and either not making contact or have welded themselves closed. If you have the patience you could disassemble the switch and see what has gone wrong , you may even be able to perform a repair on it . No guarantees as to how long it will last afterwards. Have you replaced both rear bulbs correctly?
Click to expand...
I was hoping to do a continuity test, assuming that one of the 4 prongs was the feed, another the earth, and the other two prongs being the pair of brake light bulbs in the lighting clusters and the tailgate strip. But I only just discovered my multimeter don't do continuity.... that's how lecky smart I am.
All prongs are clean and undamaged.
If I disassemble and end up with a random handful of bits springing across the room, I'll end up with not even a tailgate brake-light. There's now one on it's way to me courtesy of Special Edition, so I'll wait 'till I have a working replacement before I potentially destroy this one.
Yes both bulbs inspected, contacts cleaned, and properly re-installed.

One thing that did trigger some cogs going round up top was someone mentioned their radio crackled when they braked... and confirmed a defective brake switch. Mine doesn't when the switch is actuated, but the radio DID... very quietly... crackle slightly when I waggled the disconnected terminal block and wiring loom. I wonder.....

We do have another vehicle... a motorhome... so are not without legal/safe wheels, so I'll wait 'till Special Edition's spare switch arrives before I either start ripping wiring looms out or (more likely) call an auto electrician.

When I passed my test it was legal to use hand signals to indicate slowing down and stopping... and indicators were quaint little illuminated arms that flipped out the door pillar of the car... but even if still legal, I bet that would carry no weight with a rear-end pile-up insurance claim.

Last minute edit...
I have now managed to test the switch on a multimeter to see which of the four prongs were passing current, and it seems that only the middle two do so... regardless of any plunger waggling, while all other combinations of the 4 terminals don't register a thing. This leads me to tentatively conclude that the thing is b****red.... I hope.
 
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Switch arrived today and I bunged it in, but no difference.
Am now suspecting the fault could be whatever in the loom up near the switch that is causing the mild crackling on the radio. There are all the signs that someone not quite as patient or as gentle as me has been "at it" behind these covers, sometime in the past, doing God-knows what... and I reckon it's pointless me aimlessly groping about potentially making matters worse. So it's time to admit my limits.
I've called a very good auto-electrician that sorted an immobiliser fault on my motorhome that had others flummoxed and he said he'd look at it Tuesday or Wednesday this week.
 
You need to set the plunger at the right length so that when you press the brake pedal it pushes the plunger.
Took me a while to get it just right.
 
Replace fuse 30. Before you panic. Some A2s need to be driven around the block to retrain the brake switch to the ABS and traction control systems. During the drive they learn when you are braking or cornering etc. The flashing glow plug light will go off. So take it around the block and report back.
 
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This switch looks the same as in my Mk1 TT. If so, you should not attempt to operate it before fitting. Just take it out of the box, and fit it, with the pedal in the off position. It self adjusts when the pedal is depressed. Fiddling can, and does, render it non functional.
Mac.
 
Good advice, but if this happens (Or as in this case if it is a used one) just manually extend the plunger before fitting.
This for reset the auto adjust (don’t it lots of times)

Steve B
 
Any update? What is and what is not working and what warning on the dash? We are trying to help you.
 
Christ! If I didn't know better, I'd figure you were all "avin-a-larf" at my expense.
I did proddle the switch when I opened the parcel. But the the little plastic VW labelled bag it was in had already been opened so it's likely that Special Edition had had a little proddle... who wouldn't? And there was no protective sleive with strict "Proddlen Verboten" instructions. So I'm hoping that whatever magic this part plays in the curious techie synergy that is Audiworld, it'll sort itself out by a "drive around the block".
I'll ensure the brake pedal is fully up while I refit it, with plunger fully extended by it's internal spring... and see what happens.
It's 2.25pm now. 30 minutes should crack it.... maybe. I'm off.
 
Be careful with the plunger length though. Mine was showing the same EML light but all my lights were working perfectly - as soon as you touched the pedal they all came on.

It seems mine was TOO close and I needed to shorten the plunger a little so there was a little bit of travel on the pedal before it pushed the switch.

That sorted the issue.

Ps. I bought a new switch after the same problems you describe but a bit of contact cleaner and some exercise (plunger fully in and Out a few times) on the current switch (while waiting on delivery) and it’s still fine six months later.


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Well.... done all of that, and no change. No brake lights other than the tailgate strip... glow-plug light on dash still flashing. Fuse 30... the 10amp mini blade for brake lights... removed checked and refitted. I fully extended the ratcheted plunger on the replacement switch before fitting it but discovered it was then too long for the distance between mounting bracket and plunger actuation lever, so had to push it back home again before it would re-fit.
I must be doing something wrong... it can't be this difficult, can it?
The part number on the bag the switch came in reads 1J0-945-511-A. This replacement part has a spring-loaded plunger which will extend by firmly pulling out against an internal ratchet. The original switch seems to have a similar length of plunger but does not extend out further on any internal ratchet.
Just a thought... maybe I should refit the switch with the max amount of ratchetted-out plunger... with pedal depressed (because that opens up the gap not close it against the plunger) and see. Maybe?
 
Careful if you do this as it may then be too long and break when the pedal is released.
The key to understanding the operation is to remember that turning the switch in the mounting bracket locks the plunger in position so when it is depressed, it operates the switch contacts.
I've found the best way is to push the plunger in when the switch is in the bracket so that it extends by around 10mm (pedal pressed down to get clearance), then turn it clockwise to lock. Keep the pedal away from the plunger and manually press to check it doesn't bottom out before releasing the pedal. If it bottoms out, just turn anti-clockwise, press the plunger a little more, re-lock and try again.
You will get it right eventually.
 
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