What can make the glowplug light flash/be on

[6011]

I only recently put my 88 jetta td on the road. I Was driving it today and for a while after the second start (already pretty warm) My glow plug light flashed and or stayed on for several seconds. It stopped after 2 or 3 minuts. I read some where that it can mean water in the water separater but I really don't think that is the case. Is there anything else that would light it? My old 85 ford PU with the 6.9 diesel used to clycle the plugs for the first few minuts of driving to help it warm up. The light would come on when it did so. Do the VWs do that too?

Also, I hear a lot of people remove the water separater, Why?

[burn_your_money]

Here is why I deleted mine
http://vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=7353

 :shock:

I've never heard of the GPs coming one after the engine has gone through the start up phase. My GP light is also flashing on every now and again, it might be the wires to the deleted seperator shorting out

[jolotter]

By "deleted" do you mean removed.  Those pics in the other post seem like a good reason to keep th water separator on.  I wouldn't want that crud in my IP.

[Vincent Waldon]

Yup, except that keeping crud out of the IP is the filter's job... not the water separator.  I think Tyler's point is that over time it fills up with crud on its own and since there's very little water in today's diesel it's a safe delete.

By the time it gets to the stage it is flashing on its own you'll probably find that the sensor is crudded up... if it's like mine it gives all kinds of false alarms, confuses my significant other, blocks me seeing what the glow plug relay is actually doing, and is generally a royal pain.  Snip snip went the wires.


Vince

[Darth Garry]

Not to sound like an idiot, but is there a water separator in my Truck?  It's an 81 Diesel.  I thought the water separator was built into my filter (has a bleed valve on the bottom.  Do some cars have a separate water separator?

Thanks,

Garry

[jtanguay]

Not to sound like an idiot, but is there a water separator in my Truck?  It's an 81 Diesel.  I thought the water separator was built into my filter (has a bleed valve on the bottom.  Do some cars have a separate water separator?

Thanks,

Garry

it should be close by to the diesel tank.  and basically look like what burn showed in his thread above.  there is a cap you just unscrew and have a pale under your vehicle.

i was also wondering.. is there any way of closing some sort of valve to just drain the water seperator, or i need to drive my car super low on fuel, then drain & refill???

[Darth Garry]

I definately don't have one on my truck then!  From the fuel tank it's a straight shot to the fuel filter in the engine compartment.

Garry

[burn_your_money]

I don't think mk1s had them, only mk2s. But I could be wrong.

When I deleted mine I was at 3/16th of a tank and I lost very, very little fuel. Defintily not enough to worry about or even get me wet.

Yes my point was that with age it fills with crap, and you can't really remove it. As it clogs up it puts more strain on the IP, and also causes air leaks

[55mpg06]

If I remember correct, don't the VW Bosch diesel fuel filters have a sort-of water seperator in them aswell? There is the screw on the top to loosen (80? -89) or the pin and funny hose conector to remove (90-97TD?) and then you turn a plastic knob on the bottom of the filter to let the water to drain out. I use a heavey zip-lock freezer bag since that is what fits between it and the air box. I could be wrong but that is what I always understood it to be.

[burn_your_money]

You are correct 55mpg06 although I can't confirm or deny the dates

[jtanguay]

yep the bosch filters (newer?) have a water seperator in them(water sinks to the bottom anyways).  hook up a hose to the bottom and unscrew to drain.  but i would suspect that the rear filter be disgusting.

[RabbitJockey]

one time mine filled up with water somehow, and that made it blink

[tylernt]

I've never heard of the GPs coming one after the engine has gone through the start up phase.

Some Mk2s (not sure which ones TD vs N/A vs Eco) do this. There is a 2-3 minute afterglow cycle, and the extra load on the alternator has been known to cause belt squeeling on A/C cars.

[burn_your_money]

Good to know, thanks

[Darth Garry]

In my pickup truck, the glow plug light used to flash randomly, more often when there was a higher electrical load.  Well, one day I replaced the transmission and the blink went away.  My only guess is that since I powdercoated/clearcoated everything in the engine bay there was a poor ground somewhere and current was backfeeding through the relay/light.

Garry