My flashy red light

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ChrisTriple
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My flashy red light

Post by ChrisTriple »

MidLifeCrisis wrote:
newkid wrote:Hi

The gauge moves correctly, goes past the red light location to about 1 o'clock but then settle back to just past the centre location and stays there even on a long drive.

newkid - if you are confident that the needle is working correctly then the only real source of the problem can be the light and/or the light circuitry in the gauge (which tends to end up being that the capacitor is not working in the light circuitry - the capacitor is the component that is responsible for flashing the LED when you first turn on the ignition); Does the LED flash if you pull the plug out of the coolant level sensor?

ChrisTriple wrote: Sorry to hijack this thread . Have the red light flashy problem, I've cleaned all the earths fitted a new probe in the water tank, swapped the relay 43 (or42 was it) for a known good one. I've even tried a known good dash pod, yet I still can't sort it.
How do I check for the 10volts?
Anything else I can try?

ChrisTriple - What's the actual problem that you are seeing?
What happened when you tried a known good dash?
P.S. Maybe start a new thread! :D



The only problem is the red flashy light won't stop flashing.

With the known good dash it was exactly the same as my dash. So I can rule out the gauge/dash out of the problem
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Mocki
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by Mocki »

The light flashes for two reasons....assuming the dash is all good
1. Over temp - only this if gauge goes right up as well
2. Low coolant level.

If it's over temp, it's either over temp, the sender or a wiring issue.
If it's low coolant level warning it's either the sender , the coolant level or wiring .
More often than not it's a broken wire in the engine bay , internally within the insulation due to hot/ cold hot/ cold and vibration
Steve
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ChrisTriple
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by ChrisTriple »

Thanks for that Steve, once it's stopped raining and hailing for more than ten mins I'll start checking wires in the engine bay :ok
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by jrt »

May sound a bit simple but check the sensor connections are tight. I had a problem with the connector popping of because the rubber sheath on my old female connector is very tight when plugged into the new sensor i fitted a few weeks ago. It would slightly pop off causing flashing light/rising needle- happened again to me this morning- i have to roll back the rubber, plug it in and then roll it back over the connection.
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by ChrisTriple »

Ok now I'm back to full health, I've looked again. If I take the connectors off the sensor on top of the water bottle, the right continues to flash but the temp gauge rises all the way to the right.
If I take the sensor out of the coolant then the temp needle goes all the way to the right.

And the red light still flashes
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ChrisTriple
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by ChrisTriple »

I've checked the wiring in the engine bay.
Fitted a new probe in the water tank
I've checked the wires from the probe to inside the black box in the engine bay, all seems fine.
I've checked the earth from the probe and all seems fine. Cleaned the earth crowns behind the fuse box,
changed relay 43 with a second hand one I bought from someone on here as a known good one.
I've Tried a new dash pod with a known good one, it was exactly the same as the one in the van red flashy light still flashing.

Not sure what I'm missing
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by ChrisTriple »

Well I'm still nowhere with this. I'm beginning to think it's always going to flash
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by ChrisTriple »

Anyone got any ideas please?
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by T3 Ben »

take the sensor out of the tank and clean the 2 probes, this worked for me

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Re: My flashy red light

Post by jrt »

Just to recap-does the light flash all the time or does it come and go and where does the needle sit when it flashes ?
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

jrt wrote:Just to recap-does the light flash all the time or does it come and go and where does the needle sit when it flashes ?
David
WHS ^^^^^^^^

And - can you take out the 43 relay and try it without the relay fitted - does that change anything?
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ChrisTriple
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by ChrisTriple »

T3 Ben wrote:take the sensor out of the tank and clean the 2 probes, this worked for me

already tried that! no joy! but thanks! :ok
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ChrisTriple
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by ChrisTriple »

MidLifeCrisis wrote:
jrt wrote:Just to recap-does the light flash all the time or does it come and go and where does the needle sit when it flashes ?
David
WHS ^^^^^^^^

And - can you take out the 43 relay and try it without the relay fitted - does that change anything?


the light flashes all the time, no matter what I try or do!

I've pulled relay 43 and it still flashes.... it flashes without one and with one.... its driving me mad

the needle sits just to the right of the flashy led without the heating set to cold and 12 o'clock over the flashy light with the heating set to hot
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

OK - So the story so far is ... (let us know if any of the below assumptions are incorrect)
1) The led flashes all the time that the ignition is switched on
2) The needle of the gauge does work correctly (i.e. it moves slowly up to the approx 12o'clock position when the engine has been running for a few minutes)
3) You had the same symptoms when you changed out the dash pod for a known good one from another van.
4) You've removed the 43 relay and have the same symptoms.

Use the below picture as a reference;
Image

So,
a) if the led flashes with the relay removed then you can discount the coolant level probe and wiring to/from it as a culprit (because with the relay removed all of this is unconnected to the gauge)
b) if the led flashes on the 'known good' dash then you can discount any component of the dash/gauge as the culprit (because the two gauge behave the same)
c) the gauge needle works correctly so we can discount the temperature probe and the wiring from the temperature probe to the dash (because the gauge needle is being 'driven' correctly by the temperature probe as it is heated by the coolant)

(I think) that only leaves the ground wiring to the gauge pod??? Or possibly (but more unlikely) the 10volt supply to the gauge.

So;
1) Have you checked that the ground wire(s) to the gauge pod (in the long white connector that connects to the back of the dash) has a good ground connection?
2) And have you measured the 10volt supply to the gauge to ensure that it is a good solid 10volts??
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Re: My flashy red light

Post by jrt »

^^^^^^^^^ sounds like good advice. Just had a search on t'internet, someone with a similar problem resolved it by cleaning the connections behind the guage tightening the brass retaining nuts then running an earth to the van body from the negative terminal.
David
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