Glow plug light came on while driving, and…

the car topped out at 50 mph in a 70 zone. It drove the rest of the way home with no real issues, except that it was slower to respond to accelerator input, and the glow plug light stayed on.

Assuming one or more plugs need to be replaced, and clue as to how much I might be looking at? Just a ball park figure would be helpful.

The car is a 2008 Jaguar X Type 2.0.

This is probably no help whatsoever but I’ve a 1973 Land Rover and can reliably say that none of it’s Glow Plugs have needed replacing.

sounds like injector trouble . but im no expert

The coil looking light? Can be many things, and your car went into limp mode due to the signal given to ECU. Get a diagnostic check done by a trusted garage, every chance it’ll be something simple such as EGR valve, or some other sensor.

The glow plug light is the EML on that machine. So, its not telling you you have a glow plug problem, its telling you that there’s some kind of fault.

Step 1 is getting the codes read. If you haven’t got one, a bluetooth EOBD adapter, and a quick download of Torque to your (I’m assuming you have one) smartphone is the cheapest way to go.

As above. It went into limp mode, could be anything from something pricey like a high pressure fuel pump, to something cheap like a duff sensor.

EGR valve. Link below is fir mondeo but essentially the same engine and electronics.

http://www.talkford.com/community/topic/135835-flashing-glow-plug-light-egr/

@codybrennan, do you have any suggestions as to which OBD adaptor I should get? I just searched, and the array available is bewildering!

Here’s the one I use: v reliable.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0185GE8GM/ref=pe_385721_51767431_TE_dp_1

….I should have said:

the best free OBD app out there is Torque, and AFAIK its Android only. I keep an old Andy phone just for using it. (I’ve paid for the ‘Pro’ version, was only £5 or so).

If you’ve an iPhone (my main phone is), then I haven’t yet discovered a good alternative.

Bought. Thanks.

One more question:

Because the OBD adaptor won’t get here until Monday, will it be safe to use the car in town over the weekend?

Sorry, I went to bed…..long day/week.

Without the codes its hard to tell, but as long as the oil and coolant, etc, are all ok, and it starts and runs, I’d drive it- but not over great distances- just in case.

As above, nothing to do with glow plugs. And ignore people who tell you with sweeping confidence what the problem is.

Could be something simple, d be something not. I’ve had limp mode because the boost pressure sensor was reading incorrectly.

Glow plugs wouldn’t cause those issues. Sounds like a fuel feed problem but no idea what.

I reckon your big end is broken.

Torque…A random code generator to make motorfactors more money i think.

Not once has it given a codei issue in the same area as my lexia.so i don’t trust it

That’s going to be alot of money people wasted throwing parts at a car because computer said so.

U340 was better than torque tbh

Although it’s probably more accurate than “sounds like a fuel problem” mind you.

Similar thing on Audi A3 recently. Quite scary as on a motorway at the time, all I could see was artics getting bigger in rearview mirror as the car chugged along as we tried to make the next exit. After a few minutes shut down it would clear from the dash and car returned to normal. On holiday at the time so took it in to an Audi garage, charged me £175 to read the codes and reset, also gave me a list of other stuff that they thought needed doing, £1400, which had £58 for a pair of wiper blades! Limped home from York to Salisbury, had to stop 7 times to try and clear the light. Used Torque with ODB reader, gave same fault code as the garage. Issue was a faulty injector in my case, cost £540 to replace, along with the injector harness at my local independent specialist, would not venture anywhere near a main dealer so no idea how much they would fleece me to fix it. As others have said, get the codes checked as it could be one of many issues causing the fault. Good luck!

I’ve seen conflicting reports on whether F Super/Formidable (the Ford home diagnostic tool) works on an X-type TDCI, but if it does work, it’s brilliant, a totally different beast to torque… Not expensive either. It’s saved me ridiculous sums of money. Injector recoding, live engine tracking, reliable fault coding and clearing…

Again a question here of “when is an x-type not a mondeo” so, pinch of salt, but if it were 100% a mondeo tdci then glow plug light gives you a list of faults a mile long, none of which are glow plug related. (and I think possibly a P0251 code which is “general ennui”)

So… It’s not glow plugs we know that. Often it’s cam or crank sensor and that should throw a code but that usually causes the engine to cut out, not limp (also causes one of the gauges to go mental, tach IIRC, can’t remember). It can be EGR valve or choked up intake manifold but that usually comes with violent shuddering on part throttle. It can be MAF but usually that causes lurching/dropping accelerating out of flat throttle. And it can be spectacular injector failure but that’d cause smoke… I don’t think it’s boost sensor as that’s not usually so consistent.

(is it making noise? A burst boost pipe could cause this from the loss of boost, though it’d usually cause fine smoke too, and doesn’t usually cause a light. If it were 100% a mondeo I’d say look at the intercooler to egr hose because they always split but again, don’t know if it applies to the jag)

“some sort of fuel system” or “turbo actuator/vanes issue” is what I’d put my money on, but not very much money. I think you’ll have the electronic actuator and that usually causes flashing light not solid if it fails outright but if the vanes are clogged up with carbon that has a similar affect but without the hardware failure. It’s a classic for these cars especially if not thrashed.

If you’ve an iPhone (my main phone is), then I haven’t yet discovered a good alternative.

Yeah iPhone doesn’t do Bluetooth Serial so can’t talk to those OBD adapters. Instead I just use a laptop that has Bluetooth on it – there is a fair bit of PC-based OBD software out there too. Including some hokey copies of official stuff (apparently).

It could be ANYTHING at this stage, seriously. A popular one on VWs is sticky turbo vanes causing overboost leading to protective limp mode.

Just realised that in addition to VCDS that might be able to read your fault codes SaxonRider I also have what I think is a generic OBDII reader that I bought for the Toyota, that might also work.

Yeah iPhone doesn’t do Bluetooth Serial so can’t talk to those OBD adapters.

I’ve no idea about iDevices, but noticed there was a Wi-Fi version of the adapter on that Amazon link above. (Creates its own hotspot I think, you don’t need to park up in your living room.)

OBDLink make a wifi adaptor as well.

Again, not a diagnosis but when my glow plug lights came on in my Civic it was a warning about impending crankshaft sensor failure. When it failed, it was here, at rush hour, on the third lane:

https://goo.gl/maps/RkhvTDai3XN2

Up to you whether you drive it or not but either way something is going to need fixed, personally I’d just speak to whoever is going to do the work and get them to diagnose it.

Doesn’t look much like a civic to me squirellking

While your waiting for your OBDII reader have a try of the following.

Jag X Type(and fords of Similar era) have built in diagnostic mode, follow the link below to access it.
http://www.bluejag.co.uk/X-Type%20Instrument-cluster-diagnostics.php

Once your in you should be able to read off any DTC’s shown which might give you a insight into whats going wrong.

Not as comprehensive as what a decent code reader should show but costs nowt except your time.

Sorry Saxon rider but the glow plug light coming on is an injector fault. It indicates a problem with the injection so your car drops to limp mode. The glow plugs are fine. Very common problem on the ford duratech diesel. It senses under load if the mixture is too lean and to protect the engine it drops into limp mode. It will do it more under load in a higher gear. New injector time me thinks. It wrote my Mondeo off. Uneconomical repair. I tried a new EGR valve made no difference and wasted £120.00

Sorry Saxon rider but the glow plug light coming on is an injector fault.

You know that for a fact on this particular car? That nothing else causes the glow plug light?

I had this with a mondeo, it was indeed an injector fault 🙁

A brand new injector for these cars costs about £150 and takes 10 minutes to fit, so how it writes off a car I don’t know. Not that the glow plug light is a good indicator for this fault anyway.

Inbred456 – Member
Sorry Saxon rider but the glow plug light coming on is an injector fault. It indicates a problem with the injection so your car drops to limp mode. The glow plugs are fine. Very common problem on the ford duratech diesel. It senses under load if the mixture is too lean and to protect the engine it drops into limp mode. It will do it more under load in a higher gear. New injector time me thinks. It wrote my Mondeo off. Uneconomical repair. I tried a new EGR valve made no difference and wasted £120.00

No, thats not correct. The GPL is the EML on this model. And many others.

Ok I’m being a bit pedantic but from past experience with this engine, I had exactly the same problem and symptoms. 3 injectors were knackered. Garage carried out a leak test. So it made sense to replace all four. Garage bill was circa £1k. Problem is if the pump is starting to fail and breaking down it dumps crap into the injectors. New injectors wouldn’t last long. It’s a bit of a gamble really. If you can fit them yourself and code them in then fair enough. One other thing, if injectors fail the engine management can compensate with the other cylinders so if the light comes on you probably have more than one failing because the mixture is read in the exhaust . The management can’t tell which injector has failed you need a leak test for that. I hope it’s something else but I doubt it.

How many Mondeos do you see with that duratech engine in these days say compared with early Vw’s. Hardly any it’s just not worth the risk. Shame it was a great car. If I had the 2.2 I might of taken the risk and had them done.

How many old Mondeo’s do you see period……

Dmfs and rust killed them off in the most part.

Engines/injectors were not that notorious and common as hell easy to replace.

Mine had no rust and the clutch was fine. We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. In my opinion it was injector failure and the pumps braking up due to low sulphur diesel that finished these off. Shame it was a superb car and I wish I’d bought mine earlier and had it a bit longer.

Doesn’t look much like a civic to me squirellking

Nor me.

My point was it could be any number of issues, the rest was an anecdote related to “just driving with it” without getting it checked. Being stranded on top of Hillington junction with cars flying past at 70odd a couple of feet away with my daughter in the back wasn’t the highlight of my day.

:):D a convienant berlingo allowing me to mock your civic

I’ll give you that the pumps were terrible. Shit fuel made a huge difference. But Tinas will tell you all day long that all fuel is the same……Yet on tesco fuel the 2.0tdci engine runs like a lumpy bag of spanners…..Get some BP in there and it sweet as a nut. – go figure.

Fwiw injectors do have a service life and require servicing – and are not rediculous complicated but the test equipment is pricy and requires alot of investment. – but convienantly like timing chains it’s generally long enough that people tend to either forget or neglect to pay and just chance it – then say it’s the cars fault when it ruins the car.