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What does a blinking "Glow Plug" on a 99.5 Jetta TDI mean?

I have a 99.5 Jetta TDI, 73K. I just purchased in June and it looks like the car was maintained well (a lot of records).

Anyway, I just started seeing a blinking Glow Plug light while driving. It is continuously, and does not blink out a specific code. Does this mean a bad glow plug, or something else. The manual just says "Take it to a VW dealer ASAP (it did not say quit driving immediately or anything like that) but I would like to get an idea is this is user-servicable or if I should prepare to do the "ankle grab" of taking a car to a dealer. I do not like the thought of that because it will be $$$ and I'll probably be without the car for a while. I live in Tallahassee, FL and there isn't a good pool of any specialties in town, let alone a good diesel mechanic even at a dealer. I have heard horror stories.

TIA,

Mike

Reply to
Mike Smith
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Here's your FREE advice. It means there is a fault in the TDI engine management system. Most likely you got a glow plug system problem. But without knowing the fault code it can't be fixed here. Drive up to Pennsylvania and I will fix it!

Reply to
Woodchuck

On my 91 Diesel it meant the water separator needed to be drained...but it never has actually gone off on mine. I'm guessing it means something else on your high tech diesel!

Reply to
Tony Bad

Reply to
Rob Guenther

my '86 means water in the separator. fred's tdi says can be a brake light or switch in the later models.

Reply to
northwind

When it happened to me it was the "brake light switch" which did not work. With VAG-COM you can get a code which gives the reason for the blinking glow plug light.

Reply to
Ernest

Reply to
Rob Guenther

IRC, a steady (countinously lit) glow plug light indicates a problem with the glow plugs and a blinking light indicates a problem with the brake lights - one may be out.

--Andy

Reply to
Andrew

You guys were right, none of them are working so I am suspecting a switch. Are these things cheap and easy to change out?

Reply to
Mike Smith

You will only have voltage to the glow plugs when coolant temperature is under 50*F.

Reply to
Woodchuck

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Jim B.

Reply to
jimbehning

Reply to
Rob Guenther

I ordered it and it will be in Thursday.

How do I find that out? I step on the clutch and start right up so any switch/sensor that controls that works just fine. I am not sure that is a good test or not.

When the problem exists (It is intermittant) the brake lights definitely do not go on. I am not convinced it is the switch.

I used to have a similar problem with an 89 Thunderbird, Dealer could never find the problem. I had to disconnect the brake lights to get the car started and drive home (They weren't working anyway unless you really mashed the brakes and I ended up breaking the drivers seat in the process.).

Reply to
Mike Smith

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