Mk 6 transit glow plug light flashing - electrical problem?

[steadman0]

Hi, I am new here looking for some help so apologies in advance if anything in my post is wrong.

So, I have a MK 6 2002 SWB Transit and I am having an issue where the glow plug light flashes and this causes the van to go into limp mode.

I took it to a mechanic but they were unable to read any codes from it but told me that it is the EGR valve. So before buying a new one and changing it, I took it out and cleaned it and then put it back together and used a can of EGR cleaner spray. This didn't solve the issue. A few days later when installing a new stereo in the van, the issue seemed to have gone. The light didn't come on and I had full power, this only lasted until I turned off the engine though, then the problem came back.

Went back to the mechanic and explained that I had cleaned the EGR valve and it had not solved the issue, he then told me that it could be an issue with the wiring loom. This would explain the strange temporary fix that plugging in a stereo seemed to cause.

I was told that it would still be fine to drive and wouldn't do any damage, I would just be stuck in limp mode all of the time. Since then the alternator went so I had to have that changed but unfortunately it didn't solve my main problem, however I'm now thinking that maybe the electrical problem (if that's what it is) might have been what caused the alternator to go in the first place? Also, it now seems that when driving at night with my lights on, the gauges don't seem to light up as bright as they used to?

So I'm just wondering if any of you have experienced a problem like this before? After searching online, nearly all posts seem to point to EGR or throttle pedal being the issue.

I will try and find sometime to at the wiring loom tomorrow, could that cause the problem? Maybe something is corroded I figure?

Anyway, any help or advice would be helpful in regards to where to look or any tests that can be done to rule out other things that could cause the problem. I would love to get full power back.

Thanks for reading.

[njw1]

I reckon it may have just been a coincidence that your egr decided to work properly when you fitted the stereo, what I would check is the little solenoid valve mounted on the front valance above the radiator that connects to the egr via a vacuum pipe, the electrical connector on it is prone to corroding and the valve itself can also suffer water ingress if it's not clipped together properly. If this all looks ok then it's more than likely the egr at fault.