Folks, just picked the bucket up from the garage after it's 168000 service (no, that's no a typo!), all's fine except for an error code that I asked them to find after the engine control light came on a few weeks ago.


The error code is P0380-Plate Heating/Thermostart Relay.


The bloke at the garage was not familiar with the error but has cleared it for me.


The symptoms I got about 3 weeks ago were that the engine turned over but wouldn't fire. The yellow engine warning light along with an error message appeared and after 3 or 4 attempts it fired up. I've not had the problem re-occur since.


Any ideas, if there's a relay that needs replacing any steer on where it is, how much etc?

Must have been a really boring question........!!


However, it happened again this morning. Engine turned over but did not fire until the yellow engine control light came on with the error message. Turned it over a second time and engine fired up although I had to turn it over for few seconds, longer than it would normally take.


Now, I've noticed a couple of things over the last few weeks:


1. On occasions I've had to turn the engine over for a bit longer before it fires up.
2. This seems to be more when it is wet and cold as opposed to just cold.
3. I left the car at the tube station for about 13 hours today, it was colder this evening than it was this morning but the car fired up quickly, first time. This morning it was cold but it was very damp, we'd had a lot of rain yesterday and overnight. This was the case when the error occurred a few weeks ago.
4. I noticed this morning that on the second ime of starting, the yellow glow plug light did not come on at the pre-ignition stage as it normally does. However it did start.


Having done some Googling, the P0380 error code seems to be a generic one. It apparently can apply to the glow plugs or relay. My glow plug light has been flashing for over 2 years and this is the first time I've experienced any starting problems.


I'm trying to decide if it's likely to be the relay, I need to accurately identify said relay test it/price up a new one, or should I get the plugs changed. It seems that informed opinion on here is that new plugs probably aren't needed as the jtd should start without them.


My sense is that the problems and prolonged wet weather are not a coincidence?


Looking forward to some replies please




















4.

I don't have a JTD, but in general, if you want to know if your glowplugs are basically working, you connect a multimeter to each glowplug in turn, put the display in front of the windscreen so that you watch it from the driver's seat and crank the engine.

If they are all under tension when they should be, a second quick test is to measure their resistance.

If there is sufficient voltage at the right moment and a credible resitance, then something must be getting hot.

nuddmann said:

Must have been a really boring question........!!


However, it happened again this morning. Engine turned over but did not fire until the yellow engine control light came on with the error message. Turned it over a second time and engine fired up although I had to turn it over for few seconds, longer than it would normally take.


Now, I've noticed a couple of things over the last few weeks:


1. On occasions I've had to turn the engine over for a bit longer before it fires up.
2. This seems to be more when it is wet and cold as opposed to just cold.
3. I left the car at the tube station for about 13 hours today, it was colder this evening than it was this morning but the car fired up quickly, first time. This morning it was cold but it was very damp, we'd had a lot of rain yesterday and overnight. This was the case when the error occurred a few weeks ago.
4. I noticed this morning that on the second ime of starting, the yellow glow plug light did not come on at the pre-ignition stage as it normally does. However it did start.


Having done some Googling, the P0380 error code seems to be a generic one. It apparently can apply to the glow plugs or relay. My glow plug light has been flashing for over 2 years and this is the first time I've experienced any starting problems.


I'm trying to decide if it's likely to be the relay, I need to accurately identify said relay test it/price up a new one, or should I get the plugs changed. It seems that informed opinion on here is that new plugs probably aren't needed as the jtd should start without them.


My sense is that the problems and prolonged wet weather are not a coincidence?


Looking forward to some replies please




















4.

Click to expand...

Did you ever discover the issue? I have exactly the same problem!