Technical Flickering warning triangle !

[philipb82]

Hello

Since i had a new engine fitted i've had the yellow warning triangle with the ! flickering. I had this before with my last engine too. I suspect maybe it could be low oil pressure. However the manual says that the red oil can will light up with the fault message. I get no fault messages with the flickering triangle though. Also my battery is failing and i do need a new one, could this be linked? Am i worrying about nothing or should i get the oil pressure checked?
The car is a JTD. It sometimes starts flickering when the key is in the MAR position.

Just to add: the manual says this triangle could be low oil pressure sensor. Sorry i'm getting confused. Maybe theres a sensor failure somewhere.

Thanks

Phil

 

[philipb82]

Just a general question. If the oil pressure sensor was faulty, would it still notify me if i had low oil pressure?

Phil

 

[Davren]

No it wouldn't. The oil pressure sensor is the only sensor that provides oil pressure information to the ECU.

 

[philipb82]

No it wouldn't. The oil pressure sensor is the only sensor that provides oil pressure information to the ECU.

Right. I've just been down to a garage and i asked him the same question the bloke said yes it would. Anyway they reckon its a short or bad connection in the car, possibly alternator battery, clocks or body computer.

Phil

 

[philipb82]

Anyway if i did happen to have a faulty oil pressure sensor, would that warning triangle be lit solid with the message? It did for the oil level sensor fault, preheat fault and speed limit. So this flickering is something else. Flippin' Stilos!!!

Phil

 

[philipb82]

Sorry to bring this back up again but after months of no flickering triangle light it came on again on holiday. However i'm not really expecting a definitive answer on this one as its puzzled a few people. It may be a problem that just comes and goes. However i think i've found a pattern to when the light flickers. All summer when the weather has been nice - no light. Then on holiday driving in the rain it flickered on. It also comes on after the car has been sat in the rain. When we went to the beach and it was really warm, i went to start the car and no light. Since then the weather has been dry and the light has stayed off. So if thats the case, could something be getting wet causing a short? Then drying out hence the light going out? Just a thought really. I be interested to hear any ideas but like i said i'm not expecting a solution to this.

Thanks
Phil

 

[portland_bill]

Have you read your manual to see what options this light is used for? It would be a good place to start.

On my Panda, this light could be used for water in fuel filter, failure of the fuel filter warning system, and also for an "unspecified failure" which would be described in the display. I think on later vehicles it also flashes when the diesel particulate filter is purging, but I don't have a diesel, so can't be sure.

 

[philipb82]

Have you read your manual to see what options this light is used for? It would be a good place to start.

On my Panda, this light could be used for water in fuel filter, failure of the fuel filter warning system, and also for an "unspecified failure" which would be described in the display. I think on later vehicles it also flashes when the diesel particulate filter is purging, but I don't have a diesel, so can't be sure.

Yes i have read the manual, thats the first thing i did. This warning light should be solidly lit accompanied with a fault message. However in my case the light flickers bright and dim but with no fault message. Thats the problem!

Phil

 

[portland_bill]

Look at all the options in the manual. One of these has got water in the connection causing the flickering light. Find the relevant connections, probably the sensor on the fuel filter and check if it is wet.

When you find the wet one, dry it out thoroughly, but also try to determine how the water got there and prevent it. My guess is it is rain, which should normal drain elsewhere or spray from the roadwheels. (Have you lost an undertray or part of it?)

The fault is more likely to be under the bonnet than under the dash, so find the start of the circuits at the sensors. It will be possible to fix, as they are not all like it.

 

[philipb82]

Look at all the options in the manual. One of these has got water in the connection causing the flickering light. Find the relevant connections, probably the sensor on the fuel filter and check if it is wet.

When you find the wet one, dry it out thoroughly, but also try to determine how the water got there and prevent it. My guess is it is rain, which should normal drain elsewhere or spray from the roadwheels. (Have you lost an undertray or part of it?)

The fault is more likely to be under the bonnet than under the dash, so find the start of the circuits at the sensors. It will be possible to fix, as they are not all like it.

Thanks for your help. Sounds like something could be getting wet. I have no undertray.

Phil

 

[portland_bill]

Did it ever have an undertray? Some manufacturers only fit them to upper range models.

If it is supposed to have one, finding one could be difficult. Scrappers are likely to be broken as part of the crunch that put them there, so could be a long task. Good luck.

 

[Clivvy]

definitely sounds like something is wet mate, obviously you need to find out what but my suggestion is this: get a can of wd40, form the engine bay, spray ALL electrical connectors you can see. then, get under the car and do the same. A good liberal spraying is required on the wires, connectors etc, the WD40 will push out the moisture, as it is a moisture repellent, and of course keep any new moisture at bay.

Ideally, do this when the triangle is doing its thing - just be careful, but the WD40 wont do any damage unless you start spraying injectors etc while the car electrics are on. This way you can spray one thing, check the light, and move on to the next until (hopefully) you find the culprit.

as suggested above though, find out what the triangle represents, and spray the appropriate wires etc...

 

[Clivvy]

also, if you cant find an undertray - make one! all you need is decent thin plastic, drill holes as appropriate and cut to shape.....better than nothing.

 

[portland_bill]

also, if you cant find an undertray - make one! all you need is decent thin plastic, drill holes as appropriate and cut to shape.....better than nothing.

Good idea. Thin plastic will tend to flutter in the air current. Brace it with diagonal stiffeners, small bits of wood will do, glued or screwed.

 

[mhowse]

If you have the water in fuel sensor it connects to the bottom of the fuel filter on the diesel and guess with no undertray could be liable to being prone to water causing error, although with no undertray so could any other connectors.could be worth a check to make sure it is plugged in as not long after getting my car jtd I noticed previous owner had not connected the sensor connector to filter on mine or not properly and had fallen off from vibration..or a filter could be of been fitted that was not suitable for fitting the water in fuel sensor to and the connector is just dangling under the filter.

 

[richydraper]

check the engine fusebox (on top of the battery) for water ingress. if thats not the cause i **THINK** a failing instrument cluster **MAY** give these symptoms

 

[philipb82]

Right I'm going to spray some electric connections as the light came back on today but only very dim and not for long. This morning it came on when I drove about 0.5 miles down the road. So its either getting wet when the car is in motion or when the car is stationary.

Anyway according to the manual the warning light comes on for:

Fuel cut off switch
Low oil level
ABS/ASR/ESP Lamp fault
Oil pressure sensor failure
Daylight sensor failure (Not on my car)
Rain sensor failure (Not on my car)
Parking sensor failure (Not on my car)
Fuel filter sensor failure - like you mentioned portland_bill. Is that underneath the filter, like a black screw cap thing?
Antipinch sensor failure

So I've no idea where these are apart from the fuel filter sensor if it is where I think!

Also as richydraper suggested I'll check the fusebox on top of the battery.

Thanks

Phil

 

[portland_bill]

Right I'm going to spray some electric connections as the light came back on today but only very dim and not for long.

If the light is dim, this suggests something wrong at the instrument cluster, as any sensor failing should result in a clear warning lamp. Any sensor failure will be seen by the ECU, which sends a signal to illuminate the warning lamp. The individual failing sensor should not affect the intensity of the warning lamp. My guess, is that the instrument panel connections need checking.

Anyway according to the manual the warning light comes on for:

Fuel cut off switch
Low oil level
ABS/ASR/ESP Lamp fault
Oil pressure sensor failure
Fuel filter sensor failure - like you mentioned portland_bill. Is that underneath the filter, like a black screw cap thing?
Antipinch sensor failure

So I've no idea where these are apart from the fuel filter sensor if it is where I think!

Phil

Fuel cutoff switch is usually inside the cabin somewhere, your handbook will show where. However, this will usually be on or off, so a failure will stop the fuel supply. I think you'd notice that one.

Low oil level can be checked by looking at the dipstick first. After checking the oil level, (it may be telling the truth), somewhere nearby will be a sensor, someitmes on the dipstick itself, or in the side of the sump. Unlikely to be the issue.

ABS/ASR/ESP Lamp fault. When you turn on the ignition, check these lamps light.

Oil pressure sensor failure. Will also illuminate the oil pressure warning lamp, so as long as that lamp works, that's not the problem.

Fuel filter sensor failure - like you mentioned portland_bill. Is that underneath the filter, like a black screw cap thing?
No. Any sensor will have a wiring connection, so somewhere on the fuel filter you will find this. The black screw is for you to drain the water from the filter occasionally. See your handbook for instructions.

Antipinch sensor failure.
I think something has got lost in the translation. Antipinking sensor? Although I would expect this to be called knock sensor. Will be on the block side somewhere, but is very sensitive to torque settings, too loose or tight will affect its operation. Unlikely to be failing unless there is also some pinking or power loss.
Can't think what else this might mean.

My next job would be to remove the instrument panel and check connections and bulbs.

 

[Davren]

Fuel filter sensor failure - like you mentioned portland_bill. Is that underneath the filter, like a black screw cap thing?
No. Any sensor will have a wiring connection, so somewhere on the fuel filter you will find this. The black screw is for you to drain the water from the filter occasionally. See your handbook for instructions.

The 'water in fuel' sensor is located at the bottom of the fuel filter. It is part of the water drain screw cap.

Antipinch sensor failure.
I think something has got lost in the translation. Antipinking sensor? Although I would expect this to be called knock sensor. Will be on the block side somewhere, but is very sensitive to torque settings, too loose or tight will affect its operation. Unlikely to be failing unless there is also some pinking or power loss.
Can't think what else this might mean..

Antipinch sensors are fitted inside the top of the side window rubber surrounds. They stop the windows rising if there's an obstruction (finger, head etc.) in the way.
.

 

[philipb82]

If the light is dim, this suggests something wrong at the instrument cluster, as any sensor failing should result in a clear warning lamp. Any sensor failure will be seen by the ECU, which sends a signal to illuminate the warning lamp. The individual failing sensor should not affect the intensity of the warning lamp. My guess, is that the instrument panel connections need checking.

It's not always dim, sometimes it glows fairly bright. Could some of the instrument cluster wiring be getting wet? It only seems to illuminate after wet weather. I hope its not the cluster because I don't fancy taking it out and messing about so IF it is that, I'll have to live with it!

Phil