Flashing warning lights

Forum: 

I have an ‘N’ reg Fourtrak diesel van. Like me it’s showing its age. It has flashing warning lights, similar to the problem reported by Richard p on 26/11/2010. On my van the fan belt is tight and the battery is being charged.
As I drive along, 3 warning lights flash on and off for a few seconds. Then they go off. This is repeated during the journey. The warning lights are brake, charging and oil plug. On other occasions I can drive the same route for days, even weeks, without a flashing light. The van is driven every day along a rough, unmade farm track for about a mile. The lights have never flashed there, suggesting the problem is not a loose wire. The wiring diagram shows the wires from those 3 lights are linked by diodes (I found a web site that explained the symbols). So there is a physical connection between them.
My garage had the van for 2 weeks before admitting defeat. The one useful thing they did was clean some badly tarnished connections to a relay ‘just under the bonnet’. That’s the mechanic’s description; I’ve no idea how to recognise a relay. Afterwards the lights still flash, but far dimmer. They had done something significant. I took the van, the wiring diagram and a brief explanation to an auto electrician. He had it for a day and drove it around. Because the lights wouldn’t flash he couldn’t do anything to help.
I’ll have to take the van to another garage, but suspect it will only be fixed if I can tell them what’s causing the problem. Has anybody any ideas please?
Thank you

Whats the oil plug light,

Whats the oil plug light, never seen one of those? or do you mean the water in the diesel warning light which indicates water in the fuel filter.

Undo the fuel filter bung on the bottom, drain it out into a glass jar, tighten, undo bleed nipple and pump the plunger to bleed out any air, then start and run the engine. Let the contents of the jar settle and see how much water you have drained out as the water and diesel will seperate out and the diesel will float on top of the water.

Flashing lights

Sorry, oil plug should have read fuel drain. I get easily confused. Thanks for the advice. I'll try as soon as the weather allows. It has been awful for days. If there is some water in the fuel, will that affect the other 2 lights? All 3 lights flash in unison, which is why I'd assumed it was an electrical problem.

Dan

They can do as they are all

They can do as they are all earth switched, drain the fuel filter and bleed it and see how it goes, if not them you potentially have a wiring problem or a faulty switch in the fuel filter base.

Flashing lights

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Under the bonnet is a mystery to me. I got as far as the fuel filter housing and noticed the connector to the switch was flapping in the breeze. I joined it to the other half and haven't had a flash since (if you'll excuse the expression). Should it really have taken a garage 2 weeks not to notice that?
Thanks for your help

Dan

Flashing warning lights

I have had exactly the same problem.
Draining the fuel filter had absolutely no effect.
I fixed it by replacing the Voltage Regulator - £15ish - a 2 minute job; just 2 bolts and wiring block to disconnect and reattach to bulkhead.