Need help with flashing glow plug and cel.

Hi my 2003 jetta wagon 195k,auto has had the flashing glow plug and cel on since i bought it 6k ago. I had a bunch of work done to it. New tb and pumps to go with it. All new filters when i bought it. It started to buck a few times after i bought it but only rarely on the highway. Had all the work done and told the mechanic about the buck and he said everything is up to speed and timed correctly, the buck was probably from crap in the tank. been using diesel clean and i still get the buck on highway speeds to where its unsettling. it seems to run really great otherwise and rarely bucks on 55 and lower roads. Help Help Help. i want to get this fixed so bad. Anyone close to Brattleboro Vermont?

The flashing GP light is just an add-on for the CEL, to get your attention. It does not mean the car will self-destruct, but get the codes read and report back.
It does not help to post 2 threads for one problem.
Bucking at Highway speeds

OP, you have two threads on the same subject; please delete the other.
Do a search on user MOGolf, threads started, any you will find the one for the flashing GP light.

"bucking" in an automatic may be tranny related

JB05 said:

OP,
Do a search on user MOGolf, threads started, any you will find the one for the flashing GP light.

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... which will be very helpful once you've had the car scanned for codes. It knows something's wrong and is trying to tell you where to start troubleshooting.

Trying..

Hi. yes, get the car scanned. my obd code reader is saying NA so yes, it for sure needs to be properly scanned. I also did have the tranny serviced a month after i bought the car. How do I delete a post since I posted two similar posts?
Have gotten some really useful info on this site but this is one of the only times iv had to chat with people. thanks to all who can help.

Per a post by MoGolf, the codes that cause a flashing glow plug light are below.

00741 Brake pedal monitoring - implausible signal
01044 Control unit incorrectly coded
16705/P0321 Engine speed sensor - implausible signal
16706/P0322 Engine speed sensor - no signal
16955/P0571 Brake light switch (F) - implausible signal
17653/P1245 Needle lift sender (G80) - short to earth
17654/P1246 Needle lift sender (G80) - Implausible signal
17655/P1247 Needle lift sender (G80) - Open circuit/short to positive
17762/P1354 Modulating piston movement sender (G149) - electrical fault in current circuit
17969/P1561 Metering adjuster (N146) - control difference
17978/P1570 Engine control unit blocked
18020/P1612 Control unit incorrectly coded
18026/P1618 Glow plug relay (J52) - short to positive
18027/P1619 Glow plug relay (J52) - open circuit/short to earth
18040/P1632 Accelerator position sender - voltage supply

Got a

Ok. Got it scanned using a better scanner at the parts store and came back with p0216.

Well, that's a generic OBD2 code:

http://www.obd-codes.com/p0216


which means your garage was probably using a generic OBD2 scanner rather than a VW-specific one.

If possible you'd still be advised to track down someone with a proper scanner (there's a sticky on the forum here somewhere of who has VCDS, by region) as that scan might reveal better info.. the proprietary codes are a whole extra level of detail.

That said, someone here may have seen that generic code before and weigh in.

Now go here-
Category:Fault Codes - Ross-Tech Wiki
search that p code, it will help.

locals

I looked at the people with vag-com on the map link and most of the people have not gotten back to me. Steve in amherst (I'm in Brattleboro VT) said he could give me a scan but its a hour drive which I'll probably do. I have had the same person work on both of my tdi's in the past but my wife and I are travel nursing and are without our regular people. I've put an ad on craigslist looking for someone with vag-com and have even hit up people who are selling their cars in the area to recommend a good diesel mechanic but just haven't heard anything back yet. Don't wanna go to the stealer..

Did you look at the wiki? It gives some pretty specific info on that code.

I did. Thank you very much. That's seems to be a great bit of info. I dropped it off at a local mechanic just a bit ago and tried to give him as much info as I could and gave him the p0216 info I got. So I guess I'll just wait and see what he says tomorrow and then I'll post it here. Thanks again bob for the link.

I bet the guy who did the timing belt didn't set the IP timing as you need a VCDS to do it. If its bucking, then either the timing belt wasn't done properly or the IP is way out, either way, I wouldn't drive it until the timing belt is checked and the IP is timed properly.

cleaned lift sensor

So I had it at the local mechanic and he cleaned the needle lift sensor and the connectors. He said if it keeps happening it needs a new injection pump.. Its runs great now, no bucking on the highway but hopefully it does not come back. I got a feeling it is a temporary fix. I plan on taking it to full circle in Waitsfield VT by the end of the week to have all the timings checked. Thanks to all who have chimed in to help out. Much appreciated.

To me, if he cleaned the lift needle and its ok, that means it needs an injector, not a pump! Did he check the timing belt etc? I honestly wouldn't drive it of distance until that is at least verified.

I don't think he checked any of that, liked I asked him, there was a very loud customer in there at the time and I was hurried out. Someone CL just said that they could scan the car this weekend and that they are a vet tdi mechanic, so hopefully he can tell me whats going on with the timings without me driving it too far. Thank you.

dayman said:

I don't think he checked any of that, liked I asked him, there was a very loud customer in there at the time and I was hurried out. Someone CL just said that they could scan the car this weekend and that they are a vet tdi mechanic, so hopefully he can tell me whats going on with the timings without me driving it too far. Thank you.

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That sounds like a plan,

OK. Just wanted to update this. I was lucky enough to have a great person and vet tdi mechanic come to look at it for me. He scanned the cars and there were no codes that came up anymore, anywhere, and he went over it very closely and said it seems to be one of the better running tdi's and gave both of our tdi's a clean bill of health. Timing and injection quantity were all within spec or where he said they should be. I was so lucky that NutsandBolts on this website came all the way from Burlington to help me out. Thanks again to all that have chimed in. I love my tdi's and this website.

NutsandBolts, thank you for going the extra mile (no pun intended) to help out a fellow TDI-er. It is guys like you that inspire me to also go the "extra mile".