1995 P38 Diesel. No glow plug light, no fuel pump and it won't start?

Hi Guys,

Back again with the same proplem as before but last time I got it going by doing a key in the door reset etc etc.

This time no go, so sent the ecu off to Allcar Electronics who phoned me and said no faults found and that it could be no power getting to it. I have a Sync Mate but that just goes blue and then one red flash. I have checked the fuse box and local wires but can see no problems.

This happened like last time battery went completely flat due to not using it.

Any ideas would be really appreciated?

I am in Cornwall

Take a look at your main fuse box in the engine bay. I wager you have a dodgy relay.

Hi rewmer I changed over a couple of the relays and checked all the fuses and it still won't start?
Any other thoughts?
As I am being told by several different people that it maybe a the power to the ECU can anyone tell me which wire or wires I should be checking please?

"Handshake" between Becm and engine ecu lost ?????

Update: No luck yet, ECU OK, Fuses OK, Relays OK, key fobs OK, now I am getting desperate could someone please tell me if it could be the front wiring loom, the one that goes from the ECU across the front of the engine and under the inlet manifold only some years ago when I wiggled that it made the engine revs change so I left it in the best position?

If that wouldn't affect it what about the Becm?

PLease can someone suggest something else before I torch it!!!

DON'T TORCH IT !!!!












What wheels / tyres you got. I'm looking for some new ones.

Sorry mate, couldn't resist it.
Seriously, I haven't got a Syncmate but looking to get one I've been reading up on them. That one red flash, isn't that the Syncmate indicating a fault? Doesn't that give some sort of guide as to where to start looking?

Hi dogsbody,

The sync-mate one red flash means the "EMS did not respond to wakeup" that is straight out of their user guide.

I just wish I was close to someone with the proper software, but I am down in Cornwall.

Don't worry the wife would never let me torch it!

Hi All, just to update you I could not get it going so I traded it in for a newer one, got £900 for it which I am happy with as it was a 1995 with 178000 miles on the clock and the dealer got it going after putting it on his testing equipement! He told me it needed a new fuse box which when I look back at some of you comments, rewmer was spot on, I just wish I had checked it more thoughly. Thanks guys for all your suggestions and don't forget I am happy to hire out my sync-mate for £20 plus postage for 5 days if anyone is desperate.

Hi, my 1998 2.5DT (has never missed a beat) has just been sorted out from parking it in the garage & 2 days later won’t start, power to everything, just won’t start! I checked everything I could.
Home Start call to the AA, kwik Fit Fitter arrives, spends an hour checking & deems the injector pump u/s (costly) I ask him to plug in his computer I run diagnostic, he says it is not compatible )EOBD( I say yes it is! (OBD) Plugs in computer & my vehicle details appear in full down to the colour, comes up with a 027 fault code Immobiliser sensor, hot wire? No further information. He rings Techy at base; both now agree it is the injector pump? (not happy!)
I send him on his way. I am certain it is an alarm/immobilizer problem. (key code lock out won’t work)
Rang AA again saying where’s my home start I have paid for? AA say their man is sure of the fault & says that I would fix it? I say he didn’t know what was wrong & guessed at the pump ignoring comp fault diag!
AA send another man out, more mature, methodical, he spends 1 ½ hours checking everything, (nearly asked him to do the oil & filter while he was here) including diags. Key code lock out. Still showing elusive 027 code, still no luck. I ring dealer, dealer says P38 is now too old for them & refer me to an independent nearby, I pass phone to AA man to describe all he has done, nice chap at the garage says he will never get it going, the immobiliser code has “rolled over” & will not respond to the key, bring it over here & will fix in 5 mins. (£30 cash)
AA send truck to lift & shift P38 to nice chap at the garage, duly plugs in his computer ( £15k with £3k a year updates ) 2mins later codes aligned engine starts, AA man steps back in amazement.
Nice man at the garage saying if it happens again, recommends fitting an RF modulator @ £150ish to keep out nasty radio/digital/rogue signals out there that upset the “old” P38.
Regards Trevor
77k (gentle miles) on the clock, good history, (inc. MOT's,tax discs etc.) would sell if price was rite. Good home only. looking for a 20-30 yr old Bentley

email [email protected]

The 'RF' modulator he's refering to is the receiver for the remote. If it's the old type, it can keep waking up the BeCM due to receiving extraneous signals such as those from wireless dorrbells etc. The newer ones are more selective. If your BeCM keeps getting woken up, it will flatten your battery.
The engine ECU going out of sync with the BeCM is a common problem. BBS (Black Box Solutions) do a gadget called a Synchmate which you just plug in to the diagnostics port and it does the job your garage did. Well worth buying in your case if it's started to do this. You won't be stuck then with the same problem.