Black dawg
Registered User
With the closer look, the lettering does look correct to me. The body color does seem off to me though....?
Hard start, not fuel return[?]
- Thread starter vagabond0351
- Start date
vagabond0351
Registered User
hm. maybe my phone camera or heat discoloration?
either way thanks. I guess I can put in yet another set of plugs and see what happens. real tired of spending money on this but I should have checked the plugs earlier. just assumed it wasn't the issue immediately after the shop replaced them.
however, the desk lady at the shop told me I should hit the switch for 30 seconds before starting. I never did this because I had read here not to, and I had other reasons not to listen to her by then too. I think the guy who actually worked on the truck told me 20 seconds. I pretty much never did more than 10ish, and waited several seconds for additional hits. but I wonder if the shop didn't immediately burn them out after install? the tech also told me the thermo-controller was "not hooked up at all, only the manual switch" and that he advised leaving it that way. I'm 99.9% sure he was incorrect, as far as I can tell the wires are all there, and the relay and light kick off on their own as they always have, and when I first got the truck they "worked" and I never touched the manual switch. That is, until the day the light stayed on, then never came on again til the relay was replaced.
thanks everyone for working thru this with me, sorry its such a convoluted situation.
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Black dawg
Registered User
If they ran those plugs 30 seconds, even 20 seconds is pushing it, they most definitely burnt them out before you even got it back.
vagabond0351
Registered User
dang. and I assume, if the thermo-controller was working, and they didn't know, they would have been firing them in conjunction with the normal controller cycle, so potentially longer...
my only remaining concern then is that it seems like people were replacing the glow plugs often before I got the truck. not sure when or who they were from, but the glove box had 6 burnt-up autolite glow plugs in there when I bought it.
any reason I cant put my voltmeter on the plug terminal and see if the line is going hot off the thermo-controller when the relay clicks? I again assume it must be, it looks like even the switch just closes the solenoid relay, same way the thermo-controller does?
I just cant figure out for the life of me why the shop tech INSISTED it wasn't hooked up...
asmith
Full Access Member
I agree 30 seconds is way too long and they were dead the first time they ran that long. If somebody ran autolites before you they burn up quick even when nothing is wrong. Since you are having so much trouble with this I would recommend a couple things.
First get some new plugs, either the bosch ones, or new Motorcraft ones, then ditch the auto controller for now. Bypass all that and run just a manual glow plug set up.
Then when you know you have a good functioning glowplug set up you can determine if that was really your problem. If that fixes the hard start problem and you want to, you can switch back to the auto controller.
If you do that I would change over to the newer style. Wes over at Classic Diesel Designs has some real nice parts to help make the glow plug system more robust.
First get some new plugs, either the bosch ones, or new Motorcraft ones, then ditch the auto controller for now. Bypass all that and run just a manual glow plug set up.
Then when you know you have a good functioning glowplug set up you can determine if that was really your problem. If that fixes the hard start problem and you want to, you can switch back to the auto controller.
If you do that I would change over to the newer style. Wes over at Classic Diesel Designs has some real nice parts to help make the glow plug system more robust.
vagabond0351
Registered User
they will -always- say beru? yeah no "beru" anywhere, and they look weakly laser marked with the numbers
I'd have a hard time swinging the $225 for wes's wires, but I guess I'll have to trace down all the wires already in the truck at the very least...
and now I'll be skeptical of any source having fake plugs...
IDIBRONCO
IDIBRONCO
Yes. Genuine Berus will always say Beru on them. The thing that stood out to me, and it's odd that no one has mentioned it yet, is that the part number for these glow plugs isn't correct. ZD1A is the correct part number for the Motorcraft 6.9 style glow plugs. ZD9 is for the 7.3 style plugs. ZD28 isn't. I've seen people say that they have been getting two packs of ZD9s and the package will say ZD29, but I don't remember anyone saying that it is on the glow plugs themselves. I'm assuming that the "2" means a two pack. Those were not genuine Beru glow plugs for your truck, color and lettering aside.
IDIBRONCO
IDIBRONCO
If you have a good product, then you're not afraid to have your name on it.
asmith
Full Access Member
Just wires are like $90. the kit to swap it over to manual is $225 yes it is expensive, but put it together yourself with top quality parts and it wont be much cheaper.they will -always- say beru? yeah no "beru" anywhere, and they look weakly laser marked with the numbers
I'd have a hard time swinging the $225 for wes's wires, but I guess I'll have to trace down all the wires already in the truck at the very least...
and now I'll be skeptical of any source having fake plugs...
vagabond0351
Registered User
Zd1a was superseded by Zd28, but yeah if theyre counterfeit either way, that just ****** me off further.
I see in the images on rockauto they say beru. Just figured they may have changed manufacturing as I've seen other products do
didnt find the 90 dollar kit in their store, but if the manual switch wiring previously installed proves insufficient I'll check again
oreillys should have a set of new motorcraft packaged zd28s for me in the morning. will report back what they look like and if they start the truck
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I can't say for the 6.9 system, but on my 7.3 I run the plugs for about 8 seconds first thing in the morning and it starts right up fine. I'd probably just rewire the manual button yourself so you know it's correct. There should be a writeup in the tech articles section if you need it.
Black dawg
Registered User
Finally got to look at this on my computer. So as far as the part numbers, zd1a is still available, with zd28 being the superceded number. I dont have one in my hand, because I dont use them anymore, but looking at the picture from my supplier of the zd28 part number, those plugs you pulled out are fake.
Black dawg
Registered User
If you want to run the oem plug, you can get them from direct auto in missoula
captain720
Full Access Member
I think it often costs more to mess around with all the other things than to just go for the CDD kit and 8 new motocraft plugs. Solves the problem immediately and for good, plus it is not frustrating.
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