Cleaning glow plugs for longer life.

[Brad S.]

I will post this in the IDI section also, but wanted to start here.
Anyone who has run wmo has probably heard or had to deal with glow plugs burning out sooner then "normal".
Has anyone ever cleaned glow plugs on as routine maintence or a certain amount of weeks or months??
I know it would be a pain but it would make the gp's last longer?
Just wondering.

 

[ellis]

i have been runing wmo for awhile and my wellmans have been in there for 2 years and just went out. but i dont know if cleaning them eill make them last longer but they did take alot of abuse.runing oil is always a learning exp with me.i try stuff all the time.

 

[gatorman21218]

what kind of plugs are you using? The collective wisdom here says anything but Motorcraft brand is junk.

Also your relay or controller might be malfunctioning causing them to burn out.

As far as cleaning them... not sure that will do any good. they either heat up or they dont. its not a spark plug that can get fouled. Especially with that turbo, if you get them out, your best bet is to replace them.

 

[subway]

Water injection, otherwise my glowplugs seem to be lasting fine

 

[Brad S.]

gatorman21218
Been using Autolites and except for the last few months they've been ok. I know everyone has different stories about brand names etc. The controller I suppose it needs all the correct voltage tests but seems to be ok.
Jred,
Your water injection system is kinda why i posted this, those systems should keep most stuff "clean" inside. Thats why I thought cleaning might help. This time around I'm keeping track of which gps I change and when I've cleaned them.
ellis,
I'm sure my use of wmo might be part of this problem, given everything else is working ok. How long have you been using wmo?? This last spring and summer I started using a bigger percentage of wmo, above 20% that is.
Another thing with glow plugs I wanted to bounce off you guys, are glow plugs rebuildable??
A couple weeks ago I went looking for a 10mm adapter for compression tests, couldn't find one without special order. So I took apart a old gp to use the threaded part for my adapter. Pulled off the top and drilled out the lower part and welded to a piece of pipe for my homemade adapter, haven't used it yet.
The top part of the glow plug looked kind of interesting, I tired welding the tip that burns out. One of the plugs I messed with did pass the test light test, thats all the further I've gotten with it. I'll try to get some pics of this "top part" I'm talking about.
So am I, or is this possible, thanks guys.

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

gatorman21218
Been using Autolites and except for the last few months they've been ok. I know everyone has different stories about brand names etc. The controller I suppose it needs all the correct voltage tests but seems to be ok.
.

Just keep in mind that if just one tip on those Autolites swells, you will most likely be removing the cylinder head, which is a lot more that you are saving by not running Motocraft GPs. Good luck to you.

 

[Brad S.]

Just keep in mind that if just one tip on those Autolites swells, you will most likely be removing the cylinder head, which is a lot more that you are saving by not running Motocraft GPs. Good luck to you.

Your right, I've done a lot of reading about the hassle of going through that. Using the Autolites right now is easier for me, I know it wouldn't be easier to deal with pulling a head. Every day I drive through a town that has the Autolite gps, to get the Motorcraft brand I'd need to go the opposite direction, round trip about 50 miles. But thanks again, its good to keep reminding me.

 

[gatorman21218]

http://www.dieselfiltersonline.com/Zd9-Ford-7-3-Liter-Diesel-Motorcraft-Glow-Plug-Zd9.aspx

9.49 a pop.

 

[ellis]

i have been runing wmo for 3 years and have run up to 100% with a heated tank it runs better and is not as noisy i get 20 mpg on oil and 16 on ulsd i just put a lift pump on mine i use the oem because it pumps the oil even when it is cold and my cdr valve was bad and it caused my truck to run ruff and use oil like crazy.

 

[Brad S.]

ellis,
Funny you say fuel pump, I just replaced mine about a month ago. This summer I just got my heated tank running, now I start on untainted diesel then switch over and the reverse when I shut down. I gotta post some pics sometime. When it finally gets cold don't know how gutsy I'll be on running a mix.

gatorman21218,
Thank yyyoouuu
Very much appreciated. That price is awesome too.
I still think this board is the best place on earth. I'm on here more than I am on Facebook. (or as Rush calls it buttbook) Sometimes it's better to deal with (almost) complete strangers then family members.`