Glow plug Controller confusion?

[KodiakForge]

I am currently at a loss at this point.......
i had a random no start issue when making a run to the store, came back out with groceries and wouldnt crank over. had son bring me some extra batteries and it started right up and we drove home.
the next day i had a dead battery again and found that my cargo light on cab was constantly on, so i pulled the fuse to see if that was my issue and sure enough, batteries stay charged.
Now simultaneously im having the clicking issue with my glow plug controller. when i glow my plugs i just get constant clicking on and off and no latching/glowing of plugs. I plugged block heater in over night and she starts right up as usual so, I test my plugs and they all check out (ohms wise and test light wise). i have voltage to controller (obviously if its clicking) but its not making it over to the plug side.

i wondered if it was my glow plug harness so i pulled it out and hooked it up to the plugs that were also in question as well as new plugs i had around. using jumper cables a battery and a bench vise i clamped plugs in vise and grounded it out, then put (+) to harness and cycled plugs, which they all heated properly.

So after all that I put everything back in the truck in new harness tubing and wired up a manual push button switch for my plugs following the instructions of :

https://www.oilburners.net/articles/glowplugbypass.htm

After getting the switch wired exactly as ^^^above^^^ I now have the glow plugs cycling manually and everything works great in the glow plug department, but now after i cycle plugs ............nothing happens, i get no crank.

Remember before i did the glow plug bypass mod following : https://www.oilburners.net/articles/glowplugbypass.htm the truck cranked over and also would start just fine if block heater was plugged in, so i am at a complete loss as to why my truck wont crank over after bypassing controller. any help from you guys would be greatly appreciated I use my trucks to work so down time is critical. i have another truck but my wifes car is also down currently and parts are a ways out so im trying to get this issue solved so she can drive it. thanks in advance.

 

[KodiakForge]

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Photo of controller after bypass install. Blue is wts light, Red from ground post to push button& grounded to frame, green (constant hot)

 

[Cubey]

Have you tried starting in neutral if it's automatic? My neutral safety switch is out so I have to start that way. If I try in park, nothing happens other than power to accessories cuts out while turning the key.

Maybe it just so happened to go out. It takes out your reverse lights too btw if the switch goes.

 

[Cubey]

Oh also the manual push button should be ground, not positive. Maybe you blew a fuse (or worse, fusible link)

http://www.dieselhub.com/maintenance/idi-manual-glow-plug-switch.html

 

[BR3]

Another thing to check are main grounds basically everywhere. battery's are most commonly the culprit, due to frequent removal/install. Bad grounds can present extremely strange, and sometimes unrepeatable scenarios

 

[KodiakForge]

Thanks guys. So this morning I realized that it will crank over but only when I’m holding push button down so there must be some wiring I did wrong somewhere as was mentioned. I checked fuses and everything looked fine but even if I glow my plugs and crank truck at end of cycle it doesn’t start I. The morning.
It’s funny you bring up the grounds giving strange symptoms. I built some battery cables using 3/0 welding cable not to long ago so I’ll have to check into that as well. I’m going to tinker around again today and see what I can find. Thanks guys

 

[KodiakForge]

correction on what i said that red wire (+) to push button--------push button is indeed wired to ground i just mix matched my words around. just to clarify.

 

[KodiakForge]

well i went ahead and disconnected the rest of the the wires from black controller box to relay posts. i now have a truck that will crank over as it should/when it should. grounds all look good and when it cranks it cranks with power, not all slow. i have voltage to main input and when i manually cycle plugs i hear relay click and have voltage to main input, ground and signal posts, but never any voltage to output post for glow plugs. from what i can tell everything in the manual bypass is working correctly accept power is still not getting to plugs. i didnt think this was possible but im more confused now than before as everything seems to be working accept the plugs still. i have brand new set of plugs in and same symptoms. all ideas are welcome. thank you.

 

[Cubey]

The relay might be bad. You can replace it without replacing the whole controller. Try hitting it with a plastic screwdriver handle or something non metal, then activate it and see if there's output voltage. Even if it clicks on, maybe it's still bad somehow. If voltage is going in but not out, that's probably the problem spot.

 

[KodiakForge]

i agree with you. however just to rule it out ive now tried 3 other "new relays" all were from orileys so i know their parts can be questionable but id like to think that at least one of the 3 wouldnt be bad out of the box and that i wouldnt be getting the same symptom despite replacing relays. i can not for the life of me figure out why i get input voltage (equal to batt. voltage) and with key on engine off have a slightly lower voltage reading found at input and both ground and switch posts. so with key on i have voltage to everything but the glow plug output post. do i need some of the wires that go to the controller portion to get power through? my understanding was that i dont really need any of the wires that connect controller to relay, just need a switch with a wire that goes to ground post of relay (white wire post) and one to frame. then WTS light goes on output post and a small red wire which i believe is an ignition wire going to switch Post. ive compared numerous diagrams and i cant see where im off at?

 

[snicklas]

It should be wired like this:

You must be registered for see images attach

Your push button ground needs to be connected to the post with the white wire. If you wire it exactly like this picture, and add the push button to the white wire post (in addition to the one from the controller) the controller can still operate the plugs, or you can over ride it with the button. This is how I had my 92 (previous truck) and will my 88 when I get to all the wiring.

I didn't move the WTS wire, since I know if I was pushing the button, the plugs are on. Not sure if the WTS wire being on the ground is the problem. Also, are the 2 greens going to the same place on both ends, or are you pulling power off the constant hot for something else?

I fought with mine, but this picture saved me... I wired it like that, and added the ground push button, and I was golden.

Right now, my "glow plugs" are in a spray can on the front seat....

 

[BR3]

Op has a bullnose truck so his controller is the post in the back

But he's correct anyway, he doesn't need anything going from the controller on the bullnose style since they just use a separate contactor.

If you've got power on one side of the contactor on the two bigger main lugs, but not on the other with a buddy flipping the switch for you and a certain "click",the only possibility is a bad contactor . They are nothing but a tiny electromagnet that pulls a plate to touch the two poles. It doesn't matter what direction the power is "flowing", or even Wich side is Wich on the switching circuit. I know you said you tried 3 oreilys, but when you flip the switch, a working contactor is the same as laying a screwdriver between the two big wires.

You could in fact verify this by jumping them with a well insulated set of pliers. If you get power to the glow plugs with the pliers touching both sides, your contactor is bad

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

 

[snicklas]

Op has a bullnose truck so his controller is the post in the back

But he's correct anyway, he doesn't need anything going from the controller on the bullnose style since they just use a separate contactor.

If you've got power on one side of the contactor on the two bigger main lugs, but not on the other with a buddy flipping the switch for you and a certain "click",the only possibility is a bad contactor . They are nothing but a tiny electromagnet that pulls a plate to touch the two poles. It doesn't matter what direction the power is "flowing", or even Wich side is Wich on the switching circuit. I know you said you tried 3 oreilys, but when you flip the switch, a working contactor is the same as laying a screwdriver between the two big wires.

You could in fact verify this by jumping them with a well insulated set of pliers. If you get power to the glow plugs with the pliers touching both sides, your contactor is bad

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

I'm looking at the picture Kodiak posted in post 2. That picture is of a 7.3 style controller.....

 

[bbjordan]

Right now, my "glow plugs" are in a spray can on the front seat....

Always good to have a plan B.

 

[BR3]

Oh hold up! Your completely correct. I'm on my phone and happen to be participating in another thread at the moment, and that was his problem as well. At least a part of it.

I didn't even look Wich thread had popped up, so my above post is not supposed to be here, sorry guys!

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