Glow plug Controller confusion?

[KodiakForge]

It should be wired like this:

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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....

the 2 green wires are my constant hots to replace the burned out yellow ones that come off starter solenoid on passenger fender (with fusible links between starter solenoid and glow plug relay) they melted at connector. ill eliminate WTS light just to see. I have tried the bypass including the white, red, yellow and green wires from controller so it could work as well as be overridden but what ive found is that whenever the white wire is connected to small post my controller just clicks and clicks cycling on/off constantly but if its eliminated everything seemingly cycles as it should minus output power.

just to clarify for me this bypass can and should in theory work for me still if i disconnect all controller wires of every color and wire it exactly as the photo you sent to me? im thinking part of my issue is the controller is bad but thats kinda the reason for bypassing it i suppose.

 

[KodiakForge]

and also to answer someone else i did try initially and intermittently to just the two large posts (input and output sides) with a large set of pliers and got no heat but did get the single latching click on and off. and this remained constant on multiple relays.

voltage drop test shows 12.47v between input and output key on engine off and when push button is cycled you hear a click and voltage drops to 0 not .1 or .2 just 0. does this seem right?

im at the point where it seems the only thing left to try is wire a new glow plug harness? could it be my grounds being off still or something?

 

[Cubey]

and also to answer someone else i did try initially and intermittently to just the two large posts (input and output sides) with a large set of pliers and got no heat but did get the single latching click on and off. and this remained constant on multiple relays.

voltage drop test shows 12.47v between input and output key on engine off and when push button is cycled you hear a click and voltage drops to 0 not .1 or .2 just 0. does this seem right?

im at the point where it seems the only thing left to try is wire a new glow plug harness? could it be my grounds being off still or something?

So is there voltage showing up on the lug for the glow plug harness, with the relay enabled? You can just disconnect them and manually trigger the relay with your manual button and check the voltage without firing up the plugs for testing purposes. All the button does is triggers the relay really.

If there isn't, the relay has to be the problem. It can't be anything else. It's the point where the power is stopping and not being allowed to continue on to the glow plugs when it's enabled. Even if you tried several others. Try disconnecting the WTS wire just to remove one additional factor.

 

[KodiakForge]

i will remove WTS tomorrow to rule out.
with multi meter im touching each large post and i get battery voltage between the two points when they are grounded out, when i manually trigger relay voltage drops meaning in theory (based on my understanding) that power is then flowing to plugs but there is never any heat exchange.

 

[Cubey]

If voltage is dropping with the relay triggered, they are heating. At least, some are. Whether enough to start depending on how cold it is, is another matter. When I had bad plugs, about half were bad and it was a pain to start. Voltage dropped during running them but less than normal. I think a couple of them have poor connections again which isn't surprising with that rotten old harness.

 

[KodiakForge]

for what its worth plugs are new. i think all in all its leading me to making a new harness. couldnt hurt anyhow. i havent really tried cycling them longer than 10 sec. in fear of burning them out.

 

[Cubey]

Maybe bad connections to one or more.

Any leaky injector caps causing air intrusion? Maybe the orings got disturbed while you were doing the glow plugs or harness. That would also potentially cause hard starting, I think.

 

[KodiakForge]

Fuel line returns,caps and injectors less than a year old but I’ll have a look but I’m pretty sure I don’t have air intrusion. I haven’t really had any issues with it this past year until now. Before this all happened it’d start in a millisecond in middle of winter. I live in Oregon so it gets cold and icy and always started right up.

 

[snicklas]

Always good to have a plan B.

Right now, that’s Plan A. My plugs don’t work at all. They aren’t electrically connected to anything.......

Did I mention my truck has wiring issues..... lol

 

[snicklas]

the 2 green wires are my constant hots to replace the burned out yellow ones that come off starter solenoid on passenger fender (with fusible links between starter solenoid and glow plug relay) they melted at connector. ill eliminate WTS light just to see. I have tried the bypass including the white, red, yellow and green wires from controller so it could work as well as be overridden but what ive found is that whenever the white wire is connected to small post my controller just clicks and clicks cycling on/off constantly but if its eliminated everything seemingly cycles as it should minus output power.

just to clarify for me this bypass can and should in theory work for me still if i disconnect all controller wires of every color and wire it exactly as the photo you sent to me? im thinking part of my issue is the controller is bad but thats kinda the reason for bypassing it i suppose.

If it is clicking when the controller is connected like the picture, the controller is working and trying to fire the plugs. The way this type of controller works, it senses the voltage drop, which is small, across the large Z resistor. It is calibrated that 8 working glow plugs cause a particular drop when they are hot. When a plug or plugs fail, the voltage drop happens faster (the resistance in the plugs increase as they heat, causing the voltage drop to occur at the right time. With less than 8 plugs working the resistance in the circuit is less, causing the drop to occur to early. So the controller goes into afterglow to early, which is the clicking, to cycle power to keep the hot, but not get hotter.

If you add the grounding push button to the white wire post, without pushing the button, the controller will cycle the relay cut to what I said above. If you go ahead push the button, the relay will stop cycling and just stay latched, until you release the button. But, one thing to keep in mind, if you release the button, and the controller is still running afterglow, the relay will click until the controller stops. Normally if you hold the button long enough to start, a count of 8 or so, it won’t be commanding after.

It sounds like you have a couple dead plugs, or disconnected plugs. Also, just because the plugs are newer, doesn’t mean they are good. I’ve seen some brands die in the first cycle. Use only BERU/Motorcraft brand plugs.

If you see a voltage drop with the button pushed, you are heating what plugs are working. It should start on 4 or 5 manually glowed plugs, but, it will be unhappy, smoky, and likely chug a bit till there’s enough heat in the cylinders with dead plugs to auto-ignite.

 

[KodiakForge]

Thanks I do catch that there are other ways around but trying to get this working for my wife as it would be easier than having her use ether until I get her car fixed. I threw in a set of new motorcraft plugs so they are brand new which is making me question harness.

I eliminated all control from controller I don’t much care to have it if I can glow plugs with button only but for some reason it’s not heating or starting without block heater