Glow PLugs

[88bigblue]

I think ive got some bad ones, is there any easyish way to find out which ones are bad? When I cold start it, it chugs pretty bad for the first 20-30 seconds and then the idle evens out and it runs like a champion. Also blows white smoke till it warms up, what would be causing this?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jake S.]

Easyish way to find bad ones is to hook a test light to the battery + and touch the end of the glow plug where the wire goes on. The light should light up. Not always a definitive test, but works. How long is you wts light on? The white smoke sounds like a timing issue. Might be a tad retarded. I think.

 

[88bigblue]

My wts light is on for 10 -15 seconds and the gp's are controlled by a switch. If it was a timing issue wouldnt the white smoke always come out?

 

[Jake S.]

The factory controller uses resistance to work so if some are burnt out it will burn for a couple seconds only. That is why I asked. The smoke would go away as the temp. rises so the ignition starts a tad earlier. It only takes a couple of degrees to make a big diff.

 

[Sycostang67]

You can use the test light method, which may reveal some dead plugs. They can weaken over time though and just not get as hot as they should. I used the test light and found 2 dead plugs. I replaced them and when I would cold start, my truck chugged even worse(lots of white smoke too) and sounded like it was only firing on 2 cylinders. I replaced the other 6 a couple weeks later and now it starts pretty smooth and barely blows any smoke. We can check them when we do your IP, but it would be better to just change all 8. It's been said that running new plugs with old plugs will only shorten the life of the new ones.