glow plugs

[kbenz]

93 non turbo. cold starting I need to cycle my glow plugs 2-3 times to keep from excessive cranking. No clicking. Once warmed up when I come out from a store sometimes the wait to start (glowplugs) don't come on at all. (They always come on when cold)

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Are you asking for advice? My first guess would be that you have some bad glow plugs. Second guess would be that there's something wrong with the controller itself.

 

[kbenz]

Are you asking for advice? My first guess would be that you have some bad glow plugs. Second guess would be that there's something wrong with the controller itself.

Yea. Guess I left out the actual asking for help part. Sorry. My etiquette is kinda crappy sometimes.

My first thought was glow plugs but I thought I’d have clicking? Or is that a not all the time thing?
When we first got it we had clicking. We changed glow plugs and shortly after a controller. That’s been probably 4 years and hasn’t been driven much in past year


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[franklin2]

Pull the glowplug wires on each plug and check them to the engine block. You should read very low ohms on each one. If they all check good, go in and try it again. If it's fixed, you have poor connections at the glowplugs themselves. I could go out and unplug and plug mine back in and it would last about 2 weeks before I had to go out and do it again.

 

[kbenz]

Pull the glowplug wires on each plug and check them to the engine block. You should read very low ohms on each one. If they all check good, go in and try it again. If it's fixed, you have poor connections at the glowplugs themselves. I could go out and unplug and plug mine back in and it would last about 2 weeks before I had to go out and do it again.

well, my multimeter is shot. but I believe I may have connection issues as the first one I pulled off the insulator crumbled

is it best to replace the harness with something like this?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-9-7-3-Id...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

or the ends sufficient with something like this?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Glow-Plug-...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

[franklin2]

The ends should work. Go head and pull each one off and then put it back on, give them a little twist or two, and then try it, just to verify that's what it is.

Do you have a testlight? A quick and dirty way you can check if the glowplug is mostly good is to clip the testlight lead to the + of one of the batteries, and then touch the sharp probe end on the top of the glowplug. It should glow brightly indicating a good path to ground. The glowplugs do not have much resistance to them when they are good.

You have to unplug them and test them individually though, if you leave them all plugged in, the tester will read through that one good plug through the wiring and make you think they are all good.

 

[kbenz]

The ends should work. Go head and pull each one off and then put it back on, give them a little twist or two, and then try it, just to verify that's what it is.

Do you have a testlight? A quick and dirty way you can check if the glowplug is mostly good is to clip the testlight lead to the + of one of the batteries, and then touch the sharp probe end on the top of the glowplug. It should glow brightly indicating a good path to ground. The glowplugs do not have much resistance to them when they are good.

You have to unplug them and test them individually though, if you leave them all plugged in, the tester will read through that one good plug through the wiring and make you think they are all good.

They all lit up pretty bright. truck started better afterwards too. Not great but better

 

[chris142]

Mine was acting like that. Eventully the controller quit all together.

 

[kbenz]

Mine was acting like that. Eventully the controller quit all together.

Ain’t but 4 years old but anything possible with these crap parts now


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[Thewespaul]

If the ends are rotted the rest of the wirings not in much better shape, for a controller that reads resistance to determine glow time bad wiring is no good for glow plug life. Replace the whole harness with my na harness and eliminate a lot of further headaches. https://classicdieseldesigns.com/co...n-turbo-location-glowplug-replacement-harness

 

[krogo]

I agree with Wes. If the starting aid system is in good shape, then the controller should come on for a period (time dependent on temperature), then start to click to maintain the temperature of the plugs until the engine is started.

The controller measures resistance as a function of current.
If Plugs are failed open, then the controller may never "Click".
If Plugs are failed shorted, then the controller may click after a very short time or in some cases immediately.

The same can be said for the wiring from the controller to the plugs.
If the connectors are bad, this can lead to the controller never "clicking" and some plugs never heating properly.
If the wiring is frayed and gets shorted to ground then we can see the same thing as a shorted plug.

Shorted plugs or Shorted Wiring are somewhat easier to diagnose.
Immediately after starting the system should "Post Glow" to clear up white smoke. If the Dash Voltage Gauge bounces from a low "Pegged" position to "Normal" somewhat rapidly, this may indicate a short somewhere in the system.
If the Voltage Gauge toggles from between the bottom line and the "N" in "Normal", up to the middle of "Normal", then the system likely is working fine.
All of this assumes that the supporting systems (Alternator, Batteries) are functioning correctly.

There is another glow plug failure mode that can lead to hard starting, I've termed as Midbed Glow. I did a writeup many years ago on another forum explaining my findings. I will see if I can recreate that here.

 

[kbenz]

If the ends are rotted the rest of the wirings not in much better shape, for a controller that reads resistance to determine glow time bad wiring is no good for glow plug life. Replace the whole harness with my na harness and eliminate a lot of further headaches. https://classicdieseldesigns.com/co...n-turbo-location-glowplug-replacement-harness

Thats a deal there. I'll be ordering today or tomorrow

 

[kbenz]

If the ends are rotted the rest of the wirings not in much better shape, for a controller that reads resistance to determine glow time bad wiring is no good for glow plug life. Replace the whole harness with my na harness and eliminate a lot of further headaches. https://classicdieseldesigns.com/co...n-turbo-location-glowplug-replacement-harness

Finally got that new harness on. Been too dang hot in the evenings to mess with it. Still having to cycle the glow plugs twice. Better than 3 times but apparently not my only issue. Really nice harness by the way. mine was in rough shape

 

[riphip]

Advance the pump 1/16" from present mark. Make sure starter is spinning fast.

 

[Thewespaul]

Finally got that new harness on. Been too dang hot in the evenings to mess with it. Still having to cycle the glow plugs twice. Better than 3 times but apparently not my only issue. Really nice harness by the way. mine was in rough shape

Thank you! Glad you like it.