Help with glow plugs

[jfp3205]

Hey everyone,
I got into my truck today after it was in the shop for a rebuilt transmission and when i turned the key on, the WTS light came on and went right back out. The truck had an extremely hard time starting. It spun over well but took forever to fire up. I have only had this truck for 4 months but it never has acted like this. Can anyone tell me what to check and how to check? I was told that the glow plugs might be bad but i do not know how to check them
Thanks

 

[icanfixall]

The simplest way to test them is with a test lite. Connect the clamp end to the positive battery or any 12 volt source. Then remove the plug connecter and touch the tip of the plug where the connecter was. If it lites usually that means its good but not always.. But most of the times it is. Now sometimes they get some power but not enough from the 12 volt power source. Generally this is due to corrosion at the engine wire harness plug. Find the plug near the passenger side head. See the 2 yellow wires at the end of it. Those feed power to the controler. If any crap is on them it will heat up and sometimes burn up the plug and your wires. Test start it again and feel the plug for being hot. If it is you need to run a bypass 4 or 6 gauge wire directly to the controller.

 

[Devon Harley]

there is a wire to the silniod for what ever reason they took it off it is the power to the GPC glow plug controller and that makes it go out right away also the gpc could have finally took a crap also the dirty connection that icanfixall is talkin about mines melted together not good at all but works after i replaced the gpc and last glow plugs you can test light emm if you want there only like 8-12 bucks each i would replace emm all as a piece of mind cause soon you will be chasing down the ones you didn't do bt if moneys tight thats the best way just not my way only use motor craft ones autolites and other cheap models get stuck and break off bt being as its really hard to start i would try the wire conection stated above and possible replace the GPC remeber its a 20 yr old truck thier great bt thing break with no sign when you have to maintained it for a few years if you haven't had it long im slowy makin it all the way around had it almost 3 years getting close though

 

[jfp3205]

Can you help me locate the GPC on this truck? How hard is it to change out for piece of mind

 

[Keeway]

should be on the right side of the truck in the engine compartment on the inner fender. they arent hardx at all to change but id consider puttin in a manually controlled controller. meaning you control it with a switch on the dash. thats what i put on mine and new hd glow plugs and thats the best thing i ever did to my truck

 

[jfp3205]

on the drivers or passengers side as i look at the engine from the front

 

[Keeway]

the passenger side of the truck. a little black round solonoid with 2 prongs comin out the top

 

[Keeway]

You must be registered for see images attach

it'll look like this

 

[jfp3205]

I thought that was the solinoid for the starter? That is the GPC?

 

[Keeway]

nope thats the contoller

 

[OLDBULL8]

That's the relay that's mounted on the controller. Here is the whole controller with the relay mounted on it.

 

[Devon Harley]

Thats the GPC right above it is located on the very top very back of the motor its not hard to change and if you dont have a turbo in the way its a cake walk the is a soliniod located on the finder and it also carriers the gp hot wire so i could have went bad if you have your battery light comin on at all that probley means you have a bad regualter which is cheap bt dont gt the cheapest it will go right back out to change to the gpc the regulater glowplugs and soliniod it cost me 250 ruffly and then its all good to go you can also take your gpc apart a rebuild it with the soliniod from the finder if your wires are good and thats the cheapest

 

[JwS]

I would first check all the wires going to the controller, it is interesting that it happened after someone worked on it, they may have tipped the engine back and hit something, or just as a result of wrenching around the engine. Next check the plugs to see if they seem ok. Only when all that is checked would I start looking at the relay, then the last suspect is the controller itself. The relays have a limited life, eventually they start to get damaged from switching all that power and don't make contact, and they are fairly cheap.
JwS

 

[octopus]

i just found my hard start problem recently, two broken in half gp's. replaced as many as i could so far and did a test start today, truck is back to strating normally and gpc is working correctly again. also the gpc is probably mounted in the back of the engine under a black plastic cover