Quick tip for those who have bypassed their glow plug relay

[Selahdoor]

If you have bypassed the relay, and you hold down the button for however long you want the GPs to cycle...

Open the truck door.

Count the 'dings' that the little alarm makes. Those seem to be about a second each.

Regardless of how they are timed, just decide on a number of dings, and let that be your normal cycle.

Point being to know exactly how long you are cycling the GPs, instead of just guessing, or having to watch a stopwatch or something...


HEY! I wonder if I can get one of those little ding alarms, and just wire it in with the same button, so I don't have to sit there with the door open!!!

 

[Farmer Rock]

I do the same thing. Works great


Rock

 

[franklin2]

But you are smarter than that? You are as smart as some old GP controller correct? When its colder outside, you need to hold the button longer. When not as cold you hold the button on for a shorter period of time. Its not the same all the time?

 

[Selahdoor]

roflol

I am going to assume you are joking.

Of course I am smart enough to know to run them more when it is cold, and less when it is warm.

Look, this isn't rocket science. Using the dinging sound when the door is open, is convenient. It was a quick tip. That's all. Not the end all and be all of how to start your truck.

Nor am I the stupidest person on the planet. This question is like asking me if I know to put my foot on the left pedal when I want to stop. Come on maaan!

 

[nitroguy]

Good tip! I disconnected my dinger so that doesn't work. I just count to somewhere between 8 and 12 depending on how cold I am. But sometimes that works against me, because the colder I am the faster I count. Maybe I should plug that dinger back in again....

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I disconnected my dinger so that doesn't work.

I do the same thing. I can't stand that annoying sound.

Maybe I should plug that dinger back in again....

I wouldn't bother.

 

[Selahdoor]

Blahahaha Exactly. I think I probably count faster when I am cold, too.

 

[Cubey]

Good tip! I disconnected my dinger so that doesn't work.

I found it disconnected in my RV when I was doing the wiper motor (it's up inside the dash). I reconnected it, but found it really annoying really quickly, so I quickly disconnected it again.

 

[Laine D]

I usually wait until I smell wires burning

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I usually wait until I smell wires burning

After watching your VW hill climbing video, I think you misspelled tires.

 

[Big Bart]

I usually wait until I smell wires burning

Laine - Maybe put in a cigarette powered volt meter/usb charger, then wait for the smell of burning wires, then hold the gp solenoid button a little longer till it reads 8v and let er rip before the batteries die! Live on the edge!

I was talking to a Ford engineer about the GP controller a couple months ago. He said due to differences in opinion, they designed and put in the 7.3 version controller to avoid engineers fighting over how long to hold a the glow plugs on for. Maybe it’s time we all put them back in and let the GP controller handle this so we don’t argue over the best way way to power them.

 

[Kizer]

I usually wait until I smell wires burning

That's how you know they're workin'!

 

[Laine D]

After watching your VW hill climbing video, I think you misspelled tires.

You should’ve seen how embarrassed the Subaru guy was . I guess his wasn’t free so it’s a little difference.

 

[Jon Schwenke]

I'd have to look to remember how I've got my bypass wired exactly, but the wait to start light still comes on for 10 ish seconds, longer when it's cold, and then cuts off all while pushing my momentary switch. I just use that as the timer. Anyone know if that light runs on a timer or temp sensor or...? 1992 Ford F250 7.3 idi.

 

[franklin2]

I'd have to look to remember how I've got my bypass wired exactly, but the wait to start light still comes on for 10 ish seconds, longer when it's cold, and then cuts off all while pushing my momentary switch. I just use that as the timer. Anyone know if that light runs on a timer or temp sensor or...? 1992 Ford F250 7.3 idi.

The light is controlled by the famous "brain" in the controller. The brain get's info on how long to glow from the voltage drop across the z-bar shunt on the controller(the shiny silver piece). If you are grounding the white wire to manually activate the glowplug relay, the current for the glowpugs is still passing through the z-bar shunt, so the brain doesn't know any different and is still trying to control the relay, and can't because it's disconnected. But it can still turn the light on in the dash.