starting issue

[schultediesel]

okay heres my situation, i have an 85 6.9. since its gotten cold its a pain to start or just won't start. i no longer hear the clicking under the hood. would that be from my glow plug relay or my glow plug controller? any help is greatly appreciated. i'm going to buy new glow plugs just incase

 

[NJGearhead666]

I notice you live in alaska. how cold is it out when your trying to start it? do you plug your truck in overnight? make sure your relay is working for the glow plugs and your getting power to all the plugs.

 

[schultediesel]

oh yeah!!

oh yeah i plug my truck in!!! it hit negative 20 last night. i've been plugging it in when its cold for the year that i've had it. last winter it would fire right up no matter how cold it was as long as i plugged it in. like i said, i don't jere the click under the hood any more. i just don't want to buy a $130 controller when its just my relay and or plugs.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

Check the plugs with a multimeter, if there's no resistance, they're shot.

The 85's had the old style controller, which can be problematic.

You'll prolly want to do something different. It can stay latched ON, and keep burning down Your plugs.
Do a little searching around. There's plenty of good info here.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=21811&highlight=glow+plugs


http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=27268&highlight=glow+plugs

 

[schultediesel]

CRAP

okay so here's how it went: i pulled the old plugs they were smoked! i put in my new delphi plugs and a new relay, charged my batteries jumped in the cab while the batteries were charging and go behind my gauge cluster and re hooked up my glow plug, water in fuel lights (i unplugged them when i put in my speedo cable and was in a rush when i put it back together). i turned the key on to heat the plugs and the light for my glow plugs didn't come on. so i waited fifteen seconds and tried to fire it up. and NOTHING!!!!! not even one fire!! but one thing that i noticed was that the other two lights on the cluster for the glow plugs lit up like normal when i cranked the key, so i'm confused by that. well i think that i'm going to go ahead and install a new block heater tomorrow.

also the glow plugs dont go all the way down the threads. they still have room to turn but i don't wanna break one off. is this normal?

 

[Exekiel69]

You should be able to hear the block heater work. You just need to be quiet and listen close tire and the fender on the pass side since that is the side of the block where the block heater is installed on this trucks.

The glow plugs IMO Must be beru/motorcraft and You are less likely to need to spend more time fixing new problems.

 

[schultediesel]

fixin to install

i can't hear it. and i just realized it at two thirty this a.m. when i called it quits on the truck. oh well, the plugs that were in there were cheap autolites and they are fried! i got a block heater. now i just have to get in into the truck. i do believe that i have to take the starter off for this one though. but at least this time i have a heated bay instead of outside at twenty below!

 

[schultediesel]

OUTSTANDING!!!!

i just went outside to check (which is sitting right around a nice -20) on my truck/make sure its not burnt to the ground (i'm at the station tonight so it wouldn't be that big of a deal), i went up and tucked my ear inside the passanger fender well and its boiling away! i couldn't resist, so i got in and started it. it was a little rough at first almost sounded like not all cylinders were firing, but then it leveled right out! and to think only $200 later! now if i could just get the g.p. light to work so i don't have to count the seconds

 

[NJGearhead666]

Congrats on the victory!

 

[schultediesel]

thank you! any one know of a certain freeze plug that likes to go out on the 6.9's? i'm leaking antifreeze. awhile back i thought it was the heads but i was wrong about the smell of antifreeze in my exhaust. (like i said i'm new to diesels) that coupled with the fact that my oil is not milky and after draining all my coolant discovering that what i thought was sludge in my radiator is actually some stop leak stuff that someone who owned the truck before me put in, i'm thinking it could be a freeze plug.

 

[Agnem]

I sure hope your using a manual glow plug switch for your GP system! If your still relying on the factory controller, that may be an issue. You can always just pull the purple wire off your fender relay, and manually provide 15 seconds of "ON" time via a jumper wire to positive 12 volts at that terminal to manually work your glow plugs.

 

[schultediesel]

CRAP!!!

okay so it worked after two hours of being unplugged then plugged in. now its not. i went out when it was time to leave work and it was a no go. starter sounds good and strong but no fire at all. i was told that my relay could be bad or air is sneaking in at my filter and causing my cylinders to cool. whats going on?

 

[schultediesel]

glow plug controller

what does the glow plug controller do? can i bypass what it controls with the manuel switch?

 

[Exekiel69]

I have no experience with the 6.9l gp system but I do know You can just control it manually and get rid of the controller.