swapped from Bosch to Beru glow plugs, wont start now

[rhkcommander]

***?! I thought these were the cream of the crop around here. Started fine on my Bosch plugs, swapped because the motorcraft berus are suppose to be better but now I only get partial combustion and no start.

Relay is hot and can hear it clicking on when i hit the push button and off when i let go. Tested all eight before popping them in and all eight were good. The glow plug harness isn't pretty, the plastic is missing on a couple of the plugs and they are all dirty but like i said before started fine on the bosch. Don't feel like swapping another 8 plugs back out & in to see if its the BERU's or not since the last two are especially hard to get at, and the glow plug controller and oil feed arent fun to unbolt out either

Before I hear "why fix what ain't broken", I have had a set of all eight bosch die spontaneously and don't feel like swapping glow plugs in the rain during the winter .

Does the dash cluster have to be plugged in for some reason for the vehicle to start? I thought mechanical IDI's wouldn't care since I finally got my gauge cluster out to fix the bulbs and attach a tachometer

 

[Brianedwardss]

Check the plug on the fuel shutoff solenoid on the drivers side of the injector pump, I've accidentally unplugged it doing things like glow plugs.

 

[Cincinnati Guy]

Maybe you disturbed some faulty/loose wiring when doing the swap, check over everything. If I were you Id cut off those ends and attach new ones.

 

[Shaguardriver]

I did the relay and plugs at the same time. I know when I did mine I had some bad connections under the boot. I cut them out and used a round electrical connector. I don't know the name but the ones that are commonly used on auxillary lights. Good luck

 

[rhkcommander]

I did the relay and plugs at the same time. I know when I did mine I had some bad connections under the boot. I cut them out and used a round electrical connector. I don't know the name but the ones that are commonly used on auxillary lights. Good luck

theyre called bullet connectors I got some already.. I'll try wiggling those IP cables cause they could be making bad contact I noticed arcing when putting one of the 3 ip conenctions on

anyone know what gauge the glow plug harness is? looks like 8 to me but I haven't really checked. wouldnt mind wiring up a new one
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Update:
Went under the hood and played with all 3 connectors on the IP, especially the double wired one. Did the same for the front 6 connectors to the plugs. Hopped in cab, ran the plugs for several seconds, tried startin had good rotation and partial combustion. Jammed glow plug button in and held it and got her started again. Started warm like butter, but will try again later cold.

 

[Diesel JD]

I think you really better know what you're doing before you start chopping the glow plug harness. Missing the plastic isn't unusual and it's not that big of a deal. Nothing fits like the stock connectors, the bullet connectors you can buy at a hardware store are pretty close but they won't stay tight and when they won't stay tight even if it's just one glow plug you get very short glow times. Arcing when attaching the FSS is not unusual if the key was on. Really the truck should try to start at least even with no glow plugs provided it isn't too cold where you are. It won't start happily without them except in the heat or with ether. How long is your glow plug light staying on? You have some sort of a short or loose connection I think, although it's hard to be certain at internet distance. Sometimes these things become hard to figure out.

 

[rhkcommander]

I am good at wiring stuff, I checked the bullet conenctors and they fit snug on mine, but i have a feeling corrosion is inhibiting conenction some.

I'll try it again in a bit, before swapping to the new plugs it would start when it was warm out so IDK if its just too cold out now or what

I have a manual pushbutton running straight to the glow plug relay, so I know when the relay is on and I know power is coming out to the harness. I just can't check to see if power is making it into the glow plugs...

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Looksl ike air got into the system and thats why it was so hard to start.. I wonder if maybe the bosch burn a little hotter then the berus, and thus when the hot diesel hits the red tips it lights easier on the bosch for me to start off of?

 

[RLDSL]

You didn't by any chance put any dielectric grease on any connectors trying to prevent corrosion while putting the new plugs in did you? Some folks will mistakenly do this since there are so many places on the web telling them to do it, when in fact it can put an incredible amount of resistance in the circuit and cause malfunctions. It should only be used on spark plug boots where high current leakage prevention is the goal.

 

[Agnem]

Since you say the glow plug controller is hot, and you mentioned arcing, by money says you have a short in your wiring, and you pumping all your glow plug current right into the head and not the GP's.

 

[IDIDieselJohn]

My mix of Autolite, Bosch, Champion and Motorcrafts plugs have been working fantastic together for a year now on the 6.9

 

[George D.]

Was the Key on whe you hooked up the wires to the IP? if not you have a short as mel said. First place to check is the wiring to the glow plug relay. you may have hooked up the wires to the relay incorectly.

You also may have disterbed part of the fule retun system while changing the plugs and now air is entering the system.

 

[rhkcommander]

looks like air intrusion I am thinking, they key was in but I don't recall if it was in the ON position or just in there... It was only the IP fuel shutoff connection that arc'd little blue light when i attached it.

Truck hard started this morning, but several hours later it started like its old self so that tells me most likely I bumped a decrepid return line and got air leaking in now... I needed to replace the return line anyway since it leaked in two spots already

 

[rhkcommander]

I know air intrusion can make it ahrd to start, I see wet return lines on the last injector firewall-passenger side (cylinder 8 i think). That is where the 4 inejctors are fed over to meet with the other side on the fuel line.

Could a leak there make it a ****** to start??? I probably bumped it pulling the glow plug controller Also would worm-drive clamps work better?

 

[icanfixall]

Passenger side of motor.....1 3 5 7.... Drivers side 2 4 6 8... Firing order is 1-2-7-3-4-5-6-8... This firing order is found near the passenger side of the intake manifold air horn and each intake port has the cylinder number cast into the runner.... Makes it kinda simple when you know this...

 

[rhkcommander]

thanks i knew it was around there somewhere, so cylinder 7 has both return lines leaking. both lines were wet.. can pvc work in place?

the return line kit is the old non-turbo return line, where they meet at 7 & 8 and the big line to the IP so i figure the worst spot for air intrusion is AT the #7 for that side... leaky return line can make it a bear to start or no?