Truck won't start - glow plug issue?

[papastruck]

Must have said "...but she's never left me stranded!" one too many times.

My '86 has a manual glow plug setup. After replacing GPs with Motorcraft a year or so ago, it normally lights right off after a 12 second burn during warmer months, and a 20 second burn on days in the 30s like yesterday and this morning. Yesterday it was fine. This morning, a slight sputter then no start at all. While I'm getting enough juice to light a test light at the plugs, and I hear the solenoid clicking when I hit the switch, they're not getting at all warm. I even did a glow, then pulled one right away and it was outside temp.

From the looks of it, the manual GP system on my truck is still wired to the controller at the back of the engine block on the driver's side. Because I can hear the solenoid click and I'm getting something on the GP side of it, I'm thinking it's something between the solenoid and the plugs themselves. Questions:
1. Does the controller have to be a part of this system?
2. Any suggestions on further testing it? My shop manual punts on GP system diagnosis, referring me to an emissions manual. It also only covers automatic system anyway.

 

[icanfixall]

I bet your not getting enough amps and volts thru the crappy little engine main wireing harness plug. Feel it and see if its hot after using the glows. Really need to bypass the harness plug and run some heavy speaker wire directly from the battery on the fender solenoid to the controller. Add in a circut breaker and you all set. Just remember that controler has power all the time too..

 

[papastruck]

Update - just got in from pulling a GP and hooking it directly to a spare battery I have lying around. It doesn't even get warm. So GPs are fried, I guess. Question is, if they all fried simultaneously, did the controller go bad to cause it?

To answer your question, I didn't feel that plug specifically. One of the things on the ever-long to-do list is to take that system out and upgrade it with a 7.3 system with new wiring if possible. Of course, that only takes care of one side of the plug.