Diesel Engine troubleshooting

GLOW PLUG PROBLEMS

One of the main reasons an automotive style engine can be hard to start is faulty glow plugs. Not all the glow plugs have to be bad before the engine gets hard to start. Glow plugs can be checked several ways. One of the easiest ways is with a continuity meter. If the meter does not read when connected the glow plug is bad. Weak glow plugs can also be detected by the actual meter reading, however each application has it's own specification that must be known before the test can be accurate. If no reading is achieved the glow plug must be replaced.

It has been our experience with a 7.3L Ford pickup that if two or more glow plugs are bad, the controller will cut off prematurely causing an extreme hard to start problem with a cold engine.

A faulty relay and controller can cause glow plug failure so it advisable to check out the entire system. If all glow plugs are burned on the end it could also indicate the timing is advanced too far. BACK TO >> DIESEL PAGE