Someone have a link to procedure how to check the glow plugs? I had done it last year, checking the pins in the plug ins, but can't find the procedure now. Thank you.

 

It varies by year, but for your 96, locate the two electrical connectors on the inboard side of each valve cover. Once you unplug the connectors, the front and rear pin in each connector need to be ohmed against a battery ground looking for a reading of less that 2 ohms. Any reading above 2 ohms or an open or infinity reading indicates either a bad glow plug or a loose UVCH connection or a burnt pin in the connector.

 

I should have specified, it for our 01 excursion, California emissions with glow plug module.

 

Front two and rear two pins on the single inboard connector against battery ground then looking for the same readings.

Of course the GPCM will throw a CEL if it detects a bad glow plug and tell you which one it is so you don't have to play with the meter.

 

It doesn't start very well in cold weather where my 96 will fire right up. There is a CEL but it said for the idle air heater which I had removed. But have since put in a resistance wire that I bought but haven't pulled the cables yet to reset it to see if it stays out. It also drains the batteries so there is some sort of draw somewhere.

 

over the years I have tested lots of glow plugs and I still prefer to pull each plug test it in the vice by doing 3 tests

a few years back we were working on a 7.3 the ohm reading was ok but when we tested them the tips on 5 of them would not burn hot come to find out they had they replaced and they were some cheap ebay plugs use oem parts or bosch or ngk makes quality plugs the only writing we found on these were in oriental script

1 the ohm test as outlined above
2 voltage test I use a jump pack and actually fire the plug the very tip should glow a bright orange almost to the point of turing white if the tip doesn't glow but the rod does they are junk the old diesels of the past did this a lot
an ohm is a good start
3 do a good visual test when out check for loose-broken connectors

4 your motor might be low on compression on start or it could be something as simple as your idle isn't high enough could be it needs a head job but a diesel head is not the same as a gas head as to how it is ground a good valve grind can make the world of difference

while you have them out check the compression

If you could find a yanmar industrial engine they used a preheater in the intake might be worth looking into cummins also uses them