When to replace a dead glow plug?
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,800
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From: Southern Colorado
When to replace a dead glow plug?
I have a dead glow plug (one) that's been dead for ~2 years. Is there any reason to hurry and replace it?
I hear of glow plugs that swell and are hard to remove, but I don't know if 'deadness' affects that. I don't drive my truck much and I plug it in during the winter, so one dead glow plug isn't a big deal as far as a starting issue.
Someday, i will pull the valve cover, do the 50 cent mod, check injector and rocker torque, and change this - but I wondered if the dead glow plug was time sensitive.
Thanks!
I hear of glow plugs that swell and are hard to remove, but I don't know if 'deadness' affects that. I don't drive my truck much and I plug it in during the winter, so one dead glow plug isn't a big deal as far as a starting issue.
Someday, i will pull the valve cover, do the 50 cent mod, check injector and rocker torque, and change this - but I wondered if the dead glow plug was time sensitive.
Thanks!
PREMIUM SPONSOR
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 750
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From: Oakdale, CA
Swelling of the glow plugs is caused by the heat cycles they go through. If it is dead, it does not have a chance to swell anymore.
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,252
Likes: 7,679
From: Chino Valley, Arizona
I didn't change my dead #3 glow plug 3 years ago, just lived with a little puff of smoke when cold. It blew out 3 weeks ago! not a fun thing to have. it beat the valve cover in to remission, blew the oil fill tube out of the valve cover and made the valve cover gaskets start leaking. also these things don't run so good with all the compression blowing into the engine.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 26,966
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From: Texas
I didn't change my dead #3 glow plug 3 years ago, just lived with a little puff of smoke when cold. It blew out 3 weeks ago! not a fun thing to have. it beat the valve cover in to remission, blew the oil fill tube out of the valve cover and made the valve cover gaskets start leaking. also these things don't run so good with all the compression blowing into the engine.
I had a spark plug blow out on my 64 pick up many moons ago. I can imagine the sudden uh-oh moment you had when that thing went.
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,252
Likes: 7,679
From: Chino Valley, Arizona
I've never heard of that. What would make a dead glow plug blow like that? Just because the element no longer works, I didn't think that would make them hit the eject button.
I had a spark plug blow out on my 64 pick up many moons ago. I can imagine the sudden uh-oh moment you had when that thing went.
I had a spark plug blow out on my 64 pick up many moons ago. I can imagine the sudden uh-oh moment you had when that thing went.
it had unscrewed from the head! I just put another one in and went to bed so I could go on a service call the next morning.
I need to pull it or the injector and scope the cylinder and check for damage, I think I have lost some power so there might be some damage, or turbo damage.
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