help!! glow plugs
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help!! glow plugs
Ok aftet getting 2 broken glow plugs out threw the injector hole I replaced all 8 gp's yesterday the wait to start light worked fine with no problems stayed on for 10-15 seconds go out this morning and it stays on for 2 seconds if I'm lucky could my cheap napa gp controller be doing this or killing my gp's it just seems cheap looking at it the compuper in the bottom of it its a 1/8 of the size of the ford one
Logistics Pro
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Your '86 if stock has the old style controller that doesn't care if and how many GPs are dead, the cycle time should remain the same.
But, test your glow plugs anyway since it's easy, if they're good check all your grounds and connections at the GP relay.
It is possible your store brand controller died, they're not made very well. On my '84 I had replaced the GPs and controller, (store brand), when I bought it, worked great. Within a year on the way to work on the highway the controller turned on and wouldn't shut off. Fried all my GPs. Replaced them again, but got the next controller from International. Didn't have a single GP issue for the next 8 years or so I drove the truck. Worked perfect the day I sold it, even with the forum-hated Autolites.
But, test your glow plugs anyway since it's easy, if they're good check all your grounds and connections at the GP relay.
It is possible your store brand controller died, they're not made very well. On my '84 I had replaced the GPs and controller, (store brand), when I bought it, worked great. Within a year on the way to work on the highway the controller turned on and wouldn't shut off. Fried all my GPs. Replaced them again, but got the next controller from International. Didn't have a single GP issue for the next 8 years or so I drove the truck. Worked perfect the day I sold it, even with the forum-hated Autolites.
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From: Manteca
If you have auto light glow plugs right now they could be burnt out again.. Fair warning on those glow plugs they do swell, I had to remove a cylinder head because of Autolite plugs, just my 2 $0.02
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: NC
ALL Glow plugs for these trucks can swell up and ALL can burn out, Motorcraft seems to be favored more than others by far, but they do fail and swell too.. just by design and function, this isn't an opinion, just a fact.
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Logistics Pro
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To test them using the test light procedure remove the wire to the glow plug, put the alligator clip from the test light to the positive terminal of your battery, then touch the tip of the test light to the terminal on the GP. It should light, if it does not the GP is bad.
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Exactly, no brand of glow plug is going to burn out after just one cycle, (unless there are other factors that prolong the cycle time), if they did the company that made them would be out of business in no time. And I have posted a picture of some Motorcrafts I had with the ends fried right off them.
To test them using the test light procedure remove the wire to the glow plug, put the alligator clip from the test light to the positive terminal of your battery, then touch the tip of the test light to the terminal on the GP. It should light, if it does not the GP is bad.
To test them using the test light procedure remove the wire to the glow plug, put the alligator clip from the test light to the positive terminal of your battery, then touch the tip of the test light to the terminal on the GP. It should light, if it does not the GP is bad.
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First check your test light if you haven't already.
If they are all in fact dead I can only speculate that you had an incident like I did and maybe just didn't notice the WTS light coming on while you were driving the truck somewhere and the controller killed the GPs.
If they are all in fact dead I can only speculate that you had an incident like I did and maybe just didn't notice the WTS light coming on while you were driving the truck somewhere and the controller killed the GPs.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: May 2013
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From: NC
Just went and checked, and my 8 pushbutton- operated Autolite glowplugs are all working fine, test light showed nice and bright. The only time I had to replace some is when I first put the momentary switch for the glow plugs in and held them WAY too long, and went through several, all came out looking fine, no swelling or deformation. One had carbon build-up, but still came out fairly easily. I learned quick that the preset WTS light time is about the longest you want to keep them on. The bulbs for that light can burn out, and can be replaced.
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Well I think Im going to start off with a set of motorcraft gp's
Is there any way to test the gp controler I might just go back to the ford controller all so I have my controller hooked up to constan power cuz the truck harness didn't have 12 volts this is a 88 7.3 idi in my 94 I used the 88 engine harness and just adapted it to the 94 harness to the truck
Is there any way to test the gp controler I might just go back to the ford controller all so I have my controller hooked up to constan power cuz the truck harness didn't have 12 volts this is a 88 7.3 idi in my 94 I used the 88 engine harness and just adapted it to the 94 harness to the truck