Just wondering if anyone has a write up or a link or can tell me how to wire my glow plugs to a push button. ?? Mine don't stay on long enough and I usually have to cycle them at least 2x before startup.

My brother had his old 6.9 wired to a switch and I was wondering how to do it on the powerstroke 7.3

 

You may have somthing else going on, the glow plugs are actually suppose to stay on even after the light goes off (for up to 2 minutes)

You could have some bad ones or the relay may not be working correctly. The system on these trucks is head and shoulders above the old 6.9's and 7.3s.

read at your leisure:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...ke-thread.html

You can also check them with out pulling them through the valve cover harness

I believe the pin-out is [GP, INJ, CG, INJ, GP]

IF you take an ohm meter to the ground (the middle) and the glow plug pin, you should be able to measure the resistance. I cant recall what it is suppose to be, but I do know if you get an infinate reading, that would indicate a bad glow plug.

I'm sure others will chime in with a thing or two.

 

Are you judging "on" time by the WTS light? Once you turn the key to "On," the glow plugs (GP) will stay activated for up to two minutes, depending on several factors. The WTS light will stop illuminating after about 30 seconds or so, but the glow plug relay (GPR) will continue activating the glow plugs as needed for up to two minutes like I mentioned.

Have you tested your GPs and GPR to verify they are working correctly? I would check those first.

Judging by your avatar, your cold weather is similar and possibly more severe than my area of Idaho. During winter/severe cold weather, I routinely cycle my GPs two or three times, waiting for about two minutes between cycles, and my GPs and GPR are working fine. When outside temperatures reach 40*F and less, I plug in my truck and still cycle the GPs two or three times, to ensure my cylinder temps are where they should be to ensure a good start.

Edit:
You beat me Thomas. Yes, the outside pins are the GPs. You can Ohm the outside pins and use the engine as a ground, too, to give yourself more room for your hands. If you're seeing Ohm readings in the double-digit and higher range, it's time for new GPs. I think the "normal" reading is something 3-5 Ohms with 7 Ohms maximum. I'll see if I can find them before someone else provides the correct figures. See post #17 in the link Thomas provided.

Another Edit:
Familiarized myself with that thread again. Reading further, testing of the ICP (Injection Control Pressure) sensor was suggested. A bad ICP was the culprit for one person. Try unplugging the ICP. If the engine starts, the ICP may be bad. Just something to check when testing your GPs and GPR.

 

^^^^ +1; if two minutes isn't "long enough", you have a problem that won't be fixed by the glow plugs. For that matter, esp. at this time of year, you shouldn't need to run the GPs for more than the time the WTS light is on. Running them longer might be necessary in cold weather, esp. when you don't plug the truck in, or if it hasn't been started in a long time. But if you have to do extend the run time regularly, you have another problem that you're just masking with the extended run time.