Hi Guys,

i have a E350 XLT from 1992 wiuth teh 7,3l Diesel.

i have an issue with not starting up at very cold temperatures while plugged in. When it started i had white smoke. I noticed the unit makes a clicking sound, with the ammeter going up and down at the same time before.

Ich checked the glowplugs and found one burnt out. I couldnt check the 1st one on the drivers side because there is the fuel filter or something installed on top and i cant reach it without removoing it. Anyways i replaced the burnt glowplug. and it fired up right away and the clicking sound, with the ammeter going up and down was gone.

Today its not firing up again and the clicking sound, with the ammeter going up and down is back.

Seems like at least another glowplug burnt out.
Should i replace all the glowplugs?
Where to check the ground connection and find the gp-controller?
What about the fuelfilter on top of the first glowplug on the driversside. can i just remove it or is there anything to watch for.

thanks in advance guys!

 

i would replace all 8 glowplugs with motorcraft ZD-9's nothing else, they will only burn out again very fast.
as the glow plugs get older they do not glow the same as new plugs, and can cause issues.
and just unbolt the fuel filter and lay it to the side to get to the first plug.

 

Allright! Thanks for the reply!
ill go get some more plugs and change them all and see what happens.

Could there be some other issues why its not starting when cold?

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-tutorial.html

 

thanks for the help so far guys!
got 7 more gps today and replaced em, found 2 burnt out. one of em was the new one so i have to get another one tomorrow.
Then will check the function properly as described in the 101 glow plug tuturial.

Had to remove the fuel filter, do i have to remove the air from the system or does it bleed itself? sorry for this newbie question didnt find a answer for that here in the forum.

the wires and connectors dont look too good anymore so i was thinking about replacing the whole harness. i couldnt find a partnumber or a complete harness online. any suggestions?

 

what glow plugs are you using that they burn out so fast?
if the fuel filter is full when you put it on you should not have that much problem bleeding it.

 

I just went to the lordco dealer and bought some. They are Autolite 1108.
I read afterwards that i should get the motorcrafts, but now they are already in the van and i cant give em back.
how to bleed the filter?

 

YANK out those autolites immediately unless you want to pull the heads to remove broken gp tips!! Motorcrafts are proven to be the only way to go.

Like Tom said, if the filter is full it should bleed fairly easily. If you didn't fill the filter before screwing it on, you may have to crank for awhile (or just take it back off and fill it).

 

:/
just spend 100$ there. btw. i searched for the ZD-9 and the online store says they dont fit my motor. Motorcraft Spark Plug ZD-9: You?ve found the best Diesel Glow Plug at Advance Auto Parts

the filter is nearly full .So the fuel filter will bledd itself or do i have to do something? Sorry but im not common with changing fuel filters.

 

Who are ya gonna believe? Some parts store website or guys that have engines just like yours and know what works and what doesn't?

the ZD-9 are the right ones.

Just sayin'

 

WARNING!!!!
autolite gp's are very well known to burn out extremely fast and when they do,they almost always swell and become stuck in the heads.potentially requiring you to remove the engine,so you can pull the heads to remove the stuck gp's!!!

i would get those out of there and toss them in the scrap pile ASAP.write them off as lesson learned before you learn the hard way.by ASAP,i mean before you attempt to cycle them again.hope that none of them already swelled up.if they did, stop immediately and search for instructions on how to remove them before it simply breaks off!!
you have been warned! what you do with the warning is up to you.

if it's not a Beru,it just wont do.


.....................
this is interesting.back on page 1 when i just bought chip truck.a day or two latter i learned there was no electric pump conversion.what i was hearing was the fuel tank selector valve failing.it was stuck between switching and the motor was burning out.sounded just like an electric pump mounted down there.i replaced that with an aftermarket,ditched the factory lift pump,and plumbed in an electric fuel pump.....then upgraded to a good dura lift when that cheapy failed.so i never did frig with the oem system.i ran new lines,e-pump,fsv.
oh yeah and i did go back to grab the diesel book to help me fully test and diagnose the complete gp system (i just needed 8 new motorcraft/beru gp's though.a tiny bit of searching here,and it was clear to only go with oem when it came to glow plugs,and thermostats.)
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post12967785

 

It should work the air out. Don't crank the starter more than 20 seconds and give it a rest for a few minutes before trying again.

 

unfortunately, parts houses like to rob their customers.

the autolite glow plugs have to be without a doubt the absolute crap out there, closely followed by champion, wellman/diesel-rx, bosch, and ac delco.

you can get them online from rockauto for $9.12 each

 

he says back a page,his van is a '92.they should be like the truck engines right? getting the newer gp system in '87? vans didn't get the upgrade until later or something?
i don't ever recall reading the van engines kept the old gp system longer or anything but admittedly i never payed much attention to the e-series differences either.

 

vans uses the same thing that we do. 87 was the crossover year.
they just day the ZD-9's don't work so they can sell their garbage glow plugs.
the only real difference between van engines and pickup engines is the oil cooler, and the location of the fuel filter.