Alright, first time posting on here, hello everyone!

I've got an 88 F250 with a 7.3l IDI engine with an ATS turbo from a later model truck. It's been my project truck (new rear axle seals, ELC coolant, starter motor, and much more stuff!) since I bought a motorcycle, but just today its given me my first real problem.

The other night one of the glow plugs (seem to have) gone bad. Turning the key to the warm-up position yeilded no wait time for the glow plugs to warm up (as I understand, when one glow plug goes bad in this older idi system, none of them will work at all).

When I had first gotten the truck I pulled the easiest glow plug to get to (#2), it had a Autolite in it, so it was no surprise when one went bad.

However when I went to pull/replace the plugs, I decided to start on the #7 cylinder (the hardest one to get to on my truck, it is directly under the ATS turbo and is a PITA). I had cleaned the pocket out with air and left liquid wrench in there for a half a day before I attempted to remove it.

Naturally, it seems the plug is stuck. The socket (and the nut of the glow plug) will spin freely. It doesn't look like all of the thread is out of the motor, so I'm not sure if the plug is spinning in the outside of the pocket and is simply swollen, or if it is broken.

What would be the best course of action for me to take now? I'd heard that cycling the engine may help blow it out if it is swollen, but I'm not sure how I feel about that method.

...Otherwise, if it is broken, I'll be needing an engine lift (what a procedure for a **** glow plug, eh?)...

 

welcome to FTE.
if you can get all the other glow plugs out and replace them with motorcraft ZD-9's, your glow plug system will still work with only 7 glow plugs, just not as good.
you can try the blow it out method, but i doubt it will work.
if it was mine, i would remove the turbo and try getting the glow plug out before i removed the head or engine.

 

Thanks TJC, I followed your advice so far but the truck still will not start.

Alright so update:

I replaced the other 7 glow plugs with ZD-9's, leaving the broken plug in cylinder #7, but it still skips the engine warm up period. Even with freshly charged batteries I couldn't get it to start up (today was on the hotter side as well). Possibly the resistance from the broken plug is so high that the glow plug relay thinks they are all at temperature?

Otherwise I suspect that it is the glow plug relay, but that is hidden behind/under the air intake/filter for the ATS turbo on my truck, which looks just like this one here: 088-Ford-Turbo-System-Layout-sm-A4.jpg Photo by snaponprofile | Photobucket

Maybe someone here could chime in on how to remove it? I'm finding very limited information online. Thanks!

 

Further update, I have the air box/cover off, but see no way to remove the turbo unit itself. From my research it looks like it is just a pressure fit (IE pull up on the unit), but I want to make sure. The pressure chamber seems to be stuck to the turbo as well. Ifit is and anyone has has any advice on pulling the turbo, I'm going to take another swing at it tomorrow. Picture:

 

7 glow plugs will work fine, i ran my 88 like that for 3 years. check for power at the glow plug relay. one side should have power at all times. both sides should be hot when you turn the key to run on a cold engine.
does the wait to start light come on at all?

 

Yeah, there's something else wrong. The system short-cycles when more than one glow plug is out.

Once you get to that GP have you read up on the drill trick to get it out?

 

The wait to start light flashes and then the relay immediately starts clicking, as if the engine is already warm.

What/where should I check for?

Also, I can see the glow plug relay, but barely. It is hidden under the turbo unit. I would like to relocate the unit now, but I'm not sure how feasible that is without getting behind the turbo, which is frozen to the exhaust uppipe.

EDIT: I've read up on extracting a glow plug that is broken using a torx (sp?) head, but I'm open to other ideas/advice.

 

my controller was relocated to over the middle of the passenger side valve cover.
makes it much easier to work on it. you can see the relocated controller in this picture:

 

This has become a bigger project then my problematic rear axle seals...

The recent shenanigans:
I broke half the bones in my fingers relocating the glow plug controller + relay to the passenger side fender from under the turbo. I replaced the solenoid with a new one: same problem (instantly clicks).

I then tested the solonoid/gp controller as told here: 7.3L IDI Glow Plug Troubleshooting

It passed all the tests listed, so the only possible problem unit could be the glow plug controller itself.

I replaced it: same problem. So I checked all the wiring and lone and behold the glow plug connector to the broken #7 glow plug has broken off the wire. I did a quick connection from the wire to the broken glow plug connector but this still yielded the same original problem.

My question: Since the connector and the glow plug is sheared, is it possible this is giving enough resistance to instantly throw the solenoid? (I see no way to remove the broken glow plug without pulling the turbo -which I cannot do without taking it to a shop and likely giving away bigggg $$$$.)

Looks like I may be installing a manual glow plug button if this sucker doesn't start soon, I get nervous when one my my vehicles sits around for more than a month without running.

 

if the wire is not shorted out, and the rest of the system is good the glow plugs should work.

 

I fought the glow plug all morning and afternoon until a few minutes ago. She isn't coming out from under the tubo.

My last question is if you can pull the passenger side header without removing the turbo, which is in the same location as the later IDI's stock turbos were. If I can I'll get that sucker out at home. If not I'll run a push button temporarily and save up some money for a shop to do the work.

Note to everyone: More proof that Autolite glow plugs suck .