My glow plug controller relay failed last week when the high amperage secondary contacts stuck closed, the controller thus could not open the circuit (contacts) which caused constant voltage and current through the metal ribbon bar resistor, the GP harness and to the glow plugs.
The ribbon shaped metal resistance bar took most of that load, heated up and melted the plastic cover of the GP controller. I be posting a new topic with photos to show what happens when a relay fails in this way.

This is a photo of the number 8 (back driver's side) bullet style 16ga to 14ga blue connector that I installed on it about 2 years ago to replace the crumbled original connector. Aside from the heat blistering of the blue plastic insulation, the red heat shrink over the 16 ga part of the connector is completely gone. That heat shrink came from Harbor Freight. There is probably better quality heat shrink tubing available but I won't need it because BRAND NEW high quality replacement insulated connectors are available now. SEE below the photo.




Here is the URL to the NEW high quality* insulated glow plug connectors that I found at Rock Auto Parts. It's the first time that I have seen these.
They are manufactured by AIRTEX/WELLS. Cost is $4.29 ea.
More Information for AIRTEX/WELLS 1P1168
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo....124110&jsn=498


EDIT: STOP

I am deleting the content of my original post which had been below, because I have some serious questions as to whether or not these connector pigtails are adequate for this application.

I need more time to research this and compare to the OEM wiring. The wires on these pigtails are definitely smaller, thinner wire, the insulation is thinner and there are 11 fine strands of wire compared to 6 heavier strands and thicker insulation in the OEM connector wires. The fewer strands in the wire, the more current carrying capacity (as is the OEM harness) the more strands, (like these AIRTEX connectors) the less current carrying capacity. The hotter the ambient temperature surrounding the wire, the LESS current carrying capacity so THICKER insulation (as in the OEM harness) is BETTER, Thinner insulation is WORSE. All of these factors suggest that these AIRTEX connectors DO NOT equal or exceed OEM specifications even though a quick (first glance) comparison of the AVS 0.85 wire with standard multi-strand 16 ga wire suggests that AVS 0.85 has approx the same amp rating.

HOWEVER, the OEM harness does not use standard multi-strand wire. One member who built a harness from scratch by copying his OEM harness insisted that the wires in the harness are in fact Fusible Link Wire, marked as such and I have no reason to disbelieve that. Fusible Link wire has thicker insulation to prevent electrical fires when the copper melts opening the circuit. I seem to recall reading that fusible link wires is made from copper that is highly purified with less oxygen content than standard copper wire and the reason for that is so it will consistently melt and open the circuit (to protect components) at the same consistent amperage and heat during an overload condition rather than melting at varying amperages due to impurities and oxygen content. Simply a matter of precision so it performs within it's labelled specifications. I'm quite sure that read that in a technical document about Fuse Link Wire, but I don't remember where. I read so much of that technical and engineering stuff and I didn't just dream that up. It does not matter that it is "Fuse Link Wire." It can be used for wire in a harness without intending it to function as a fuse link. To function as a fusible link it's simply a thinner ga. wire tied into the heavier gauge wire of the circuit so the thinner wire will heat up and melt through before the thicker wire gets overloaded, too hot, risking damage to components and burning through the insulation to cause electrical fires. It is just like a fuse.

All of this, including the fact that the OEM wires are stiffer and more rigid, points to these new pigtail wire connectors NOT MATCHING OR EXCEEDING OEM. Not in THIS application.

The print on the wire insulation reads "AVS 0.85" and I have looked that up here:
http://http://prd.sws.co.jp/cables/en/avs.html
The specifications for the wire are on that page.

SECONDLY, The inside of the connectors is NOT as shown in the AIRTEX listing at Rock Auto Parts. I looked inside of these. There is no solid hard wire loop on one side (as shown in the listing photo) which would make full contact with the glow plug post, nor is there the same metal spring clip on one side as shown in the listing. There is only a single piece of thin metal coming up to a point and back to the base of the connector and it is right in the center! I was afraid I would smash it trying to put it on a glow plug. I have a glow plug at my desk. Eventually I got brave and tried to push the glow plug post into it. It has to bend that thin piece of metal to the side as you force the gp post into the connector and that appears also to be the only electrical connection. MAYBE it will squash to the side and the gp post will fit all the way into the connector. I didn't force it because I am returning these for a refund and I didn't want to squash that little piece of thin metal which is the contact. It may work well for some other application which I believe it was actually designed for but I don't believe it is suitable for glow plugs.

Lastly, the Box Label: Top: 1P1168 PIGTAIL ASSEMBLY. Front reads AIRTEX VEHICLE ELECTRONICS.
On the side panels:
AIRTEX is a registered trademark owned by Airtex Products L.P. and is used under license. WELLS VEHICLE ELECTRONICS L.P. Fond du Lac, WI (Wisconsin) ... www.WellsVE.com
Above those citations under the bar code & number: MADE IN CHINA.

A NEW EDIT:
DON'T BLAME THE CHINESE! BLAME AIRTEX AND WELLS! (Whoever owns them now). They designed, engineered and probably manufactured the part in a manufacturing facility that they own in China or contracted with a Chinese factory to make it.

I deleted content discussing the take-over of formerly reputable companies by investor groups. I didn't have much good to say about that in terms of quality of parts but I certainly can't comment on every part these companies sell.

In this case I don't think these connectors are adequate for this diesel glow plug application and were originally designed for a different application.

 

I edited my original post substantially. (SEE ABOVE) I received these glow plug pigtails in the mail yesterday and I am NOT impressed with the quality nor for recommended use in this application. Read the edited post above to see why.

 

I know the purpose of your thread is to make a quick fix if a wire end burns out etc...
Its a good idea too bad the connectors are sort of crappy.
Might be good to keep a 6.0 GP Harness as was brought up in this thread.
I picked up 2 of them for $20 ea, the price has gone up a bit from then.
This only work on the ZD-9 Plugs with bullet connectors.


https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-for-50-a.html



I also read where it was posted that ea wire going to a plug is a Fuseable link wire.
If true, that would be a PITA to remove the harness and replace that one wire.
Wonder why Ford with their better ideas didn`t just use fuses for the system instead of this wire.?



Charlie

 

Thank you, Charlie. That is a good and affordable option to consider and as you suggest not a bad idea to have one on hand in case you need to replace a harness. Especially at that price. It looks like the distance between the front and rear connectors is too short and it's a tight stretch which I don't like but check this out:

Someone has used the same connectors, or probably the whole harness, modified slightly, to make one to sell as a replacement 87-94 6.9L/7.3L IDI harness selling on ebay for US $189.99. (way too expensive - charging a lot for labor and profit for that simple task):


1987-1994 Ford Diesel Turbo Glow Plug Wiring Harness 7.3L IDI 6.9L | eBay

It may well be that by removing the 'T' shaped connector holders from your new harnesses (from the source you linked), you'll be able to get more length from the connector wires for a better fit. You could cover the exposed connector wires with small diameter plastic wire loom pieces. Those T-shaped plastic covers should just unclip if you want to take a look and get back to us.

I'll probably buy one soon based on the probability that this can be done.

I very much like these Delphi connectors. If you look inside the ends of the connectors you can see that these are excellent quality connectors and I like them because they of the smaller size. I don't know how long the harness is though or what modification needs to be done at the controller end. Probably just solder on two ring terminals like the original factory harness:
Diesel Glow Plug Wiring Harness Delphi fits 99-03 Ford F-350 Super Duty 7.3L-V8 | eBay

International Harvester/Navistar patented all 3 of the controllers for the 6.9/7.3 IDI engines, the first patent application being in 1978 and I'm sure the OEM harness is also IH/Navistar. Using fusible link wire could have been for one of two reasons that I can think of: 1) It may have been used with the first or rather the second revision of the old style controller, due to burning out ALL of the glow plugs if the controller (or relay?) failed. This would perhaps protect the glow plugs. It would would simply be a carry-over from that time period.

2) It could be simply because it is very high quality wire as I pointed out. It does not have to be used as a fuse link wire. At the required amp ratings it can be used for any application as regular wire. It just has thicker insulation which better protects it from external heat which helps to maintain it's amperage capacity as well as preventing an electrical fire if it is overloaded and burns out. So those are all excellent reasons to use it for regular wire, not intended as a fusible link.

I have to run to one of my favorite parts stores right now. A local wrecking yard. Didn't have time yesterday to finish getting what I wanted (better wing vent windows for one)

 

Yeah $189.99 is a rip off for sure, I saw this guys listing about 9 mo back.
Gotta give him credit, there are people w/o a clue on how to DIY. They just want a quick fix.
You know the type, add water, stir, zap it for 30 sec, and schazam...all fixed.


This guy is still about the lowest I saw for right and a left harness.
$19.20 and free shipping.


2004-2010 Ford F250 F350 SUPERDUTY 6.0L Diesel Glow Plug Harness Right & Left | eBay


Tomorrow when I head out to the shop, I`ll see how difficult it is to pop off that plastic "T" connector and let you know.


I have a new IHC Solid state GP Relay, ZD-9 GP`s, I want to up grade the 86 from the old style. Plus the GP system doesn`t work anyway.
Every morning we lay hands on the Hood, wave the magic Wand and she comes to life. LOL




Charlie

 

I have been fiddling with one of the harnesses this evening.
The "T" shaped piece at ea connector can be removed with a small slot screw driver.
Place it in the slot between the 2 halves, and twist it and she will pop apart.


There are two other clips that are held on with some tape, cut it with a Razor Blade knife and they come right off.
Probably for a mounting on the 6.0 engine.


I was trying to take the plug apart to pull out the wires. The end the wires go in, there is a black plastic piece
that will snap off and slide back to expose a blue rubber seal.
Pry it out and slide it back.
there are metal crimp connectors in the plug. Usually they have a small tang that snaps
into a divit in the plug so the wire cannot be pulled out.
All to one`s I have delt with in the past, a small blade screw driver slid down along side the tang will push it over and the wire will come out.
Not this one.


I was thinking if I could get them out, I would gain maybe 1/4" of wire where I would cut them off to solder on the ring terminals.


Maybe it`s this artificial light screwing up my eyes. LOL. Tomorrow in the sunlight I might see what I couldn`t see tonight.
Or the 7 decades of use has taken it toll....Naw that can`t be it...






Charlie

 

Is that the original earlier controller where the entire bottom is filled with amber colored resin and you can see a couple of capacitors through it? I almost bought one like that, Original Ford Replacement controller for $130. Since they are completely sealed I don't think anything inside will degrade with age (oxidation etc.) Since electronics has advanced, the internal parts of the controllers are much smaller and sealed in a smaller area on the newer controllers. Better components in the newer ones? The mfrs. imply that and that they match or exceed OEM specifications but OEM specs don't have anything to do with how long they will last. The quality of the components does. You can bet that probably most after-market mfrs will use CHEAPER or CHEAPEST components that match the OEM specs. I still think that the after-market controllers should last, even if the relay fails like mine did.

Haha! Since you are in Nevada you might be able to find some gurus at that Burning Man Festival to come over and work some hoodoo on it and upgrade the whole looks of the truck too!

I think that is an excellent upgrade to the old style controllers. It won't smoke after start up or with 250k miles maybe very little. The after-glow cycle will maintain cylinder temperatures to keep it that way until the cylinders come up to operating temperature and the controller opens the circuit. It will however go through the full 10 seconds of initial glow on every start, even if the engine is warmed up. The ZD9 glow plugs can handle that.

The way the controller works to reduce smoke after start up is important for me, living in a tightly packed urban neighborhood (until I move). My truck doesn't smoke at all after start up (unless I rev the engine up which I have no reason to do). When I first bought the truck it didn't smoke and I thought there was something wrong with the engine!

In the summer people have their windows open here. Now it's just the noise which I think they accept but smoke would put me over the line for a complaint from one close neighbor. She didn't like the looks of my box truck parked across the street from her and parking enforcement was here on a regular basis. I sold that box truck cheap to buy this truck.

Anyway, you will need the vented plastic cover for the solid state controller. Be on the lookout for one in a wrecking yard or advise your parts-chaser friends to check for one. I'll get one for you if I find another one. I don't know what other people use if they don't have one, I think some just leave it open. Mine melted pretty bad, through one corner next to the resister and right above it when the relay stuck closed. That ribbon resistor got very hot! The mounting tabs are still intact and I could actually repair this one by heat welding some new plastic onto it to make a new corner and repair the vent right above the resister so I'll save it for that. I found one on my wrecking yard trip the other day. THAT was a good day! All of the gp connectors on the harness were intact, the main harness plug was in good condition so I pulled that harness to replace the one I have <-- the main harness connector on mine was bypassed. I started a topic on that connector which discusses how and why these plugs get hot and today I'm going to cut a corner off of the bad one and see what holds those pins in and post a pic of it.

This is how to take the GP controller cover off and put it back on without damaging it for when you find one:
Photo 1: The cover is upside down next to my new controller. The two round recesses you see under the top of the cover fit over the large terminals on the relay. From the photo, flip the cover over in the direction of top of photo to bottom of photo (toward you) and then it pushes straight down over the controller/relay assembly. The mounting tabs on the cover fit into slots on the controller body, as shown in the second photo:



Photo 2: To remove the cover without risking damage, reach over the cover and follow down the edge next to the tabs with thumb (on the front) fingers (on the back), down to the controller body and then depress the area just above the tabs toward the center of the controller to release the tabs and pull the cover straight up. To mount, place the cover over the controller with the tabs lined up with the slots and push it straight down. Those circular recesses shown in photo one should go down over the large posts on the relay if it's lined up correctly.




I am showing all of that here because the cover is made so it appears that it would be pulled to the Right to remove it and you can't see those tabs or how it fits over the relay posts. The first time I removed one I pulled to the Right and twisted clockwise to the Right to get it off. It did pop off without damage but not without significant risk of damage.

 

Thanks for checking all of this out for us. It's a little bit difficult to follow all of your descriptions without seeing it but that will help anyone who has one to work with.

Did you find that we can get a little bit of extra wire length at the GP connector wires by removing the plastic T shaped clip that covers the wire to the harness? I could see that it works without removing those, it just appeared to be a tight stretch of the harness between the front and rear GPs shown in one of the photos. Probably wouldn't need those T covers, bare wires or cover them with split plastic wire loom stuff (whatever that's called.

Actually the link to the $189.00 harness appears to show exactly that. More wire length to the connectors after removing the 'T' covers, so that question is probably answered.

Another consideration is the main harness plug coming from the (+) relay post back to power the glow plugs. I don't know what an 86-83 connector plug looks like but in my 87, which was manufactured with the solid state 7.3L style controller you can see it in the topic link below. I think that with the new style controller there will be more cycles equivalent to longer duration of current going through that plug so in my opinion it needs to be in good condition with good contacts. If it has any corrosion of the power terminals to the GP controller relay it will have more resistance and is likely to heat up, possibly resulting in the melted connector issue. That could be resolved by bypassing the connector for those two power wires if you catch it in time.

Below the topic link are 2 pictures of a plug that melted, from one of the diesel forums. It's from an IDI Ambulance. This does not look like my connector, especially the engine side with the red clip. No such clip on mine. It's apparently a more modern connector, possibly installed by the ambulance manufacturer. Ambulances have more demand for power with some added circuits and run larger alternators for that but in any case this shows what the melting problem can look like (probably worse than most cases). I don't remember what the cause was.


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

Here is the burnt connector from an IDI Ambulance. The second photo is the engine side which has the red clip - different than mine. It's burned at the edge where the two power wires to the GP relay are located:





Skipping on in your post:

THIS CONNECTOR?:

That's a modern style connector so male pins (when they are round) should come out with a common extraction tool for molex style connectors. OR using an extraction tool that has a a 2-pronged fork. I've never used such a tool and like your I've always used a tiny screw driver or straight pick. There are Youtube videos that I'm pretty sure will show how to remove these terminals from the connector. I watched some last night. Later tonight I'll find one that applies and post it here.

So, after looking at the harness & connector on Ebay again, I assume that the existing harness in your truck going from your Starter Relay on the fender well back to the controller does not have to be modified at all, nor the small wires that go to the small terminals on the relay.

DON'T FORGET: according to the topic thread link posted earlier showing the installation of this harness, it was written to solder a 10 guage wire to those 4 small wires, then the ring terminal on the end of the 10 guage wire. That way the 10 guage wire carries the full current which is then split up between the 4 wires to the glow plug connectors. Otherwise you might risk burning up those small wires. If one or more glow plugs burn out then it would seem that 2 small wires would carry the full current. <---- All of that is from a common sense perspective, not from a technical perspective. Thinking about it from a technical perspective, I don't think that's quite true - it shouldn't make a difference but I would go with the common sense perspective here. If a relay fails like mine did, that ring terminal is connected at the bottom end of the metal ribbon shaped resistor which would get extremely hot - enough that it could melt the insulation of one or more of those small wires and possible burn through the conductor strands. Thereby I think it would be better to use the 10 guage wire from the controller terminal to the small wires to the connectors. Plus, you don't have to be concerned about getting the terminals out of the plugs, you could cut the wires off well behind the plug. I would do it that way and probably allow for a 6 inch long 10 ga. wire


Yeah, direct full spectrum sunlight is the best to see things like that. I had to use it today to see the fine details of the connector I am working on. I was going to send a private message to you asking if that was your real age because you are doing incredibly well for your age! Another member's profile (I think it's here at FTE) states that he is 104 (which I do not believe). At 67 and having gone through some disabilities (still have to take pain meds 3 times every day to be able to get out of my chair). Sometimes feel like I'm 87!

Mentally I always think that I can do anything, until it comes time to actually doing it! <--- I'm still about 15 years behind on most of that stuff.

I guess we are "The Old timers" now? I think it's wonderful. You are as young as you think and I'll always think and mentally be young. But now I have a lot more experience and wisdom for being so young. You too, for sure!