Cold start issues
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 59
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Well I received all my OEM Glow plugs, Gaskets and Wire harness, All OEM, I got the drivers side done, it took about 2&1/2 hours, and about 30 Minutes of that was trying to get the turbo hose tube back on, it didn't want to go. I noticed when I started the truck the WTS light Flickered after starting. It did it every time I started it., it's never done that before?? Tomorrow I'll do the passenger side. I sure hope this solves my problem? There was some build up on the old glow plugs, the wires didn't look bad?? Do you guys clip the harness to the new gasket and then install the gasket, or do you put the gasket on then put the harness on (Clipped in the two places to the gasket)?? I had a tough time with the harness snapping in place to the gasket. Any tips about the passenger side, I'm doing it tomorrow .
Also I relize that the gaskets are reusable, but I just turned over to 200,000 miles, and I wouldn't sleep at night if I reused the old gaskets. I'll post my parts cost tomorrow when I'm done with the truck. I've always loved the fact that I could pull into anyone's driveway and not leak a drop of oil. I wouldn't want that to change because I scrimped on new gaskets..
Also I relize that the gaskets are reusable, but I just turned over to 200,000 miles, and I wouldn't sleep at night if I reused the old gaskets. I'll post my parts cost tomorrow when I'm done with the truck. I've always loved the fact that I could pull into anyone's driveway and not leak a drop of oil. I wouldn't want that to change because I scrimped on new gaskets..
Cargo Master
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 2,137
Likes: 13
From: Glendive, MT
There's a ton of good advice in this thread but it seems a bit confusing. I would hate to see you go through a bunch of work and spend a bunch of money without actually fixing your problem. There is a simple and free process for diagnosing your glow plugs system.
First get out your ohm meter. Set it to the lowest ohm setting. Touching the leads on the meter together, it should read zero.
Now pull the nine pin connector at the valve covers. The pins are as follows.
Glow plug
First get out your ohm meter. Set it to the lowest ohm setting. Touching the leads on the meter together, it should read zero.
Now pull the nine pin connector at the valve covers. The pins are as follows.
Glow plug
Glow plug
Injector
Injector
Injector common
Injector
Injector
Glow plug
Glow plug
With one meter lead to ground, the other to a glow plug pin the meter should read between .8-1.5 ohms. A read above 2, or no reading at all indicates a burned out glow plug.
If all the plugs check out okay, plug the 9 pin connectors back in making sure they are fully seated. Now set your meter to volts to measure battery voltage. Put the black ground lead on the glow plug relay output post (the large post with the smaller wires attached). The positive meter lead on the other large post of the relay. Your meter should read battery voltage 12.5 or so. Holding those leads in place with a cold engine, have a helper turn the key to on. When the glow plugs energize, the voltage will drop. A reading above 2 volts indicates a bad relay.
If the glow plug system checks out okay, but your truck still won't start without being plugged in, I see injectors in your future.
I hope this helps.
Injector
Injector
Injector common
Injector
Injector
Glow plug
Glow plug
With one meter lead to ground, the other to a glow plug pin the meter should read between .8-1.5 ohms. A read above 2, or no reading at all indicates a burned out glow plug.
If all the plugs check out okay, plug the 9 pin connectors back in making sure they are fully seated. Now set your meter to volts to measure battery voltage. Put the black ground lead on the glow plug relay output post (the large post with the smaller wires attached). The positive meter lead on the other large post of the relay. Your meter should read battery voltage 12.5 or so. Holding those leads in place with a cold engine, have a helper turn the key to on. When the glow plugs energize, the voltage will drop. A reading above 2 volts indicates a bad relay.
If the glow plug system checks out okay, but your truck still won't start without being plugged in, I see injectors in your future.
I hope this helps.
Last edited by HD Rider; Sep 29, 2018 at 12:14 PM. Reason: Spelling
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
There's a ton of good advice in this thread but it seems a bit confusing. I would hate to see you go through a bunch of work and spend a bunch of money without actually fixing your problem. There is a simple and free process for diagnosing your glow plugs system.
First get out your ohm meter. Set it to the lowest ohm setting. Touching the leads on the meter together, it should read zero.
Now pull the nine pin connector at the valve covers. The pins are as follows.
Glow plug
First get out your ohm meter. Set it to the lowest ohm setting. Touching the leads on the meter together, it should read zero.
Now pull the nine pin connector at the valve covers. The pins are as follows.
Glow plug
Glow plug
Injector
Injector
Injector common
Injector
Injector
Glow plug
Glow plug
With one meter lead to ground, the other to a glow plug pin the meter should read between .8-1.5 ohms. A read above 2, or no reading at all indicates a burned out glow plug.
If all the plugs check out okay, plug the 9 pin connectors back in making sure they are fully seated. Now set your meter to volts to measure battery voltage. Put the black ground lead on the glow plug relay output post (the large post with the smaller wires attached). The positive meter lead on the other large post of the relay. Your meter should read battery voltage 12.5 or so. Holding those leads in place with a cold engine, have a helper turn the key to on. When the glow plugs energize, the voltage will drop. A reading above 2 volts indicates a bad relay.
If the glow plug system checks out okay, but your truck still won't start without being plugged in, I see injectors in your future.
I hope this helps.
Injector
Injector
Injector common
Injector
Injector
Glow plug
Glow plug
With one meter lead to ground, the other to a glow plug pin the meter should read between .8-1.5 ohms. A read above 2, or no reading at all indicates a burned out glow plug.
If all the plugs check out okay, plug the 9 pin connectors back in making sure they are fully seated. Now set your meter to volts to measure battery voltage. Put the black ground lead on the glow plug relay output post (the large post with the smaller wires attached). The positive meter lead on the other large post of the relay. Your meter should read battery voltage 12.5 or so. Holding those leads in place with a cold engine, have a helper turn the key to on. When the glow plugs energize, the voltage will drop. A reading above 2 volts indicates a bad relay.
If the glow plug system checks out okay, but your truck still won't start without being plugged in, I see injectors in your future.
I hope this helps.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 27,354
Likes: 5,946
From: Lake Hartwell, GA
I am not 100% sure, but I believe the GPR cycles on to fire the glow plugs at an oil temperature under 110 degrees. Something like that.
So yes, the GPR cycles on at 70 degrees.
So yes, the GPR cycles on at 70 degrees.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 27,354
Likes: 5,946
From: Lake Hartwell, GA
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: Denham Springs, La.
Yes the glow plugs will cycle at 70*. Im in south Louisiana and mine stay on 30 seconds when its 85 or 90*. Get the LED like others have said. Less than 10.00 and you will know for sure when the cycle is done and when your relay goes out again. Happened to me last winter. Light didn't come on, checked the relay while someone turned the key on, no voltage.. the wait to start light has nothing to do with glow plugs. Maybe its just to let the fuel pressure build a few seconds.. good luck
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 59
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Well the glow plugs are in. I did the drivers side last Friday, Saturday morning I got the call that my 86 year old mother had passed. So I couldn't get back into it. Today I tore in at 9{00 am everything went smooth except I had my head up my a--, As I was putting the valve cover bolts back in, I looked over and saw a NEW glow plug. So I took the valve cover back off and removed the front glow plug, it was the old one. I got ahead of myself and reinstalled it, So it's all good now. I'm warming the engine to change the oil.
Something interesting in 2016 I replaced the GPR with the Monster one, well I didn't know until I read "HD RIDER" reply here and I did further investigating, Found out That I replaced the wrong one.(I replaced the one right next to the GPR) So I have another one being delivered tomorrow, then I'll change that out.All of my Glow plugs were Shot (No reading on the Ohm meter) Now I just need to wait for some cold weather. Some of you had said that I didn't need to replace the Valve cover gaskets. But I just turned 200,000 a few weeks ago, I just didn't want to take a chance, So I replaced it all with OEM parts.
Thanks for the help
Something interesting in 2016 I replaced the GPR with the Monster one, well I didn't know until I read "HD RIDER" reply here and I did further investigating, Found out That I replaced the wrong one.(I replaced the one right next to the GPR) So I have another one being delivered tomorrow, then I'll change that out.All of my Glow plugs were Shot (No reading on the Ohm meter) Now I just need to wait for some cold weather. Some of you had said that I didn't need to replace the Valve cover gaskets. But I just turned 200,000 a few weeks ago, I just didn't want to take a chance, So I replaced it all with OEM parts.
Thanks for the help
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 4,807
Likes: 125
From: Colorado Springs
Well the glow plugs are in. I did the drivers side last Friday, Saturday morning I got the call that my 86 year old mother had passed. So I couldn't get back into it. Today I tore in at 9{00 am everything went smooth except I had my head up my a--, As I was putting the valve cover bolts back in, I looked over and saw a NEW glow plug. So I took the valve cover back off and removed the front glow plug, it was the old one. I got ahead of myself and reinstalled it, So it's all good now. I'm warming the engine to change the oil.
Something interesting in 2016 I replaced the GPR with the Monster one, well I didn't know until I read "HD RIDER" reply here and I did further investigating, Found out That I replaced the wrong one.(I replaced the one right next to the GPR) So I have another one being delivered tomorrow, then I'll change that out.All of my Glow plugs were Shot (No reading on the Ohm meter) Now I just need to wait for some cold weather. Some of you had said that I didn't need to replace the Valve cover gaskets. But I just turned 200,000 a few weeks ago, I just didn't want to take a chance, So I replaced it all with OEM parts.
Thanks for the help
Something interesting in 2016 I replaced the GPR with the Monster one, well I didn't know until I read "HD RIDER" reply here and I did further investigating, Found out That I replaced the wrong one.(I replaced the one right next to the GPR) So I have another one being delivered tomorrow, then I'll change that out.All of my Glow plugs were Shot (No reading on the Ohm meter) Now I just need to wait for some cold weather. Some of you had said that I didn't need to replace the Valve cover gaskets. But I just turned 200,000 a few weeks ago, I just didn't want to take a chance, So I replaced it all with OEM parts.
Thanks for the help
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 27,354
Likes: 5,946
From: Lake Hartwell, GA
Condolences for you and your family for your loss. It is tough to let them go.
When I get under the valve covers to do GP's one day, I too will replace the gaskets and harnesses with OEM just for good measure. Good to hear that the GP swap went very well, you never can tell with these things.
I laughed about you replacing the AIH relay. I helped a buddy of mine test and eventually replace his GPR. I was testing the wrong one for the first 10 minutes and couldn't figure out why it wasn't providing any voltage on any of the terminals. We looked it up to verify I was right, and I was wrong. Swapped the faulty GPR out and all was well on his 7.3 again.
When I get under the valve covers to do GP's one day, I too will replace the gaskets and harnesses with OEM just for good measure. Good to hear that the GP swap went very well, you never can tell with these things.
I laughed about you replacing the AIH relay. I helped a buddy of mine test and eventually replace his GPR. I was testing the wrong one for the first 10 minutes and couldn't figure out why it wasn't providing any voltage on any of the terminals. We looked it up to verify I was right, and I was wrong. Swapped the faulty GPR out and all was well on his 7.3 again.
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2016
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I guess injectors can give different symptoms when they are bad? About 13 years ago, My truck would run rough once in awhile (Not always) Like a miss in a gasoline engine. It would come and go. I finally took it to a Diesel repair shop. Two days later, and almost $1200 I got it back, They replaced one injector and as they put it a new Wiring harness in the valve cover that had gone bad. Back then I could afford a shop bill like that, Times change now I have to do it myself. Anyway my point is I haven't had a symptom like that "Miss" hasn't ever come back. Also when I was having the cold start issue I would always have a lot of WHITE unburnt fuel out the tail pipe. I wonder how much that same shop would have charged me to replace all the Glow plugs?
Thread Starter
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
There's a ton of good advice in this thread but it seems a bit confusing. I would hate to see you go through a bunch of work and spend a bunch of money without actually fixing your problem. There is a simple and free process for diagnosing your glow plugs system.
First get out your ohm meter. Set it to the lowest ohm setting. Touching the leads on the meter together, it should read zero.
Now pull the nine pin connector at the valve covers. The pins are as follows.
Glow plug
First get out your ohm meter. Set it to the lowest ohm setting. Touching the leads on the meter together, it should read zero.
Now pull the nine pin connector at the valve covers. The pins are as follows.
Glow plug
Glow plug
Injector
Injector
Injector common
Injector
Injector
Glow plug
Glow plug
With one meter lead to ground, the other to a glow plug pin the meter should read between .8-1.5 ohms. A read above 2, or no reading at all indicates a burned out glow plug.
If all the plugs check out okay, plug the 9 pin connectors back in making sure they are fully seated. Now set your meter to volts to measure battery voltage. Put the black ground lead on the glow plug relay output post (the large post with the smaller wires attached). The positive meter lead on the other large post of the relay. Your meter should read battery voltage 12.5 or so. Holding those leads in place with a cold engine, have a helper turn the key to on. When the glow plugs energize, the voltage will drop. A reading above 2 volts indicates a bad relay.
If the glow plug system checks out okay, but your truck still won't start without being plugged in, I see injectors in your future.
I hope this helps.
Injector
Injector
Injector common
Injector
Injector
Glow plug
Glow plug
With one meter lead to ground, the other to a glow plug pin the meter should read between .8-1.5 ohms. A read above 2, or no reading at all indicates a burned out glow plug.
If all the plugs check out okay, plug the 9 pin connectors back in making sure they are fully seated. Now set your meter to volts to measure battery voltage. Put the black ground lead on the glow plug relay output post (the large post with the smaller wires attached). The positive meter lead on the other large post of the relay. Your meter should read battery voltage 12.5 or so. Holding those leads in place with a cold engine, have a helper turn the key to on. When the glow plugs energize, the voltage will drop. A reading above 2 volts indicates a bad relay.
If the glow plug system checks out okay, but your truck still won't start without being plugged in, I see injectors in your future.
I hope this helps.
