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I've owned the truck for almost a year, previous owner said the glow plugs were replaced in the last couple of years. Truck starts fine, though I've heard that non-oem plugs can swell (or something) and cause problems. Not sure what he had put in, though I don't think he was a stickler for Ford parts, guessing they are after market. Should I change them out to be sure or just wait till they stop working?
I haven't seen the swelling issue myself, so I can't comment about that. I'm sure it would complicate matters.
I had a set of fake glowplugs, IIRC 5 of the 8 failed within 18 months. There was no swelling and they came out like they were still new.
If your not having starting issues, I'd ohm them out, measure battery cable resistance, clean all connections (including battery posts and both sides of GPR), remedy any issues and call it a day.
I'm sure you can find something else to spend all your extra money and time on...
Here’s the Autolites that were in my truck when I bought it… wonder where the missing tips went—groan. Two of them had me worried. They did NOT want to come out and my anxiety went through the roof. Not trying to scare you if it starts fine right now you’re probably not going to deal with that.
I’d do what was posted above and pull one out and give it a close inspection. Hopefully you got lucky and he used genuine Motorcraft plugs. Best of luck,
Here’s the Autolites that were in my truck when I bought it… wonder where the missing tips went—groan.
Andrew
Dang....I must have gotten lucky....here are the 8 I pulled out when I bought my truck. One was coming apart at the top.....but they look nasty compared to the Motorcraft ZD-11 on the top.
Here’s the Autolites that were in my truck when I bought it… wonder where the missing tips went—groan. Two of them had me worried. They did NOT want to come out and my anxiety went through the roof. Not trying to scare you if it starts fine right now you’re probably not going to deal with that.
I’d do what was posted above and pull one out and give it a close inspection. Hopefully you got lucky and he used genuine Motorcraft plugs. Best of luck,
Andrew
this is what I'm worried about and was thinking of doing it sooner rather than later before trouble starts. Don't want chucks of glow plugs in my cylinders!
FYI I just drove into GP swap a few weeks back.
I Put together a tool list with correct sockets and lighting.
Grabbed a thick moving blanket to lay on, grabbed my Werner platform. Got after it.
Guessing total time was 4.5-5 hours. Nervous about it but took my time and it went well. Now I am more confident for the next valve cover removal.
Part of my thinking was to get in there and do the 25 cent mod, check injector hold down bolt torque, new o-rings for ccv dog house, and anything else with covers off. Glad to hear yours went well. Were they OEM?
I've found that preventive maintenance on these trucks is a much more pleasurable experience than waiting for something to fail. The 50 cent mod is a great mod to do and not to hard so if your under the valve covers anyways check one of the glow plugs to make sure they are motorcraft ( using the link that sous post earlier). Not only do the autolites tips break off but they can also swell and get stuck in the heads, then you are in for a real treat. Would also recommend checking out the preventative maintenance thread in the tech folder if your not familiar with it already, there is a ton of great info in that thread. Best of luck, let us know how things turn out
