Yesterday, I replaced the glow plugs in my 89 7.3L. It only starts with starting fluid. After the engine is in normal temperature, it starts without any problems. I checked the power on the glow plug wires and I can hear 2 or 3 clicking sounds, after the wait start lamp goes off. Should I change the glow plug module?

 

How long does the light stay on?

 

no more than 5- 7 sec.

 

Did you replace all the glo plugs?It still sounds to me that you have some bad ones in there.What brand gp did you use,beru/motorcraft i hope.Wouldnt hurt to re-check the gp's before spending any more $$.Usually a short wait to start is an indication of a couple of bad gp's.If you must use starting fluid make sure you wait for the gp relay to finish its cycling or you could cause a lot of damage to your engine.

 

Thanks to all. This is my first diesel truck. I put 8 new bosch gp. Since I don't have experience with diesel I thought they were good. I will re-check all the gp again, and thank you for the recommendations about the use of the starting fluid.

 

Test the glow plugs with an ohlm meter, each should read less than 3 ohlms or they are bad. Touch the ground with one lead the probe with the other to test.

Never use ether in a glow plug engine- that is a death wish.

If the controller is not cycling, then replace it. Its been a while and I forget which wires to ck with a test light on the controller, and I think there may also be a relay that could go bad and not let power get to the glow plugs.

Why not pay to have a tech diagnose it, and if you feel the repairs are within the realms of your ability to do them, then do it, rather than throw money at it. You'll spend less than the parts cost to find it most likely. David

"Always time to do it over, but never timne to do it right." I use to say to my former employer.