Or you could put in Guzzle92's extra beefy glow plug relay mod.
The thing is huge compared to the stock size and it fits in there perfectly.
When mine goes, that's what is going in.
http://guzzle.rbmicro.com/s_gpr.html

 

Drat it all, Kwikk....I just spent the last 5 minutes lookin' for that LINK and ya beat me to it!!!

 

Do a member search for his name and his public profile is right there if you click on his name. Sig is included and you can get the link from there.

 

Well I Installed the new GPR (not the one for 236.00). This morning it is 9* outside and the truck fired right up.

 

Just bought 2 for mine at the International dealership up here in Alpena, MI for 30$ each. The advance auto wanted 69$ and carquest wanted 99$ for one. Buy the oem one from International and a spare for the glovebox for less than the parts stores.

 

GPR:
I have been having trouble starting on the very cold mornings we've been experiencing here in Colorado. I started by replacing the batteries, which were old, and changed out the oil for synthetic winter blend. There was some improvement, but I was still dissapointed with the results.

My last change was to install Guzzle's Stancor GPR, and boy does that thing make a difference! My truck fired up first time this morning (10 degrees) and not a trace of white smoke (i.e. unburnt fuel).

I do have a tip for the Big Guy though - when installing the Stancor unit, place the nut on the front mounting post before placing the GPR and screw it about a third of the way down. You can then slide the unit under the nut onto that post, and then drop it onto the rear post. That front nut is a bear to get on with the unit in place, but the rear nut is a breeze.

Block Heater:
I do have questions about the block heater's relationship with the glow plugs though. I leave my truck plugged in all night and still need to rely on the glow plugs on cold mornings. My temp gauge shows no movement when switching on the ignition, so the engine is not "warm" as some people are suggesting. I thnk the heater is working OK as I can hear it - am I missing something?

 

What part number did you get from International?

 

Mines fried as of today. With a wind chill of 0 here today it's no doubt. Got prices from $50 for the International part to $135 for the Motorcraft. This thing looks simple to replace. Anything I should know before I tacklie it? Thanks in advance for your help.


5moons

 

Yes - make sure you disconnect the positive leads from the batteries before you start - you don't want an accidental short!

 

Sounds like good advice. Thanks Badger.



5moons

 

Thank you VERY much for the heads up on that. My fumbling fingers would have had a nightmare, I'm sure. I'm on the road going back to aspen to pickup some ramps my company made for the X games, but hopefully I'll be back home for the weekend...well, sunday, anyway.




I haven't read down from here, but if you are using too light a cord, or if there is too high a demand on the circuit already, it may just not be getting HOT enough. Make sure you use a good, fairly dedicated circuit to plug into (floodlights draw alot of amps, reducing the circuit's effectiveness, for example...) and that your extension cord is the best you can afford, no longer than absolutely necessary!

 

The International part # is 1831646c1 which is a stock gpr cost $26.00

 

Having had a bad GPR (replaced by the beefed-up Stancor unit) and various cold start experiences with it, I decided to also try one more test with the new GPR - leave my truck unplugged i.e. no block heater and see what the effect was. Here are my overall findings, all based on really cold nights:

Old GPR - no block heater:

No start, no way - had to plug the truck in for a couple of hours before she would start.

Old GPR - with block heater:

Started after 4 or 5 attempts. Lots of white smoke (unburnt fuel).

New GPR - no block heater:

Started first time with no white smoke, but got the romps big time. Ran fine after a few minutes warm up.

New GPR - with block heater:

Started first time. No romps, no white smoke. Might as well be 80 degrees out!

My conclusion is that the block heater does not affect the actual startup if the whole glow plug system is working well, but it does affect how the truck runs initially and the time it takes to warm up.

 

My Excursion recently started the hard-start routine. I read through all the threads relating to the GPR problem and when I opened my hood, to my surprise, I have the California GPR! I bought the truck used in Virginia and it never occurred to me that it might be a California truck.

So, here come the questions:

-How does one test this type of relay?

-If it turns out that this one is bad, is it possible to easily "convert" to the less expensive relay? I know this is tinkering with emissions stuff, but I live in FL, so I'm not worried about meeting CA emissions.

Thanks for the help!

 

It's not a relay but instead a solid state electronic GP control module that talks to the PCM. The comm link provides GP diagnostics. Trying to replace with a relay maybe some undertaking of which i'm not sure exactly how involved it would be.