I found this on another forum and am curious to know what you guys think!

"I struggled with glow plug problems on my 84 Ford 6.9 for years. New controllers, new glow plugs, the whole deal several times. Lots of guys have wired the original type glow plugs to a manual switch but that is no good, if you hold the switch a couple seconds too long it burns out the glow plugs. The ANSWER is to put in the AC 12G or equivalent glow plug. These were the original equipment for the 84 and 85 GM 4.3 V6 diesel and 5.7 V8 diesel. They are the exact same as the 6.9 and 7.3 glow plug except for the electrical connector at the top, they use a narrow blade vs. the wide blade on the 6.9 or the pin on the 7.3. I was able to modify the original connector and get it to fit. They are thermal limiting, they basically are as fast heating as the original Ford glow plug but will shut themselves down and will not burn out. I've had these in my Ford for over 10 years, hooked the original relay to a manual push button switch and I have never had to replace one. On cold mornings I've held them as long as 45 seconds and they still work. I've modified several 6.9's and had no problems.

 

Good luck, but they will not go in my motor.

 

Dave...they won't go??? You don't like recomend them or they won't fit?? Just want to know what's wrong with them besides being AC(GM) stuff.

 

If I have to pay 30 dollars each for Motorcraft/Beru glow plugs, I will pay 30 dollars.

I am not pulling the engine to remove the heads to get glow plug tips out of the precombustion chamber.

I think I paid about 14 dollars each the last I bought at Ford.

 

I had problems with AC GP and I will not use them again in my life time. They only lasted a week for me! 5 of them had the tips swell up on me and took a while to pull them out without breaking them off. What a nightmare those where.

I have really good luck with Bosch Duraterm GP. And I use a push button LOL. JMO

 

I am hoping I wont have trouble later. Right after I bought my F250 w/6.9L ATS turbo and manual glow plug button, i found it hard to start. I pulled a glow plug and found it to look new but dead.. I went to the parts house and got a set of glow plugs, they were autolite...as I replaced the glow plugs i noticed they were all new too (and dead) except for the two old ones that were hard to reach under the trubo on the right side. I replaced them all and she fired right up the first time I tried them. I went to bed feeling good. The next morning I try to start and it is very hard to start.. worse than before!

I take out a plug and it is dead.. and find all the rest are also dead! (none were not swelled or any other evidence of problems.. just that they were all burned out.) I was a bit "put out" in the freezing morning air! I checked the original working ones and looked up the part # and found it was for the 7.3 (looked that specs and found it was 11.5V instead of the 6V, It made me think maybe when the previous owner rewired the glow plugs for a manual circuit they had changed it from 6V to 12V? as I understand it now they are 6V to heat up quicker.. but still get 12V.. so I am not sure why they all burned out on first use.. but with the 11.5V ones I have just count to 10 (maybe 12 in a extra cold morning) and hit the starter and she fires right up.. they seem to heat up plenty quick for me).. I hadn't been to this forum at this time and hardn't heard the horror stories.. but since I had bought the glow plugs the day before I took them back and exchanged them for the 11.5V autolite ones (I cant remember the part# s now) They have been working fine so far..knock on wood.. i haven't tried removing them though... I would get the international ones or motorcraft if I had to do it over again.

 

I have a 1984 F250 2WD 6.9L.

I just ordered ZD1A motorcraft glow plugs last night from AZ online at $ 2.99 each. I will let you know if they are in fact BERU glow plugs.

I found that if you enter either ZD9 (87 - 94?) or ZD1A (83 - 86) on the first screen search, it would return the $ 2.99 price, but if you went the route of identifying the year, make, model, etc. it the search would not return the ZD1A glow plug as an option. As so if you entered the number as ZD-1A it would change it to ZD1A but force you through the process of identifying the vehicle you were wanting the glow plugs for and wouldn't show the ZD1A available. Same as if you go to a local AutoZone and ask for glow plugs for say 84 F250 6.9L.

As of last night they were still available online, but you have to directly request the part # on the search or they will not show up as being available.

hugger94

 

okaced order a month ago when i seen they were cheap 2.99 each at autozone,m got 3 sets.. now they wont let me order more says outa stock, cause i tried to order 3 more sets...

Ray

 

I have heard of hoarding food, but glowplugs? And remember, these are the ones that are supposed to last a long time.

 

Hey, I got a spare box at hand at all times. The closest place were I know I can get the Beru Plugs is in the Valley. I made a special day trip just to pick them up.

I tell you once you got something that works you just don't mess with it as Dave said.


Seb...

 

Thanks for the AZ ZD1A info. I just ordered 16 of them!!!!!

 

Just got this:
Dear AutoZone.com Customer,

Your order has been canceled either at your request or because the part
you ordered was out of stock.

 

I got the same thing...I called around and found a local AZ store ( 2 hours away with a set....getting them tomorrow!

 

tell you a little trick, run a wire from the battery to the side of the glow plug controller that is hot when they are on, not to the wire that turns them on, then run it to a button, and go to a thin wire and tape it across the top of the button, after about ten seconds, your finger is coming off that button, rather you want to or not.

 

Ya thats what i got when i tried to palce my second order.. im not hording them anyhow, i have 3 6.9 diesels

ray