I'm looking to help my dad replace his glow plugs on his '01 F350. Just looking for any advice, tips, links to instructions... How long will this job take? We were figuring on 3-4 hours per side.

Thanks.

 

Glow plugs are one of the easier things to change out.. Just remove your valve covers and it exposes the glow plugs. You will need a 10mm deep socket to remove them and try to get all the oil away from them before you pull them out so the oil doesn't go down the glow plug hole.

Oh and please disconnect your batteries first..

 

Thanks. I decided to use the search button while waiting. Didn't realize this was one of those daily topics. I found a ton of info, so I should be able to manage.

 

Getting the valve covers off will be the hardest part. Once you've pulled the valve covers on a 7.3 and know what it takes, you can cut the time in half, but I'd figure on about 6 hours the first time.

You'll want to get some Motorcraft plugs labeled BERU. Stay away from autolite plugs since the tips have a tendency to swell up, which means the tip breaks off next time you try to remove it.

Depending on how tall you are, you'll probably want something to stand on, you'll need a ratchet, some extensions, a wobble (swivel or u-joint), some rags and possibly a few other basic tools. A good torque wrench is also a good idea.

Remove the air intake tube, IC tubes (silver pipes), then on the drivers side unscrew the long bolt in the middle of the square electrical connector on top of the valve cover. Unplug the connector and place it out of the way. The back half of the plug can be taken off the bracket, which will get one more thing out of the way. I like to stuff a rag in the intake tube, and the places you removed the IC tubes to keep things clean. If you do this, make sure you remove ALL the rags when putting things back together. Next wipe down the area around the valve cover so you keep dirt from falling in when you pull it. At this point, just remove the bolts holding on the valve cover. The bracket that held the wiring connector has nuts that are removed to get the bracket off, then the stud is removed. The very back bolt takes a short extension and you have to do it by feel since the firewall is in the way. Save a few curse words for the engineer that designed it this way.

The passenger side is easier to me, but everyone thinks I'm crazy. The plastic tube that you pour oil into can be removed. Go ahead and unscrew it and get it out of the way. There are 2 plastic clips that hold the heater hoses in place. They just snap onto the studs holding the valve cover down. Pull straight up to remove them. If they're stubborn, use a screwdriver to pop them loose. The oil dipstick tube is mounted on one of the valve cover studs. Pay attention when removing this nut. If you start to twist the dipstick tube, stop. I use a pair of vice grips in this situation to hold the bracket going to the dipstick tube, then use the ratchet to break the nut loose. The back bolt on this side is easier to get to, but there are a couple of bolts by the AC that require the swivel to get to. The passenger VC will at first seem like it cannot be pulled out after the bolts are removed, but twisting it around a bit will let you pull it out of there.

Once inside, glow plugs are done the same way as a spark plug. Pull the connector off, loosen it and remove. Just break it loose with a ratchet. If you leave the socket on the glow plug, it will hit the rocker arm before it comes all the way out. Either unscrew it by hand, or stick a small rubber hose on the end of the glow plug and twist the hose to unscrew it. Using a paper towel or rag around the glow plug first to remove excess oil (not much) is a good idea.

Before you put things back together, closely inspect the wiring plug that connects to the valve cover gasket. Make sure it's not working it's way loose. A loose plug here will cause the truck to run bad since it kills power to those injectors. Loose connectors is a known issue with these trucks. You can buy a set of shims from Ford or International to make sure this plug does not come loose, or you can grind the edge off of a quarter so it fits below the valve cover and make your own shim.

I'd also recommend you check the torque on the lower injector hold down bolt and rocker arm pedestal bolts. They have a way of working loose over time, and your dad won't believe how much better the engine will sound while driving down the road when you re-torque these.

Injector hold down bolts circled in blue to 120 in - lbs
Rocker arm bolts to 20 ft - lbs circled in red


Glow plugs are hard to see in that picture, but they're under the white wires. Check to make sure none of the wires are rubbing against the push rods when you put it back together. VC gaskets are re-usable. You can just leave them in place when you pull the valve cover.

Kind of long winded, but I think that pretty much covers it. Feel free to ask if something is unclear.

 

I have heard a few 'horror' stories in the past about changing glow plugs, i.e. breaking off in the head, but found them to be quite easy once I did a few.

 

Chris,

Great instructive post. Reps to You.

 

Ditto Robin, bloody good post

 

Good Post....reps sent

 

this may be a dumb question, but at what point do you know you need to replace your glow plugs?

 

Hard cold starts when everything thing else checks out.

Use this procedure to ohm them out to see if you have any bad ones or have a loose connector.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Checking the ohms reading at the valve cover connector on the outside.

Pin Out

G
G
I
I
C
I
I
G
G

G=Glow Plug +
I = Injector +
C= Injector Common

NOTE: The injectors fire with a 115VDC signal from the IDM. *** Do Not pierce the wires to test.***

Test between "I" and "C" to test the injectors, should be less than 5.0 Ohms.

To check glow plugs Test between "G" and battery ground. Should be between 0.6 and 2.0 Ohms

If your readings are not within these parameters you may have a bad injector, glow plug or loose connector under the valve cover.

 

I see, thanks!

 

joining for info

 

Great answer, I am saving this.