Howdy folks

I don't know if anyone else has heard of the tips of the glow plugs failing in some of the early 2011 6.7's. This is the first I have heard of it but listening to Brian the Ford Tech apparently it has occurred.

Anyways he put up a video talking about it, so I thought some of you might be interested in hearing the how's and why's and what can be done.

 

Sadly, Brian is very mistaken. The early 6.7L engine "problem" was related to the cylinder heads; exhaust valve seats and broken exhaust valves. The bulletin description 6.7L DIESEL - RUNS ROUGH - NO CRANK - GLOW PLUG CIRCUIT DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) - BUILT ON OR BEFORE 3/29/2011 is misleading. The diagnostics were simple as glow plug damage was deemed sufficient to diagnose and warrant the replacement of the long block assembly. As a matter of fact we were told to not disassemble the engines, just replace. The other point of confusion is that the revised cylinder heads have glow plug bores with a seat that is machined at a different depth than the original cylinder heads. While the new revised glow plugs are the same overall length, they are dimensionally different from the seat to the tip by 4.5mm. Installing the old plugs in a newer cylinder head will cause the pistons to strike the glow plugs and cause internal damage.

I think that about covers it.

 

Hi Keith, I have an early 11. I believe 8 or 10 2010 build date. Out of an abundance of caution, if it was your truck, would you replace them?

 

Well how about that. Thanks for explaining that Keith...I know you had to go in depth with your explanation, but there is some info that is valuable. Appreciate you posting that and sharing it. Reps added

 

So...to summarize. New heads, new glow plugs.


Old heads, old glow plugs.

 

That is a tough question. From what I understand and from what I hear from some of the guys on the DTS website this affects the 450/550 cab and chassis trucks more than the pickups. It does affect all engines though. I replaced two engines for this and both were F550's, low mileage.

Would I replace the cylinder heads as a precaution? No? My reasoning is that failure is not inevitable and the engine has a warranty. If my truck made it to the end of the warranty term I would think that failure is not likely. If it's on your dime, you might just be better off trading the truck in for a new one if it has you that worried.

 

Yep. Replacement engines should have a service decal on both valve covers and the on the under hood decal area warning of this should glow plug replacement be necessary in the future. Knowing this information and keeping it in the back of your mind if you own one or are a technician is good, always compare the parts removed from the engine with the new parts to be installed. There is a noticeable difference.

 

Might want to check out Vloney's posts from #35 onward on this thread below where he states that there are problems with the glow plugs:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post15085538

 

Beat me to it. I am also pretty good with the local SMT, and he confirmed awhile ago there are issues with said Glow Plugs. I thought my truck was affected, but he explained that my year wasn't affected.

 

Valve seats and broken valves. Well documented and Technical Service Bulletin Supported. The only known published info on glow plugs is related to the valve concern I mentioned. Don't know what else to tell you. Here, read it for yourself:


TSB 14-0127 2011 - F-Super Duty - 6.7L Diesel - Runs Rough - No Crank - Glow Plug Circuit Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) - Built On Or Before 3/29/2011

 

I agree and understand. The glow plug was just used for a diagnostic test to see if cylinder damage was there.

Think its the old what comes first, the chicken or the egg... What caused the failure,,? the valve breaking off and damaging, breaking, the glow plug/piston/cyl, or the glow plug breaking off and damaging the valves pistons, etc...

Just have to look at all the head pics all over the net with cracked valves ready to drop, with perfect condition glow plugs.

Think its been proven in the majority of cases the valve failure came first...

jmo

 

Funny thing is I cant say I have heard of a 6.7L glow plug failure of a physical nature. As a matter of fact, I have NEVER heard of a glowplug failing in such a way. (but I do subscribe to the never say never concept because I am sure it has to have happened somewhere at some point. When you come across a glow plug that is damaged its always due to a base engine failure or they are melted away or distorted by a fuel injection concern. I was under the impression that excessive voltage could damage the Power Stroke glow plugs. Quite a few years ago I took a 6.0L glow plug and connected it a battery with a battery charger on it. Got it up to 17 volts for several hours before I realized I was wasting my time. The plug? It was fine. I expected it to melt at the very least but I was disappointed. LOL!

 

I just purchased a 2011 F450 with 11,300 miles on it. The build date attached to my VIN is: 04.05.2010

I'm looking into what I can do to help prevent catastrophic failure. For this issue, it sounds like it's not necessary to replace the glow plugs? Instead it might make more sense to replace the valves? What is the general consensus on how to prevent this type of failure?

 

replace the heads/valves and use updated glow plugs. Why only 11K miles on it?

 

Thank you for the advice!

The previous owner ONLY used it to tow his toy hauler for camping. He had several other trucks as his daily drivers. He retired, and was liquidating his estate. Hopefully he gave me a good enough deal to cover the cost of replacing the heads, valves, and glow plugs....