Glow Plug Time and Glow Plug Life

[Smalljobs]

Last winter was my first winter with Jinma 284, stored outside, and all went well with cold starts in New England. With careful use of glow plugs and compression release I had no trouble down to, from what I remember, around maybe 10-15F. The radiator hose KATS heater helped me below that. I always glowed the plugs for 30-60 seconds depending on the starting results. My key switch is crossed over to maintain power to the plugs while cranking and stumbling to start.

I've noticed lately the starting is more difficult and it's not cold yet. After glowing for around 45 seconds, it will start on one cylinder and then bump along until they all join in. I cleaned all connections from battery to starter and bus strip with no improvement except in starter speed...it really spins over.

I decided to make two improvements: 1) replace all three glow plugs and 2) make changes per Greg's posts via a "Ford starter relay under $20, some 10 gage wire", etc. Bought the relay today at Autozone for under $18.

The glow plugs are in transit now and the supplier has advised me I should not be glowing the plugs for more than 30 seconds and that my long glow times of around 45-60 seconds last winter may have contributed to their short life. I must add that I've not yet removed the plugs and tested them one by one.

My goal is to have 1) clean connections, 2) the "Ford starter relay and 10 ga wire fix", and 3) Three new plugs. With these three items done, a working KATS hose heater and maybe a Wolverine oil pan surface heater, I will be ready.

I'd certainly appreciate any comments regarding the glow plug timing versus versus life. My Jinma now has almost 250 hours and it's been trouble free.

 

[BobRip]

I can't speak of timing, but I think you are doing the right think by getting contacts clean and wire sizing bigger. It is amazing how a non-perfect contact can create a lot of power drop. Let us know how the plugs look and test.

 

[Smalljobs]

Bob, I don't plan on testing them but will gladly update on their appearance. Right now my time is really limited and all I want to do is to have a clean slate with best practices so as to prevent any problems this winter. Thanks for your comment.

 

[greg_g]

My goal is to have 1) clean connections, 2) the "Ford starter relay and 10 ga wire fix", and 3) Three new plugs. With these three items done, a working KATS hose heater and maybe a Wolverine oil pan surface heater, I will be ready.

I usually heat the glow plugs for a count of 15. If that doesn't start the engine within 10 seconds of cranking, I start the process over again. Longer than that, and I fear shortening the life of not only the glow plugs - but of the battery and starter as well. I'm on the 5th winter with my Y485 engine now, and am still on the original glow plugs/battery/starter. I attribute that to the aftermarket addition of the starter relay, the glow plug relay, the Wolverine, and judicious use of both the glow plugs and starter motor.

If you install the correct size Wolverine, there'll be no need to waste electricity on the Kat's. The pan heater is designed to keep the oil at a steady 125F, and the heat rising off the oil sump in turn warms the coolant.

If you don't have that pesky problem with the starter not wanting to engage (spin/whirr), you might get better results using that Ford relay on the glow plugs. If interested, we can go into further detail.

//greg//

 

[Nuno]

I'd certainly appreciate any comments regarding the glow plug timing versus versus life. My Jinma now has almost 250 hours and it's been trouble free.

Hey Steve

my maximal glow time is 20 to 25 seconds in Winter at -10ｰC and more.
normally i use to glow for about 5 to 10 Seconds at higher outside temperatures but only at th first start of the Day.
since short i have an 2000 Watts Tank Type Coolant Heater with build-in circulation pump and 60ｰC Thermostat.
it heats the coolant up to 60ｰC and let them circulate in the Cooling system,
it takes around 18 to 20 minutes until the Thermostat stop the heating process for the first time.
The Engine fire right up after the first rev without using the glow plugs.

BTW i never use the decompression because my Jinma Tractor Model was not set up with the deco from factory

 

[Smalljobs]

Thanks Greg....I wasn't really clear in my first post. My plan is to use that Autozone $18.00 relay on the glow plugs. The starter works fine. After the holiday, I'll look into the Wolverine heater.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I tried the oil pan heater and it just does not work well on my Jinma but my Kats lower hose heater has worked great. I just plug it in for 30 minutes or so and not glow plugs or decompression needed.

If I am starting around 20 deg or above I do not bother with the heater. Just glow plugs for 20 seconds and start. I bet I have not used my decompression 10 times in 800 hours.

Chris

 

[greg_g]

Yeah Chris, but you bought and installed yours before Kats started outsourcing those heaters from China. For nearly two years now, I've been reading a near-continuous string of failure reports - some within minutes of installation. Hope your old style heater lasts a long time, cuz you'll probably be among the disappointed when it comes time to replace it.

Some Jinma 200 series had finned oil pans, leaving no suitable surface to which a Wolverine can adhere. Sticking one on them is a waste of money. Short of that - given that Wolverines have no moving parts - poor heating issues are generally result from either an installation problem - or as a result of buying an undersized pad. A 125w for example is intended for only 2.85 - 5.7 Liters stated oil capacity. More than that, and it can't achieve the desired 125F static temperature. Installed on the largest 200 series pan on the coldest days of the year - 125w is probably undersized. Given that Jinma uses several different oil capacities on the 200 series, I can see room for error there. I need 250 watts for my tractors. But on KAMA/TaiShan, they tunnel the pan to provide ground clearance for the front driveshaft. So in my case, I installed a pair of 1"x6" strips - 125w each - one on either side of the driveshaft, then paralleled them both into a single AC plug.

//greg//

 

[Transit]

I do not thank heating the plugs for long or short periods will affect the plugs life. Think about it, where are the plugs located? The plugs sit in the cylinder or a pre-chamber connected to the cylinder and are exposed to the heat of each power cycle, they glow all the time. The failed plugs are most likely defective from the get go. I have seen ceramic plugs offered, but it will take a large amount of research to find an equivalent replacement.

 

[greg_g]

Disagree. Glow plugs must heat the air in the swirl chamber up to around 850C for efficient combustion ignition, which means the tip temperatures are considerably higher - perhaps up in the 1600C-2200C range. Diesel cylinder operating temperatures on the other hand, are comparatively cold (320C).

The operating principle is hardly different than light bulbs; what eventually kills both is an accumulated number of heat/cool cycles.

//greg//