Glow Plug Use

[aircommuter]

Now we have states violating the Constitution even though it’s simple. Now it’s the vote seeking agenda.

 

[HAR]

I was chatting with my diesel mechanic friend yesterday, and he gave me a quick way to test if glow plugs are working. He said to disconnect the power strip from the glow plugs. Then, using a voltage test lamp with one end connected to the 12VDC power source, touch the other end of the lead to the post on the glow plug. If the light comes on, the plug is good. If not, the plug is bad. He said, glow plugs are like fuses. Either they allow power to flow or they don't. Such a simple test.

 

[aircommuter]

Continuity testing is always simple. However it doesn’t tell you if the plug opens with power.

 

[JRH02]

Continuity testing is always simple. However it doesn’t tell you if the plug opens with power.

This isn't very common for a glow plug, is it?

 

[grsthegreat]

I simply ohmed out my plugs, and found 3 open. Only one was working.

Biggest issue I had, my dealer gave me the wrong plugs. After I pulled the first one off…..I had to run back to the dealer. There’s a 1.5 hr peace of my life I’ll never get back. But the money saved by having me do the work more than made up for it. The dealer had a 7 day cycle to get repair done after I dropped it off. No thanks.

 

[aircommuter]

This isn't very common for a glow plug, is it?

I have seen a few. I have also seen some bulb filaments like that. One thing for sure if it tested open it’s done.

 

[HAR]

This diesel mechanic described the construction of the glow plugs and said that there were two coils inside. One sort of acts like a regulator and the other is the actual heating coil. He said, while the regulating coil might fail, it is primarily the heating coil itself that fails. He compared the coils to the old filament type incandescent light bulb...works fine, as long as it is a continuous strand. But if the strand breaks/melt/etc it is an open circuit and thus dead. While I suppose it might be possible for a broken/melted coil wire to have contact for a continuity check, I would be willing to bet that the odds are against that. He also pointed out, if you have to replace one plug, replace all plugs and do not mix brands/types/etc. Doing so is only asking for trouble. He also recommended OEM or OEM specified plugs.