How do you test them! a;, in place in the engine. b;, once removed from the engine.
I was told a good quick test was to disconnect the battery. put the earth back on. clip test light on the Positive terminal, remove the clip on top of the plug (so to test them one at a time) and if the test light glows bright, its ok, if it glows din or not at all, its stuffed. So far, i have tested the 5 of 8 i can get at and not a peep of light from the test light. Am i doing it right! LOL I was also told to remove them, and create a circuit on the floor with each one to see if they glow.
all input and discussions welcome!
intrade,
Jul 30, 7:52am
A with special tester , or volt meter. b with volt meter special tester or a battery to make them glow. voltage of glowplug is writton on its side . 11 volt ones can be checked with 12 volt car battery or old battery charger even, and usually you can see if it is knackered on the filament then you can binn it in any case
mugenb20b,
Jul 30, 7:54am
I remove them from the engine and test one at a time across the battery terminals.
intrade,
Jul 30, 7:56am
Ayou have to remove the rail from the glowplugs then mesure from the tip where the rail is connected to the engine negative somwhere or even battery - as that is all one connection if you got a resistance in ohm if there is non then its probably a dead plug ,
cheeeeky,
Jul 30, 7:56am
U can by pass the bad one, I did this with my mu, the faulty one wouldn't heat up the others, by passed onto next glow plug, sweet as, got me around until I cud replace the bad one.
intrade,
Jul 30, 7:59am
you dont need to bypass dead plugs they just wont glow they are all connected to the same rail, and only reason for a bypass would be when one has a short, and i never had one do that. not to say it cant be
cheeeeky,
Jul 30, 8:01am
It can be done as I have done it, it was buggered, my dads a mechanic, I'm a chick, told me how an away we went.easy as, replaced it a wk later.
intrade,
Jul 30, 8:02am
always disconnect battery when working on car electric. number 1 rule to remember
intrade,
Jul 30, 8:04am
yes i dont want to argue the point but there is no need in almost all cases you just would want to mark what one it was so you remember a week later that would be a valid reason for this. some diesel start with just 1 glowplug . some isuszu engines dont show signs of blowen plugs till only 1 is still alive.
unbeatabull,
Jul 30, 8:06am
Can't believe how many people have different ways of testing Glow Plugs.
Easiest and most efficient way to test glow plug is as #4 said . disconnect the power rail, and check resistance from the plug tip to an earth on the engine or even back to neg terminal on battery. A dead plug will either have no resistance or really high resistance. Most operate around 3-6 ohms but have seen some as low as under 1 ohm to over 6.
intrade,
Jul 30, 8:08am
also do replace all glowplugs and keep the good old ones for the future. and dont snap em off if they crack loose plenty crc and or wd40 or simmilar when you get stuck ream em back and forward with that fluid on thread . it will cost you a fortune if you snap one off half way.
flashgordon_nz,
Jul 30, 8:24am
to earth!/ hang on, I'm going from positive to the tip. thats wrong! yep, quick check before each test to make sure bulb was working by touching it on engine block.
sturmiearcher,
Jul 30, 8:27am
The best way to test the glow plugs which also tests the operation of the glow plug control system is to remove all plugs, re-attach them to the bar, make up a bunch of cables with alligator clips connecting the plug bodies together then back to engine body, re-attach the power feed to the bar, hold the bar and plugs clear of engine then turn on the glow system and watch what happens, they all must glow the same and at the tips . not back up from the tip and leaving the tip not glowing ! You can tell whether plugs, relays or timers are at fault.
Everybody has there own way of testing obviously this works for them. There are several different types of glow plugs that require several different methods. For the most commonglow plug. I would remove rail and use a jumper lead to + to the power connection of the plug if it has a inductive spark chances are its goes.No spark dead plug.
Sometimes the plug can have the correct resistance or appear to be working but if removed only part of the plug may heat up this is more common in double coil plugs The plug needs to be removed to determine this generally.
It is important that the the plug glows correctly 2/3 cherry red is my rule of thumb. This is important if adding after market timers.
When removing glow plug assemblies take note of insulating washers the way rails are assembled ect. Also some vehicles are wired in series so take special note on how they are wired
flashgordon_nz,
Jul 30, 9:03am
international Navistar IDI 6.9 v8 diesel in a ford pick-up
so, back to checking them. correct to put a test lamp clip on the positive terminal of the battery, and test lamp on the top of the glow plug. if it glows, it ok, if it doesn't, its stuffed!
steve312,
Jul 30, 10:11am
Have checked glow plugs with an ohm meter in the past but prefer to remove them and bench test with a jumper cable and battery.They are going to have to come out if they are stuffed anyway.
flashgordon_nz,
Jul 30, 10:16am
yeah, and naturally will replace all 8. just wanting to work thru the process, make sure i am chasing stuffed glow plugs, before risking taking them out of 2 cold heads. They appear to be Ex-USA.
flashgordon_nz,
Jul 30, 11:05am
I wondered something along those lines. 2 banks of connecting wire, was wondering about just trying the feed wire on each bank, to see if it lights up.
Everybody has there own way of testing obviously this works for them. There are several different types of glow plugs that require several different methods. For the most common glow plug. I would remove rail and use a jumper lead to + to the power connection of the plug if it has a inductive spark chances are its goes.No spark dead plug.
Sometimes the plug can have the correct resistance or appear to be working but if removed only part of the plug may heat up this is more common in double coil plugs The plug needs to be removed to determine this generally.
It is important that the the plug glows correctly 2/3 cherry red is my rule of thumb. This is important if adding after market timers.
When removing glow plug assemblies take note of insulating washers the way rails are assembled ect. Also some vehicles are wired in series so take special note on how they are wired
Quote
bigfatmat1 (22 )8:57 pm, Mon 30 Jul #18
simple and easy
flashgordon_nz,
Jul 30, 11:43am
yep, well said for sure.
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