From: Ron (rojoha@comcast.net)
Date: Sun Nov 09 2003 - 17:37:50 PST
ALL my glow plugs are toast due to a failed glow plug relay. The relay
was an aftermarket type, rated for 12 VDC. It could not handle 15, or maybe
18 VDC and cooked in the ON mode.
Food for thought. When you have a glow plug that fails, the voltage
available to the other 7 goes up by 1/8 or 1.5 volts. So with 8 working
plugs getting 12 volts, an 8 second pre heat with a manual push button works
fine. But loose one and the other 7 are now seeing 13.5 and that 8 second
pre heat is too much, so another one fails. Now the other 6 are seeing 15
volts, so 6 seconds are deadly, so another one fails and we repeat the
sequence, etc., etc, etc. So what is cheaper, a new glow plug controller
card that SENSES the preheat temperature and cycles the remaining plugs with
in limits, or spending a couple of hundred dollars on tools and a bunch of
hours disassembling the truck and cursing the designers and GM and anyone
else involved in the piss poor design of this system because the system was
bypassed with a manual push button? Maybe if you use the push button method,
you should install an indicator light hooked onto the glow plug side of the
relay to tell you your glow plugs are cooking after you release the push
button cause the relay has failed in the "ON" mode and it's already too late
to save the plugs AND a voltmeter so you can tell when you have cooked a
plug cause of an extra chipmunk or two.
Meanwhile, back at the engine compartment...
Anyone used the Owens Export glow plug removal tool and have any
opinions?
How about the Snap On glow plug socket for the 6.2l?
TOOL REVIEW:
After playing with the OTC 6005 GPR Tool today, I can say it is a clever
idea if your mushroomed glow plugs are in an engine that is out of the
truck, mounted on an engine stand with the exhaust manifolds removed. If
not, you can pass on it.
A tool that worked pretty good on 3 mushroomed plugs was a GM door trim
removal tool. It looks like a big tack puller and fit below the threaded
section of the head of the glow plug and over the shaft of the glow plug
once the threads cleared the block. Using an air ratchet and 3/8 deep socket
my friend was able to apply leverage against the plug while spinning it and
the damaged plugs slowly 'screwed' themselves out.
The other 5 will have to await the arrival of the Owens and Snap On
tools.
Anyone got any other methods, short of C4, that have worked?
BTW... when you pay extra for 'Over Night' delivery, be aware that if
some companies run out of over night envelopes, they will ship it 'over
night' as soon as they get some in, or will ship it 'over night' the next
time the Fed Ex or UPS guy comes by, like maybe tomorrow or maybe Monday. Am
I missing something here?
TTFN, Ron
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