What does a bad glow plug look like?
In a nutshell, common glow plug symptoms are slow starting and complete failure to start. Once the vehicle does start, missing, rough idle, hesitation, and lots of white smoke until the engine warms. If you have a four cylinder, one glow plug bad will cause slight hard starting and a miss.
Why is my glow plug not working properly?
It is usually caused by a failure inside the relay. When this happens, you may also notice your battery is not able to charge properly due to the high current drain on your electrical system. To check for this condition, start the engine and after a minute of running test the glow plug circuit with a meter or 12 volt test light.
Is the glow plug on a diesel engine reliable?
Kent has often said that the glow plug is the achilles heal of the diesel engine. The engines are very reliable, but if the glow plugs or the pre-glow circuit fails, you will be stranded. Most quality glow plugs are very reliable and some will last for years without needing replacement.
How often should I replace my Glow plugs?
Most quality glow plugs are very reliable and some will last for years without needing replacement. If you have recently installed new plugs and they only lasted for a few months, or you find you are having to replace your glow plugs every 6 to 12 months, look to find the real culprit BEFORE installing your next set.
What causes a glow plug to go bad?
Common among these chassis: Here is a list of the most common causes of pre-mature glow plug failure: 1. Excess carbon buildup in the pre chambers. This can cause shorting or overheating of the plug leading to tip burn out.
What to do when your diesel glow plug goes bad?
Therefore, take this smoke as a warning sign that something must be wrong either with the diesel glow plug or some other vital component of the combustion process. Usually when the diesel glow plug malfunctions, the diagnostic trouble code or engine light in the dashboard will turn on. To determine the problem you should use a diagnostic scan tool.
Do you need to replace all glow plugs?
Keep in mind that each cylinder has its own glow plug so if you have a full size truck with a V8 engine, you may want to consider replacing all eight glow plugs even if only one plug is known to be bad. The labor cost isn’t going to be too much more whether one glow plug or many have failed. It’s similar to when replacing spark plugs.
What does a glow plug do in a gasoline engine?
Spark plugs in a regular gasoline engine are responsible for creating an electrical spark which ignites the air and fuel mixture. The glow plugs are just warming up the cylinder so that the fuel will have an easier time igniting on its own. A glow plug features an electrode that generates heat when it is activated.