I think I may have a bad glow plug one my car. How can I test to see if that's it and possibly which one since it looks like it's going to be a real pain in the @ss to change them??? HINTS on changing the glow plugs for a 93 GOLF?
SYMPTOMS?
1) HARD to start in the afternoons @ work after it's been sitting all day. I plug it in at home. 2) Seems to be burning more diesel than usual. 3) More smoke than usual??Well #1 could be plugs, but #2 and #3 are more likely to be injectors.
You can test the plugs a lot of ways. One is to take them out and hook them up directly to the battery. Another way is to use an ammeter (amp meter) to see how much current they are drawing -- 36 amps means all are working, 27A means one is dead, 18A means two dead plugs, etc.
The ghetto way to test them is to cycle the glow plugs on a stone cold engine about 10 times without starting the car (hope you have a strong battery!). Then go put your finger on the cylinder head above each plug, and see if it got warm in that spot. Cold spots indicate dead plugs.
If you do take the plugs out, look and see if any of them are burned away. A burned off plug indicates a bad injector. It's not necessary to replace injectors as a set of four, you can just do the bad one(s) -- it's a lot less expensive that way. You *might* be able to restore dirty injectors by running off a quart or two of straight ATF, Diesel Rooter, or Diesel Purge to clean them out, but you'd have to be pretty lucky to fix a dirty injector that way.
Could also be injection timing. Check the bolts that hold the injection pump to the bracket, and the bracket to the engine. If any are loose, you may just need to have someone re-time the pump.
Thanks, this weekend I ended up changing the glow plugs, Timing Belt, all the belts and belt tensioners. The car still seems to be running a little rough so I'm guessing that it might be the injectors or injector timing. Is there a way to eliminate one from the other?
P.S. Want to test your patience level. Change the glow plugs on a 93 Golf :-)
If your old glow plugs were smooth and rounded like the new ones, and you don't get a lot of black exhaust, then it's probably the timing.
"P.S. Want to test your patience level. Change the glow plugs on a 93 Golf"
Haha, for the most part I like VWs but there are a few things that are awfully annoying.
Is it possible for someone to time the fuel pump and engine in their shop? I have an old timing light but am not sure where to start on a diesel.
It's a static timing (engine stopped) using a dial gauge. Basically you install the gauge in the opening situated in the middle of the four fuel outlets on the injector pump, turn the engine backwards to preload the gauge, then loosen the injector bracket bolts and rotate the pump in its bracket until the gauge reads .92mm or something like that (varies by car, the Bentley lists the correct settings).
It's not hard or complicated to do, it's just that the dial gauge is kind of expensive. Dunno if you can rent them.
I made a adapter to screw into the rear of the pump and then a regular dial indicator fits into it. It's been my experience if the pump was ever in time and no one messed with it then it's still in time. However there's still the slight chance the pulley on your crank shaft has shifted slightly wearing the keyway.
JoBo
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