Glow Plug Fuse? Relay?

I've been through it. Some glow plugs heat fast, some slow. If your glow plugs aren't right, they will burn out. If your timer is bad, your glow plugs will burn out. I didn't want the expense of a timer, so I put a push button switch on my dash and ran a wire to the glow plug relay. End of problems. Pushing the button for about five seconds before cranking the engine was all it took. When the engine was warm, I didn't use the glow plugs.

Oh, more:

You need only about four good glow plugs. They don't all have to be working. You can make a nice glow plug tester from a tail light bulb. Solder a wire to the copper part of the tail light bulb, and another wire to one of the lead nubs on the end of the bulb. Wrap some tape on the thing so it can't ground out. Put an alligator clip on one of the wires, and strip only a bit of insulation of the end of the other wire.

Attach the allagator clip to one of your batteries. Pull the cap off of a glow plug, and touch the test wire to the glow plug. The tail light bulb should glow yellow. If it does not, you've got a burnt-out glow plug. This is better than using a meter.

thnks for quick response, but i dont think the glow plugs are bad at all.i just recetly tested them and replaced 3. the others were good. it seems that they do not come on at all... perhaps it is this "timer" you speak of...please pardon my hideous lack of knowledge when it comes to diesels...

thnks for quick response, but i dont think the glow plugs are bad at all.i just recetly tested them and replaced 3. the others were good. it seems that they do not come on at all... perhaps it is this "timer" you speak of...please pardon my hideous lack of knowledge when it comes to diesels...

thnks for quick response, but i dont think the glow plugs are bad at all.i just recetly tested them and replaced 3. the others were good. it seems that they do not come on at all... perhaps it is this "timer" you speak of...please pardon my hideous lack of knowledge when it comes to diesels...

thnks for quick response, but i dont think the glow plugs are bad at all.i just recetly tested them and replaced 3. the others were good. it seems that they do not come on at all... perhaps it is this "timer" you speak of...please pardon my hideous lack of knowledge when it comes to diesels...

"lla8thgi3" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...

First thing to do is check to see if the plugs are getting power. No power, no heat, no start. You have to VERIFY they arent getting power, dont just use your intuition. ESPECIALLY since you are slightly less than stellar on the subject. Once you have verified that they arent getting power, find out if the controller is getting power. The relay and timer, is combined to make a controller. If you go to

you can actually look up wiring diagrams. They dont have the 6.9L listed, but I am willing to bet the 7.3L diag is almost identical, so the wire colors should be the same. Are you sure this isnt a 7.3L?? Anyway, you will find that if no power is getting to the controller then, no power will get to the plugs. If you want to just bypass the whole system then you can do like the fella mentioned above, and wire in a push button for your plugs directly, but make sure you fuse it with maximum a 30A fuse. Personally I would go get a 4-pin relay (30A) and use the push button one a 5A wire to actuate the relay, so that you have less chance of screwing up your glowplugs. Run one wire from your starter solenoid to the pushbutton (put the fuse as close as possible to the solenoid), and run another wire from the button to terminal 85 on the relay. Run another wire from terminal 86 on the relay, to a ground. Then hook terminal 87 up to the battery with a 30A fuse. Run terminal 30 to the glow plugs. All should be well in your little world. You might double check on the amperages, the plugs might require more, but the I know the fuse for the button (5A) will be sufficient to operate the relay.

Pk