Glow plugs. One or all? - Page 2

Tiggerdad · 02-25-2019, 06:01 PM

Glow plugs are an emission part. Check your manual. I had a 2013 Chevy and can't remember what the warranty was but after reading the warranty with the dealer AND Chevrolet they replaced it and charged me $100 deductible. Send one they changed for free and the 3rd one I replaced myself for about $25 dollars and 10 minutes time..

If you do it yourself you will need a deep well socket to remove it. Sorry, don't remember the size and a regular socket to remove the wire first. Turn carefully. I have heard reports of some twisting off and then you have a real problem.

I would replace only the bad one. Being emission you can continue driving without going into limp mode and performance did not suffer. My first went out in Billings, Montana and 3,000 miles from home. Drove into a dealership, they checked and said it was the glow plug, reset it but told m it would come back. Drove the rest of my trip and 4,000 miles later replaced it.

blufrog1 · 02-25-2019, 06:23 PM

I have an 94 duramax which eats glow plugs. IN 7 years I've changed at least 5 which have gone bad. I looked online and found a bargain and got a dozen of them for less than $20 and change them only as needed. Its easy when you finally figure out where they are.

Jim34RL · 02-25-2019, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BriaBeck

I simply pointed it out because there is a lot of misconception out there that a glow plug does the same thing as a spark plug and kinda works the same way as a spark plug... when it doesn't.

Simple as that.

Not insinuating that the OP did or did not know the difference... I just know that there will be a lot of people read this that may believe that if you change one, you have to change them all, as is normally the case with spark plugs. But you do not have to change them all together... they do not "wear" like sparks plugs do. They either work, or they don't.

If you want to have the peace of mind that you have all new ones, by all means, spend the money and change them all. If you want to be more frugal, just change the failed one, and wait until the next one fails... it might be 100,000 miles down the road, or it might be tomorrow... In my experience through the past 35+years being around and maintaining diesels, they normally do not fail all together. If they are easy enough to access, just replace the failed one and keep the money in your pocket. If they're a PITA to get to, might think harder about changing them all. You pays your money, you takes your chances.

After forty years of designing heavy duty earthmoving equipment I do know what a glow plug is. Also what they can do to an engine if they fail and a tip falls into the piston area. Most glow plugs have an average life span between 100,000 to 150,000 miles before they need to be replaced.

This is why I went with a Cummins engine, no glow plugs to replace.

I have always have had the practice that when replacing just one glow plug you might as will replace them all. Saves you from going back in again and doing this all over again after the next one failed.

Being frugal today may cost you more later if a tip breaks off and drops down into the piston bowl.

Jim34RL · 02-25-2019, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiggerdad

Glow plugs are an emission part. Check your manual. I had a 2013 Chevy and can't remember what the warranty was but after reading the warranty with the dealer AND Chevrolet they replaced it and charged me $100 deductible. Send one they changed for free and the 3rd one I replaced myself for about $25 dollars and 10 minutes time..

Sorry; but Glow plugs are not an emission item. They have been used on diesel engines ever since I can remember. I started designing tractors in the 60's and they were used before that. They are a starting aid for a diesel engine in cold weather to help warm the air for combustion of the diesel fuel upon initial start up.

spock123 · 02-26-2019, 12:58 AM

If you live in a warm climate do you really need glow plugs

nikita · 02-26-2019, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brendon37

Send me your VIN and mileage in a PM and I'll check and see if your truck falls into the Special Coverage for replacement on glow plugs. Here at the dealer they only replace the ones that are bad not all of them.

He's right. There is a recall on them and they will be replaced for free. But it's a real PITA

back & forth to the Dealer. We are currently snowbirding in Florida and DH had it with those things. So we had them all replaced at a GM Dealer here. GM would not honor the recall for having them all done at once, you had to wait for them to go one by one. DH had four done for $500!!

Yes, it was his choice.

timfromma · 02-26-2019, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blufrog1

I have an 94 duramax which eats glow plugs. IN 7 years I've changed at least 5 which have gone bad. I looked online and found a bargain and got a dozen of them for less than $20 and change them only as needed. Its easy when you finally figure out where they are.

I think I might be zeroing in on your issue.

Comanchecreek · 02-26-2019, 10:05 AM

I just recently did injectors on my '03 and did the glow plugs at the same time. Problem with the glow plugs can be the fact that they are steel in an aluminum head. Assuming the threads let loose the other issue is when the tips break off. You need to fish the broken piece out of the cylinder before you run it. To do that you have to go through the injector hole and fish it out with a magnet. As you can determine, removing the injector on a Duramax is labor intensive to say the least. Replacing all of the injectors is cheap insurance to prevent these kind of problems. I would do them all while you're in there and call it good, rather than have the potential for problems down the road. Be careful and be sure to use anti-seize on installation. You tube has a number of horror stories if you search for it. They will show you a number of tricks if you run into an issue.

BriaBeck · 02-26-2019, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spock123

If you live in a warm climate do you really need glow plugs

Technically, no. Some of the new computer controlled diesels will heat the glow plugs at various times to help with emissions or smooth running before the engine is fully up to temperature, but they are not required for the engine to run.

Ignition in a diesel is accomplished by compressing the intake air to the point that the temperature of that air rises above the ignition temperature of the fuel, then fuel is injected at the proper time where it then auto-ignites and combusts. No ignition source required... just compression and proper timing of the fuel injection.

Glow plugs are basically just a cold starting aid. Nothing more than a heating element that protrudes into the cylinder/combustion chamber. Some engines have no glow plugs in the cylinders at all, but do have a glow plug(s) in the intake manifold to heat the incoming air. My tractor here at the house has this arrangement.

Jim34RL · 02-26-2019, 01:25 PM

Cummins uses a grid heater under the intake horn. These are pretty robust so, you do not have to worry about failures. What can and sometimes will fail is the grid heater relay. Which is a simple plug and play fix.

timfromma · 02-26-2019, 05:00 PM

I investigated the RAM before buying my Chevy. I was disappointed in the payload ratings.

Thatdarncat · 03-04-2019, 08:07 PM

I did them all, on the Fords; the 94 IDI Turbo had them right on top, the 2000 powerstroke had them under the valve covers, more of a pain but since Im in there might as well get them...all 8 on both were around 80-150 bucks.
No more glow plug worries now with the Cummins Ram

Dont know about your chevy, but a broken glow plug tip in a Ford required pulling the head /s or let the pistons beat it through the valve train. I took me 4 days once just to pull a glow plug under the turbo on the 94 IDI, kept soaking it in kroil and pb blaster and slowly working it back and forth but got it out complete....thats why I love that 6.7 cummins now.

timfromma · 03-04-2019, 08:22 PM

I ended up replacing the 4 glow plugs behind the passenger side tire. I'll replace the 4 on the driver side when one of them goes bad. The entire process took less than 1 hour.

lbnt18 · 03-04-2019, 08:42 PM

I believe it's 110,000 miles or less for the warranty for glow plugs and the def tank and pump. I have been replacing each one as they go bad since it's warranty work. Still have one to go that has not been changed.

JPin AZ · 03-04-2019, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timfromma

I ended up replacing the 4 glow plugs behind the passenger side tire. I'll replace the 4 on the driver side when one of them goes bad. The entire process took less than 1 hour.

Smart man!

DouglasReid · 03-05-2019, 03:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blufrog1

I have an 94 duramax which eats glow plugs. IN 7 years I've changed at least 5 which have gone bad. I looked online and found a bargain and got a dozen of them for less than $20 and change them only as needed. Its easy when you finally figure out where they are.

I don't think they made the Duramax til 2001. Was yours some sort of prototype 6 years early?

The reason it is "eating" glow plugs is because you bought those bargain plugs. $20 a dozen? That is about 8X less than good plugs.

You must like doing all that extra labor changing out those junk plugs. Sometimes what seems like a bargain ISN'T such a good deal in the long run.

Yours takes an AC Delco 9G, BTW, $19 at any auto parts house.

Columbus340RK · 03-05-2019, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timfromma

My truck's computer is telling me the #7 glow plug is bad. Do you diesel owners usually just replace the bad one or all of them?

I have a 2009 Sierra HD 6.6 with 215000mi and live in Ontario Canada, I have replaced 3 in ten years all at different times but they were all on the same side, passenger. Replacing all at once seems a little extreme to me. A glow plug is simply like plugging in a kettle, it pre heats each cylinder to allow for easier cold engine ignition of diesel fuel until the engine warms up. Ignition in a diesel is done by compression not by a spark of by the glow plug. Hope this is helpful

pojp58 · 03-05-2019, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timfromma

I ended up replacing the 4 glow plugs behind the passenger side tire. I'll replace the 4 on the driver side when one of them goes bad. The entire process took less than 1 hour.

Well done and lucky you. Sometimes one will break and then you have to get a remover kit, drill and tap it out.
Some people will remove them all and put dummy plugs in, mostly in the warm states though.

As stated before, they are used slightly till engine is warm. You can survive without them all together, just plug your engine in before starting for a while on the cold days.

timfromma · 03-05-2019, 07:16 AM

I coated the threads of the new plugs with anti-seize.

kbrown1075 · 03-05-2019, 07:26 AM

I am very detailed about my vehicle maint. Now I live in the south and not a cold environment. I have owned my truck for 6 years, 162,000 miles, and have had one glow plug go out. I purchased the replacement on line and changed it myself, very easily. That was about 3 years ago and 35,000 miles ago. If one fails, I'll replace the failed device. I have been in electronics for many, many years, stuff breaks, but not all stuffs. You'd replace your whole entertainment system because the DVD player stopped working? One glow plug might go out every three years (or more), why would I replace all of them for a defective one? Just my choice.

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