I have been chasing down a relay problem with my 84 f350. I bought it from an old timer who did the same thing before I bought it. I always thought it was odd that I had to manually push a glow plug button, but now I know why it is the way it is. This video made my day. Thank you.
Other than the fact the glow plugs are not meant to run on 12 volts but actually 11 your system works. Bye-by-passing that great big resistor on the original relay solenoid you're giving them full voltage and thus 8 seconds is enough although right on the glow plug package it will tell you they are 10-second glow plugs. If a system like this will work for you for 10 years it's because you don't use it very often. If you glow that system like the original relay did every time you touch the truck you'd burn those glow plugs out in no time.. good vid thanks for posting
You are 100% correct! My controller was bypassed befor I bought my 83 F250 6.9. But all the glow plugs were burnt out. I replaced them with new ones. All burnt out in one week, mid winter. I'm spending the money and redoing the entire system back to stock.
The glow plug relay thats bypassed has a live in from the battery, a live out to the buzz bar for the glowplugs and a switch wire which when turned on its lets the power pass through the relay to the buzzbar. Yes it is easy to put a switch on but its not the correct way to go in my opinion. The way it generally works is your coolant sensor detects if the car is cold or hot, if its cold the sensor activates a wire to the glow plug ecu control until to tell it this, the ecu then activates a wire to the glow plug relay to tell it to turn on, the glow plugs remain on for a short time until the engine realises that the engine is running correctly, by this i mean that the engines fuel is burning hot enough to run without the plugs at which point it then deactivates the switch wire via the ECU which turns off the relay itself. If you get back in the car when the engine is warm, the coolant sensor circuit will be closed and the ecu will not activate the glow plugs as they aren’t needed. I’m all for doing hacks like this if im in a jam but i enjoy finding the underlying fault way better 😝 buy a multimeter and some wire wool for cleaning those connections! 🤣
Where is the ECU or brainbox that the colent sensor sends signal to? Or is it a completely mechanical logic system, ITTT type thing? I'm having trouble getting the GP relay and light to come on, even after replacing the relay and (I think) verifying the wiring.
The mechanic broke off the controller and connected the new one and just left it lay there and never installed the new glow plugs I had provided, and charged $180. Well he also changed one heater hose, maybe took 5 minutes. So rather then try to extract the broken piece from the back of the engine I did what this gentleman did. It works great....
Did the same thing on my 90 back in 2005 and they still work 15 years later. According to the maintenance log they were replaced in 95 then 1998 I had to replace them then finally after studying the diagram I did exactly this, because my theory is that the relay let's them get stuck on and this kills the life of them.
I have a 1985 E350 motorhome with the 6.9. It might still have the original glow plugs, for all I know. It still runs on the controller and starts pretty well most of the time. Unless I park nose up hill, then it gets air intrusion somewhere. But glow plug wise it's fine still.
THANKS I've had the same set up on 1986 6.9 - trying to replace the selenoid but the posts on the new one , not sure where to hook up which wire. My mechanic put the 7.3 glow plugs in that are SELF LIMITING cause I was burning out the 6.9 ones. :)
I'm having an issue with my glow plugs. It's a brand new manual glow plug controller and brand new glowplugs. I can hear the controller click whenever I press the button, but for some reason, power isn't getting to my glowplugs. As far as I can tell, my wiring harness is good. Perhaps I should redo my harness? I'll be checking it with a multimeter tomorrow.
@@watchman4j I haven't been able to work on my truck for a while now. I didn't find a replacement harness until recently but it won't be till towards December when I can work on her again. As far as with yours, crack open the line connecting to one of your injectors, use an insulated screwdriver and bridge the connection of your starter solenoid, and watch the loosened line to make sure fuel is getting to the injectors themselves. Another thing to try (which many will disagree with) is to spray a very minute amount of starting fluid in the intake. If used in very small amounts, starting fluid won't damage your engine, and thus it won't rely on it.
So I’m having trouble, that small post wire that’s red and has a black quick connect cap on it opposite of the small post yellow wire in your video, for me every time I turn the ignition switch over it instantly melts that wire on opposite the yellow one in your video( small red as I described) any idea what’s the issue?
I hooked this up and after I pulled the purple wire on the small positive portion of the glow plug relay. i cant get truck to start Am I missing something? do you have a diagram?
Didn't want to use starting fluid all the time so I've been burning electricity plugging in the block heater anytime it's cold outside, which is 8-9 months a year around here. Time to just fix the problem right.
Thanks, Wylie. But tell you what, when you're coming off 12 hour shift 100 miles to the closest civilization - no place to plug in the block heater - and it's -40 below zero - you will get your truck started anyway you can.
Did you just peel back the accessory power wires insulation and splice the switch in like that or how did you do that part? This video is amazing! Thank you!
I don't remember. I don't own the truck anymore and it was years ago that I did this work around. I'm guessing your right in your assumption. I found a wire that had current in it when the ignition switch was turned on, and spliced the switch into that. Hope that helps!
i added the glow plug bypass and it don't get any power when depressed to th e glow plugs but if i hook everything up normally it just clicks and don't latch..new batteries, new glow plugs,new,solid state under relay new relay..help please..now my head lights don't work.but everything else does..
Did you check to make sure the glow plugs were warming up before you installed them all? I grounded one of the plugs before installation and it started heating up right away, so I knew I had power. Hope this helps.
hey im doing this bypass and now im stuck on how to wire the switch. i see that it comes off the solenoid but where does the other side go? is the other side of the switch grounded?
I’m having trouble with my 1996 Ford F2 50 four-wheel-drive just put in neutral safety switch in new battery new cables I do still annoyed start the truck and it jumped forward in part what do I do
Hello, I have a 94 f250 idi, when I turn the key the glow plugs don't manually preheat. The WTS light does not even come on. I have connected a wire to the relay and I touch it to the positive terminal on the battery to get it started. When touching the wire to the battery it heats the plugs and the light glows red on the dash. Is this a wiring issue? what could cause the truck to not automatically preheats the plugs?
Great job doing this video! Does this method still allow you to see the "Glow Plug" dash light lit up when you push the momentary switch? Thanks for any info/help! ( have an 84' that just started to not light up the plugs intermittently) Also isn't switching to the front tank anymore but they're tough old goats!
The dash lit will light up if still functioning but it is not linked to the manual bypass. My light still works and I use it as a timer when I'm holding the glow plug button down manually.
Thanks! I since have cleaned up the 2 battery posts/cables and the reg. and now it's coming back on. Strange thing this electricity thingy!-) Now, I"m about to replace the alternator with a 100amp one as the other stopped working...I NEED HEATER! Lol. Thanks again for your vids! Mike
I forgot to say that there's a blue box next to the glow plug reg. with heat fins and wired up almost like the old HEI gas models had in the day...I didn't notice one in your video? Curious.
My 1983 6.9 was wired to skip the controller and a push and hold button was implemented.
All my brand new glow plugs burned out in one week
Rip
I have been chasing down a relay problem with my 84 f350. I bought it from an old timer who did the same thing before I bought it. I always thought it was odd that I had to manually push a glow plug button, but now I know why it is the way it is. This video made my day. Thank you.
Other than the fact the glow plugs are not meant to run on 12 volts but actually 11 your system works. Bye-by-passing that great big resistor on the original relay solenoid you're giving them full voltage and thus 8 seconds is enough although right on the glow plug package it will tell you they are 10-second glow plugs. If a system like this will work for you for 10 years it's because you don't use it very often. If you glow that system like the original relay did every time you touch the truck you'd burn those glow plugs out in no time.. good vid thanks for posting
You are 100% correct!
My controller was bypassed befor I bought my 83 F250 6.9.
But all the glow plugs were burnt out.
I replaced them with new ones.
All burnt out in one week, mid winter.
I'm spending the money and redoing the entire system back to stock.
Rock on, thanks for the video. Just what I was looking for.
The glow plug relay thats bypassed has a live in from the battery, a live out to the buzz bar for the glowplugs and a switch wire which when turned on its lets the power pass through the relay to the buzzbar.
Yes it is easy to put a switch on but its not the correct way to go in my opinion. The way it generally works is your coolant sensor detects if the car is cold or hot, if its cold the sensor activates a wire to the glow plug ecu control until to tell it this, the ecu then activates a wire to the glow plug relay to tell it to turn on, the glow plugs remain on for a short time until the engine realises that the engine is running correctly, by this i mean that the engines fuel is burning hot enough to run without the plugs at which point it then deactivates the switch wire via the ECU which turns off the relay itself.
If you get back in the car when the engine is warm, the coolant sensor circuit will be closed and the ecu will not activate the glow plugs as they aren’t needed. I’m all for doing hacks like this if im in a jam but i enjoy finding the underlying fault way better 😝 buy a multimeter and some wire wool for cleaning those connections! 🤣
Where is the ECU or brainbox that the colent sensor sends signal to? Or is it a completely mechanical logic system, ITTT type thing? I'm having trouble getting the GP relay and light to come on, even after replacing the relay and (I think) verifying the wiring.
What ECU are you talking about?
You must be thinking of newer diesels. This is a idi. Doesn't have any ecu or anything
6.9 doesn’t have an ecu
The mechanic broke off the controller and connected the new one and just left it lay there and never installed the new glow plugs I had provided, and charged $180. Well he also changed one heater hose, maybe took 5 minutes. So rather then try to extract the broken piece from the back of the engine I did what this gentleman did. It works great....
This is a must do! I have a 87' 6.9, manually working that glowplug issue is a benefit for sure.
Did the same thing on my 90 back in 2005 and they still work 15 years later. According to the maintenance log they were replaced in 95 then 1998 I had to replace them then finally after studying the diagram I did exactly this, because my theory is that the relay let's them get stuck on and this kills the life of them.
Getting ready to do my dad’s old 83 F350 with the 6.9.
Nice. I’m going to do this to my Mitsubishi 2.8 turbo indirect diesel (Delica Space Wagon) because they can be hard to start in cold weather
Sir, fantastic video. Best explanation/tutorial I have seen, and I've been looking around all week.
I have a 1985 E350 motorhome with the 6.9. It might still have the original glow plugs, for all I know. It still runs on the controller and starts pretty well most of the time. Unless I park nose up hill, then it gets air intrusion somewhere. But glow plug wise it's fine still.
Yeah same here, I might do that on my 93 idi as well.
Same here excellent up load gonna do that to my 7.3idi, do a tutorial on your push button start haha...
Please please help did as you said and was simple but the wire for my injection pump that turns it on burnt up on me
😮 " U da Mann !"
😁👍 "
❤👍
What was the other small screw connected to? (the opposite side of the yellow wire you put on)
:) figured it out. Ground is always a good thing:)
THANKS I've had the same set up on 1986 6.9 - trying to replace the selenoid but the posts on the new one , not sure where to hook up which wire. My mechanic put the 7.3 glow plugs in that are SELF LIMITING cause I was burning out the 6.9 ones. :)
I'm having an issue with my glow plugs. It's a brand new manual glow plug controller and brand new glowplugs. I can hear the controller click whenever I press the button, but for some reason, power isn't getting to my glowplugs. As far as I can tell, my wiring harness is good. Perhaps I should redo my harness? I'll be checking it with a multimeter tomorrow.
how was it???
how did your work turn out? I'm facing the same problem. Got fuel and power to the injector pump but not starting
@@watchman4j I haven't been able to work on my truck for a while now. I didn't find a replacement harness until recently but it won't be till towards December when I can work on her again. As far as with yours, crack open the line connecting to one of your injectors, use an insulated screwdriver and bridge the connection of your starter solenoid, and watch the loosened line to make sure fuel is getting to the injectors themselves. Another thing to try (which many will disagree with) is to spray a very minute amount of starting fluid in the intake. If used in very small amounts, starting fluid won't damage your engine, and thus it won't rely on it.
So I’m having trouble, that small post wire that’s red and has a black quick connect cap on it opposite of the small post yellow wire in your video, for me every time I turn the ignition switch over it instantly melts that wire on opposite the yellow one in your video( small red as I described) any idea what’s the issue?
Are these 12 v gp or 6 v people can't seem to make up there mind an No def answer
have you a solution for the dangling fuse box? Mine is same, but bad back, hard to get under there to mess with it.
I hooked this up and after I pulled the purple wire on the small positive portion of the glow plug relay. i cant get truck to start Am I missing something? do you have a diagram?
Didn't want to use starting fluid all the time so I've been burning electricity plugging in the block heater anytime it's cold outside, which is 8-9 months a year around here. Time to just fix the problem right.
Thanks, Wylie. But tell you what, when you're coming off 12 hour shift 100 miles to the closest civilization - no place to plug in the block heater - and it's -40 below zero - you will get your truck started anyway you can.
These trucks don't like the cold. Hope yours is running well!
I hear a racecar in the background :) :) :)
great tip. thank you
What was it doing before you changed the relay?....
Did you just peel back the accessory power wires insulation and splice the switch in like that or how did you do that part? This video is amazing! Thank you!
I don't remember. I don't own the truck anymore and it was years ago that I did this work around. I'm guessing your right in your assumption. I found a wire that had current in it when the ignition switch was turned on, and spliced the switch into that. Hope that helps!
Can you tell me how you wire both glow plug and starter button
i added the glow plug bypass and it don't get any power when depressed to th e glow plugs but if i hook everything up normally it just clicks and don't latch..new batteries, new glow plugs,new,solid state under relay new relay..help please..now my head lights don't work.but everything else does..
Did you check to make sure the glow plugs were warming up before you installed them all? I grounded one of the plugs before installation and it started heating up right away, so I knew I had power. Hope this helps.
hey im doing this bypass and now im stuck on how to wire the switch. i see that it comes off the solenoid but where does the other side go? is the other side of the switch grounded?
hey im no expert but I think so about to start this project next weekend.
I’m having trouble with my 1996 Ford F2 50 four-wheel-drive just put in neutral safety switch in new battery new cables I do still annoyed start the truck and it jumped forward in part what do I do
IDK...SOunds like a tramsmission issue to me. Have you checked the online forums for your trick year to see if anyone else has had the same issue?
How did you do the push button to start
Parts list? And regulator used?
Hello, I have a 94 f250 idi, when I turn the key the glow plugs don't manually preheat. The WTS light does not even come on. I have connected a wire to the relay and I touch it to the positive terminal on the battery to get it started. When touching the wire to the battery it heats the plugs and the light glows red on the dash. Is this a wiring issue? what could cause the truck to not automatically preheats the plugs?
Its your glow plug controller is bad
Im trying to get this sensor 1811164c2 anyone Know where to find it
Great job doing this video! Does this method still allow you to see the "Glow Plug" dash light lit up when you push the momentary switch? Thanks for any info/help! ( have an 84' that just started to not light up the plugs intermittently) Also isn't switching to the front tank anymore but they're tough old goats!
The dash lit will light up if still functioning but it is not linked to the manual bypass. My light still works and I use it as a timer when I'm holding the glow plug button down manually.
Thanks! I since have cleaned up the 2 battery posts/cables and the reg. and now it's coming back on. Strange thing this electricity thingy!-) Now, I"m about to replace the alternator with a 100amp one as the other stopped working...I NEED HEATER! Lol. Thanks again for your vids! Mike
I forgot to say that there's a blue box next to the glow plug reg. with heat fins and wired up almost like the old HEI gas models had in the day...I didn't notice one in your video? Curious.
"Blue box" = Battery isolator. @@mikesglider
How many amps Watts?
Mine has the relay on the drivers side, weird.
Why does the top of your Engine look like a spilled BOWL OF SPAGHETTI ?
Put 5.7 12v glow plugs in will last for ever