Glowplug R&R

[tkpatter]

I am about to insatll my new injector but I need to purge the cylinders first. The glowplugs have a small rubber cap similar to a sparkplug with the power supply running throught it. I have tugged on this cap and have been met with considerable resistance. I dont want to break anything. Is there a trick to remove this cap? And does anyone know what size socket will loosen the glowplug?

[strokin95style]

i usually take a small set of needle nose pliers and carefully pull em off but dont break em if u can help it cause they aint cheap. I think you have to have a deepwell 3/8's. I use a 3/8s drive socket and ratchet too. undo them about 3/4 of the way and do it the rest by hand. good luck.

[tkpatter]

Thanks......U mean the caps are not cheap or the glow plugs?

[tkpatter]

Sorry i forgot to mention I am woking on my 2005 with a 6.0

[strokin95style]

the wire harness for the injectors/glow plugs are not cheap. glowplugs shouldnt be more than $14-15 a piece, my cost at my dealer is $8 for plugs.

[dannyboy950]

Yup carefull carefull. I think that is a 10mm socket.

[tkpatter]

Do I have to remove the glowplugs to propperly purge the cylinders? I have all 8 injectors out. I feel I am going to damage the glowplug harness if i continue pulling with needle nose plyers. cant get anything else on there. Anyone else have any ideas?

[tkpatter]

Ok, I have removed #1 cylinder glowplug cap. This cap is hard ceramic with a oring seal. It has a catch lip on top where hot wire passes through. This catch lip looks by design for a tool to slip over for glowplug cap removal. I was lucky not to have damaged the cap I removed by prying on it. Does snap-on carry this tool? I would appreciate any help.

[dannyboy950]

I misread yer post earlier, with the injectors out there is no need to remove glow plugs. Personally I do not like blowing out the cylinders I suck them out with one of those cheap one-man braker tools, ya know the one with the lil plastic hand vacum pump and the little resivoir. Well I attach a longer hose on the end and stick a piece of 12" small brake line tube and go thru the injector tip hole. Give it a slick kick at the end so it will angle to the bottom edge of the cylinder.

If ya just gotta crank it, just bump it over a few revs at a time ya don't wanna get a liquid lock and bend a valve.

[Sam Johnson]

Once injector is out there is plenty of room to react the bottom side of the glow plug electrical connector. It snaps through housing and onto plug end of round terminal. Reach inside with your finger and you can feel the tapered end of the hard plug just above nut at top of plug.

I bent the tip of old common screwdriver and about 3/4 of an inch broke off. Welded that tip back on at a right angle and it formed almost a J shaped hook. Just slipped that hooked blade down onto the end of the hard plug beside the glow plug and "pushed" the plug up and out.

DO NOT PULL ONE THE WIRES OR YOU WILL BE BUYING A NEW HARNE$$.

Ford makes a special tool but that was slow and this was fast.