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Glow Plug Problem

3K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  jimdritru 
#1 ·
I have 2 97 powerstrokes that need glow plugs. I have been told that the tips on these plugs will break off and fall down in the cylinder. If this happens is there anyway to get the tip out without removing the head? I cant seem to get a straight answer from anybody. Most say the have never had to replace the glow plugs. Any help you guys can give i will be very grateful for
 
#5 ·
Why are you so worried? Did you have one break? If you haven't changed them out yet, you won't know if you have a swelled tip on one until you do. If you do have a swelled tip you will have to remove the head and screw it all the way thru to get it out. Put anti seize on the threads of the new one you put in.
 
#6 ·
autolites dont always swell, they just have a more known record of doing it. ive heard of MC breaking in the head as well, but you never know till you try. back them out smoothly, dont beat on the ratchet, youll probably be just fine,
 
#7 ·
Im not worried about the work just the explaning to the owner if I have to pull the head. The last time he carried it to the shop to put a clutch in this truck it came back with a terrible oil leak that turned out to be a crack in the oil pan. So he is real OCD now...
 
#8 · (Edited)
i got a horrible problem i change the glow plugs but i see 3 of the 8 that use were operable i change the other 5 but now won´t start again and drain the batteries !! this is abnormal maybe can be broken the GPR ? but the click sound is still earing !?? please some help proud owner of f-350 crew cab dually obs. my glowplugs are from the navistar dealer at my town !!! cost 700 Mexican pesos not expensive 80 Usdls one pair of them!!!! any suggestions !! please
 
#9 ·
check and make sure the gpr is turning off. Does it crank and dump white smoke? You may have knocked loose some under valve cover wiring causing injectors not to fire and the truck not to start
 
#12 ·
well i check it out all wirings inside vc. and everything looks fine but i try to crank and carnks well but i don´t start i see i was out of fuel :eek: and the glowplug controller is very hot !! :taze: can be the cause ??? and i will replace the other 3 and see what happens !! :bump:
 
#10 ·
Most of the times the glow plugs will come out fine. Now if someone had glow plugs going out and used ether on it a lot to get it running you might have some issues.

I've only had a few of them ever break off on me. One customer just had me leave it in the head, and the other one I was able to get out. If it drops into the cylinder I think it would be almost impossible to get out without removing the head. Never had to try it though so who knows!
 
#11 ·
Its possible to get a broken glow-plug tip out without removing the head.
Basically, you remove the injector for the cylinder that the tip fell into. Use a high-powered shop vac with an extension that fits into the injector hole to create suction in the cylinder. You can also use compressed air blown into the glow plug hole to create a 'swirl' and increase the chances that the vacum is able to pull it out. Its important that the piston is at TDC in the cylinder (something you should do before pulling the GP anyways).
Make sure the shop-vac is empty before starting, that way you can visually check the canister to make sure the piece made it out.
This trick worked like a charm on my buddies '95 a few months ago. Hopefully it works just as well when I do my '97 this week.
 
#13 ·
I just had to take the head off mine to get a glow plug out. It didn't fall into the chamber, but it broke off inside the head when I was changing them. It was actually seized to the head. I tried the shop vac suction method and the compressed air method, but neither worked. I think it was because mine was almost welded to the head (carbon buildup, etc). They were Autolite and they swelled up. I switched to Bosch. Anyhow, it was a lot of work and I would have been money ahead to use a better quality plug to begin with.
 
#14 ·
It is possible to remove a broken glow plug without head removal. This job requires a TON of patience! I had 1 get stuck in head- it was a Motorcraft. I sprayed PB Blaster and WD-40 on it to get it loose. I used a long 1/4 drive extension with the female end on the glow plug and tapped on it to get it loose. Then I followed that with vice grips wiggling and pulling on it. Vice grips slipped off and glow plug fell down into head. Pulled the injector and used a cheap extendable pocket magnet and fished it out. I bent the magnet into a slight "u" shape to reach down in there. Trust me- it works take your time.
 
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