Keep burning up my glow plugs....... Help Please

[Kyle_1724]

Hello,

I need some serious help.

I just bought a 1988 F-250 4x4 with the 7.3 diesel. It has a aftermarket banks turbo installed. The problem is I keep burning up the glow plugs. When I bought the truck it needed them. Put some in and used them about 4times when they stoped working. I took them out and found that all the tips but 2 where melted. So I bought a new set and used them twice and now they do not work. What could be doing this. I checked the glow pug wires with a volt meeter and I was getting 12 volts to the wires to the glowplugs. I am lost with this one. Any one please help. Also the glow pug relay is hooked to a push buttom switch. And I checked the volts to the wires when the switch was off and there was no volts, so the button is disengaging. When I uesed the glow plugs I only held button in for about 15 seconds at a time. Is that to long??

Thank you

Kyle

[85F250Diesel]

What brand glow plugs did you use? Mine are a switch also, and I burned up autolites in 5 or 6 starts. Come to find out, everybody has had problems with autolites. I'm changing mine out for motorcrafts this time.

As far as how long to hold them on, I really don't know, the previous owner of my truck said 10-20 seconds, but I don't know how knowledgeable he was.

yeah if you are using autolites switch to motorcrafts. make the switch goes out everytime. it may hang up once in a while causing them to burn up. i hook a light up so i can tell if the button stays on or if its off.

[Kyle_1724]

Yes I was using autolights bolth times. Are the motorcraft ones that much better?? The auotlight ones are that bad??

Thank you

Kyle

[85F250Diesel]

I haven't heard anything but bad stuff about autolite glow plugs. I had a bad experience with them, as have many others, including yourself. Everyone has told me to that the Motorcraft or Beru brands are the only ones to use.

Your lucky to have been able to get all 8 out. Often some of the glow plugs will swell or deform in some way, and cause you to have to remove the head to get them out. That's what I'm having to do right now.

[Kyle_1724]

That sucks that you have to pull the head off. I had no real problem getting mine out.

Where is the cheapest place to buy the motorcraft plugs at? Anyone know I called the local ford dealer and they wanted $25 a piece for them.

Thank you

Kyle

[85F250Diesel]

The part # for the motorcraft glow plugs is ZD1A (actually ZD9 is for 7.3 IDIs), I just did a google search and found them at dieselfiltersonline for eight bucks apiece. It took them awhile to ship them out, as they didn't have all 8 in stock when I ordered, but you can't beat the price.

[Kyle_1724]

Right on. I will look around. Thanks for the help

Kyle

[elibenson]

The original glow plug controller only turned the glow plugs on for about 6 seconds or so. Unlike the powerstroke glow plugs that run up to 40 seconds. I would say use the glow plugs on your push-button as little as possible to get the truck started.

Also, use motorcraft glow plugs..

[85F250Diesel]

Whoops, I gave you the part # for the 6.9 glow plugs. The part # for the 7.3 IDI is ZD9