Quote:
Originally Posted by nickofoxford
Not at all, I used to think the same thing until I learned how the glow system works. The Glow plug light is only a recommendation to how long you should glow before you start. In reality the glow plugs are still being powered after the light goes out for a certain amount of time, my 240D for example is around 30 seconds. So cycling is only extra wear on your ignition switch, we all learn this trick sometime  . I really want to hook up an extra indicator light to tell me when my glow plugs really shut off. The relay is a good way to tell, if your driveway is as quiet as a mouse in the morning. |
What he was talking about is letting the glow plug relay click off at around the 30 seconds you refer to not waiting for the ready to start light to go off. (at least that's what I interpreted) A second complete glow cycle DOES benefit a start in very cold temps. I do it on both my w123's and it makes for better starts.
You don't need a light to indicate when the relay clicks off, just listen for it. It's a fairly loud click at least on the newer glow relay systems.