My problem has been that on occasion, the glo light won't come on and the car won't start. The light is accurate because when it comes on, the car starts and when it doesn't, the engine will crank but not fire. To make a long story short, I've done the following to try to cure an intermittent glo problem.

1. New glo plugs (5)
2. New 80 amp fuse
3. Inspect the contact points in the relay mechanism. One set of points has a larger gap than the other (is this a problem?)
4. The contact points look clean

Any ideas?

Don

__________________
DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed

Don that 84' used to do that from time to time. Is that the one your talkin about. Because I had to get a new plug one time.

later

__________________
Current stable......
17' Rogue SV 70k
11’ Saab 9-5 NG 94k
10’ e550 4matic 185k

sold
02' e320 210k
00' e430 167k
01' e320 171k (regret sale)
91' 300d 2.5t 300k (sold to ecoofidaho)
79' 240d 177k (old yellow my avatar)
87' 300d 169k (junk but fast)
85' 300tdt 261k (RBM parts delivery)
85' 300dt 68k (one owner cream puff)
82' 240d 250k
84' 300dt 198k (sold to diesel don)
91' 190e 2.3 61k
88' 260e 140k

Hey Joe:

Yep...its the 84 but i've just replaced the fuse and all plugs. Love that car. Its our most consistent of the three. But I need to nail that problem.

Wish we had your Georgia weather.

dp

__________________
DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed

lol! i knew it would come back!! sorry to hear it though... when i took mine apart i didn't notice a larger gap per-say, but one contact point did look sizeably bigger then the other one. I'm out of ideas, b/c when i took mine apart it was all carboned up. Perhaps the ignition switch not engaging it??(that was suggested to me when i was having problems...)
good luck
Ryan

__________________
83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

Hey Ryan:

Very funny!

In the year 2007, you and I are going to still be chasing this one down. You are going to pick up the girl of your dreams for a date and that puppy is not going to glo!
I thought about the ignition switch as well. Don't even want to go there.

Don

__________________
DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed

true, lol. Mine actually has been working fine for about 4 months now, knocking on wood. You could tell my points were really carboned up though. I guess the only way well both have COMPLETE piece of mind is to replace the plugs, relay, AND ignition switch. I'll let you go first on this one...
Ryan

__________________
83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

The little black box mounted high on the fender on the driver side was the culprit then. My mech said he thought whatever that part is (he said the name) was going bad. It happened to me maybe once a month and I would just smack it with a pair of plyers and the glow plug light would come on. If I had driven the car during the day and the engine was warm it would fire without. It only happened a 1/2 dozen times to me though. I have no idea what that box is. Good Luck!

later,

PS- You guys headed to the beach again this spring break? I would love to meet yall at the Mickey D's for a pit stop!

__________________
Current stable......
17' Rogue SV 70k
11’ Saab 9-5 NG 94k
10’ e550 4matic 185k

sold
02' e320 210k
00' e430 167k
01' e320 171k (regret sale)
91' 300d 2.5t 300k (sold to ecoofidaho)
79' 240d 177k (old yellow my avatar)
87' 300d 169k (junk but fast)
85' 300tdt 261k (RBM parts delivery)
85' 300dt 68k (one owner cream puff)
82' 240d 250k
84' 300dt 198k (sold to diesel don)
91' 190e 2.3 61k
88' 260e 140k

that black box is the glow plug relay, it has a timer and two contact points inside of it
Ryan

__________________
83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

Hey Joe:

We're staying around this year due to scheduling conflicts and cold cash shortages! I'll buy you lunch the next time I'm going through however. Its a funny thing that the car functioned perfectly for nearly one year and then started to have intermittent struggles again. I'll keep an eye on the glo plug relay. I just got a printout from a friend on how to track it down.

Don

__________________
DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed

it is now official, i absolutley HATE murphey. Go out to my car this morning, turn the key...............nothing. Say, what the F#*#, turn it again.......nothing. Turn it for a third time, here a click......nothing......then the light comes on......goes right back off......wait a couple seconds...........clank clank clank(shes running). I knew responding with that my GP system had been working well was a bad idea....... looks like my ignition switch or relay is on the way out...not sure which i'd rather replace!
Ryan

__________________
83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

When I turn on the key, I get a buzzer, but the light only comes on about once in every 50 start-ups. But as long as I wait for the buzzer to stop, the thing starts right up. Not sure what this means. The dealer I bought it from told me as long as I wait for the buzzer to stop, it meant the glo-plugs are ready.

__________________
past MB rides:
'68 220D
'68 220D(another one)
'67 230
'84 SD
Current rides:
'06 Lexus RX330
'93 Ford F-250
'96 Corvette
'99 Polaris 700 RMK sled
2011 Polaris Assault
'86 Yamaha TT350(good 'ol thumper)

on mine, whether or not the GP light comes on depends on whether the car starts easy/smoke free or hard and smokey, so i dont think the buzzer will work with mine, i dont think i even have a buzzer? the only buzzer that comes on in my car is A. when i leave the lights on, and B. when i press on the brake with the driver's door open. What is B. for anyway?????
Ryan

__________________
83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

This buzzer seems to be a different one from the buzzer for door, ect. It has a slightly different tone to it.
Anyone else have this, or am I just sniffing too much diesel smoke?

__________________
past MB rides:
'68 220D
'68 220D(another one)
'67 230
'84 SD
Current rides:
'06 Lexus RX330
'93 Ford F-250
'96 Corvette
'99 Polaris 700 RMK sled
2011 Polaris Assault
'86 Yamaha TT350(good 'ol thumper)

I was checking on something earlier tonight and ran across this tidbit, I don't know, but if your relay's are original maybe this would interest you, its from the Fastline Catalog:


"Bosch superseded the glow control relay to a new glow plug kit which includes a new controller and 4 glow plugs. This new controller allows the glow plugs to continue functioning up to 3 minutes after the vehicle has been started, providing a smoother engine start up and less exhaust smoke. It is important to keep this in mind when testing the glow circuit func- tionality. For vehicles with 5 cylinders, 1 additional glow plug is required (0 250 201 039)."

Just a thought! Good Luck Gents!