Before you replace the glow box check the wiring on that little connector. Pop the cap off that connector and make sure the wiring isn't fouled at the pins inside. If it is OK then continue testing the wiring in that connector.

First, check fuse #14 and make sure it's not messing with the glow system. That's where the Red w/black striped wire in C130, little connector on the glow box, originates.

Check for continuity between the brown wire in C130 and the body ground at the RH headlights.

The purple wire in that little connector C130 goes to C105 as shown in one of the photos. That post is hot in start or when running. I'd turn the switch on with the battery hooked and test that connector C105. If the connector is hot with the ignition on then unhook the battery and test between C105 and C130 on the little purple wire on the little glow box connector.

You can test the continuity of the Red with Black stripe wire in C130. It runs from the fuse box (fuse #14).

I'm installing all those wires on a gas body right now as part of my SD engine to an SE body project.

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those glowplug wires can break easy,I guess you check that strip fuse,they can get a hairline crack.as warm as it is you should be able to start without glowplugs.Crank for 90 seconds,our starters are tough

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran, deutschland deutschland uber alles uber alles in der welt

I'm just using a push button for my glowplugs so I'm not much help other than to say that MOST electrical issues in many years of experience are ground issues. I sure would add a ground as there's nothing to lose and maybe something to gain. Also, make sure that the glowplugs are grounded to the head as the accumulation of many years can screw that up. Also, if the head is not grounded to the chassis independent of the block, add a head ground. Believe it or not, I once had an alternator issue that turned out to be that the alt bolted to the head and somehow the head had lost ground to the block. You would think that the head bolts would take care of that but evidently not in this case. All these suggestions are nearly free and pretty easy so worth trying.

Dan

Here's C105 where the violet wires go. The connector is located where the battery wire to starter is fastened to the body.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Thank you guys for all the replies Clemson I think you nailed it the problem was in the small 4 wire connector I first cleaned them out inside and put some die-electric grease on them put it together as I thought corrosion was my problem but the intermittent glow with the wiggle of that wire continued so I took all 4 wires out of their socket squeezed them so they would fit tighter and that gave me a constant glow and the light works in my dash. The engine which was sitting in an outsid open shed that I got from my good friend Jim fired right up and sounds great really a fast starting engine. My light on my dash only stays on for maybe 10 seconds at most I did'nt time it to see when the relay kicks off but the engine starts very quickly. I am back on the road again after being down a month from previous failed engine due to faulty injector spray which in turn blew out the precamber down into cyl. I still have to deal with that engine but I am ever so happy to be back on the road again as Willie Nelson would say thanks for all the help forum members.

Rock On! Glad you found the "issue".

Dan

Unless I miss my guess, that .75 mm violet wire is the actually kick start wire for the preglow unit. I reckoned that wire to be your problem if it wasn't the ground for that particular circuit.

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As I said on the previous page (which nobody answered):

If we're all talking about the same wire, I've confirmed this. If you completely disconnect it then all that happens is your plugs will glow for 30 seconds even after the engine starts.

-Rog

My bad, I spent the time going over the wiring diagram to make sure my comments on the wiring of C130 were correct.

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic