With a cold engine on a warm day, how long should the glow plugs light up before fire-off? On my '85, the light light sup for maybe a second or two, and the car starts right up, no smoke or anything. Just seems a bit quick for me...is that normal for warm weather, or could a plug be dead or dying?

Again, just wondering...thanks!

Also, what's a good way to test the plugs? On my Ford, the way I learned was to use an ohmmeter and put one lead on the plug prong and the other on the body (specifically the part with the threads, that would normally gound the GP out to the block). More than 2 or 3 ohms and the plug's bad. Will this test work with these plugs? I'm assuming so, but figured I'd ask. Again, I'm not complaining about how it starts now (well, how it did before the battery bit the dust); just some preventative maintenance so I don't kill batteries/starters in the winter, if something is wrong.

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2001 VW Jetta TDI, 5 speed, daily driver
1991 Ford F-350, work in progress
1984 Ford F-250 4x4, 6.9l turbo diesel, 5 speed manual
Previous oilburners: 1980 IH Scout, 1984 E-350, 1985 M-B 300D, 1979 M-B 300SD, 1983 M-B 300D
Spark-free since 1999