How to test glowplugs?

[ktang]

Hi,

What's the best way to test the glowplugs, after I start the car, the glow light flashed for a good 30 seconds, and I have to keep my foot on the gas til I can feel all the cylinders fire up..is this normal?

Thanks,
-Kurt

[rwthomas1]

What car/year? Do a search, this has been covered extensively here. Each individual plug should be continuity tested and load tested if possible. Sometimes they pass a continuity test and fail under load. RT

[Stevo]

I clamp a GP in the vice and hook it up to a 12v battery. If it glows red hot in a couple of seconds its good. Or .6 for continuity with your digital volt meter. Oh.. that is if were talking series GPs. As RT said there is plenty in the archives on GP testing.

[P.E.Haiges]

Ktang,

Measure the resistance of the GP. You will need a ohmeter that reads less than one ohm, preferable a digital one.

Pull off the connector from the GP relay. Connect one lead of the ohmmeter to ground and probe inside the connector holes with the other lead.

Good GP should read about 0.7 ohms. Replace any that are significantly different than the others.

I had one GP that read 1.5 ohms. You might think it would still be OK but when I removed it from the engine, the tip was burned off.

By using 2 Visegrips you can connect a GP across the battery and see if thay glow red hot.

BTW, how can you step on the GAS in a DIESEL????????

P E H