Glow Plug Problem

[OldPilot]

Help!

I have a 1996 Chevrolet 6.5 L diesel with 185,000 miles on it. The engine is in good condition and I have just replaced the lift pump, injector pump, injectors, EGR valve, and the intake air temperature sensor; the engine runs great.

Now the problem:

1. Four of the glow plugs have just failed and the local mechanic says that they have swollen to the point that he can

[murphyslaw]

stop going to that shop.

do 'em ur self its kinda easy had to do two of them myself. go easy and take ur time if they do beak off dont throw a fit like I did. but now It's gonna take you a bit longer to finish. if u get a few the bust off ur gonna need to take the injectors out of that cylendar. after u get the injector out you should be able to see it. use a good pair of needle noses or the old axle grease on a stick trick to pick the tip out.




taking the head out is counter productive and will cost lots. not to mention that they would have to remove the cups(if they are removable?) to get to the pre-cumbustion chamber).

[OldPilot]

Thanks for the tip; I'll give it a try.

[DmaxMaverick]

Welcome to the Forums, OldPilot!

Yep. Find another shop. You were about to get robbed. Good advice above, but let me add a couple things.

As soon as you get the injector out, PLUG THE FLASH HOLE!!! Use a piece of soft hose, rolled up piece of innertube or cloth, wooden dowel, anything that will keep pieces from going in. Once that's done, poke the remaining piece of the plug into the chamber, and retrieve what you can. There will likely be some small pieces of metal, and possibly ceramic material, depending on the plug brand. Then, use a bore brush, like a .38+ caliber ph/bronze (NOT S/S!!!) to clean the hole. Then, blow the GP hole with HP shop air (eye protection!!) until the hole and chamber is clean. Once that's done, install your new plugs...Just in case something goes wrong, you already have the injector out. Don't forget to retrieve the flash hole plug before installing the injector.

[MTTwister]

- They may not have swelled up and / or broken off. Try removing them 1st, and see if they'll come out! ( edit - re-reading the initial post, it sounds like the mechanic may have already tried to remove them. Carry on! )

- & Replace with AC60G's or Quick Heats.

[JohnC]

Do a search of the forums. This has been covered before. There are a lot of tricks to try before taking the injector out.

No reason removing the heads should have any effect on engine longevity, assuming it's done correctly, of course...

[Subzilla]

It could actually only be carbon build-up. The GP hole must have minimal clearance so any carbon at all will make it hard-headed about being removed. I almost always have to keep rotating & pulling on each plug for several minutes after passing the threads for it to finally come out.