glow plug MIA

[jarrettpcfr]

well, i took the injector out on one side, vacumed the glow plug head out, no problem. i put it all back together. i started on the other side where the other glow plug head broke, took the injector off, looked in the hole and didn't see anything. i used a magnet and srewdriver and didnt feel anything loose. used a shop vac with the same result. im hoping i can find it. keep in mind this truck has been ran all of 30 min, since i got it. i got it GL. it ran fine once it was warm, couldnt crank cold. maybe the motor ate the glow plug, i hope not. any ideas? im still in the process of swaping my transmission guts over to another (cracked case from GL).

 

[doghead]

Did you break the tips off yourself? Did you run the truck , knowing a GP tip was broken?

 

[jarrettpcfr]

no i ran the truck when i picked it up from GL, and test drove it when i got home. once i found the trans problem, i started looking into other things. i have not ran the truck since. i started taking the glow plugs out and found two the were broken, a couple were swollen but i got them out. i got one out of the head, both ends were mushroomed???? never seen one look like that. im just hoping that the other did not find it's way in. but if it did prior to my getting it, it sure does run good.

 

[Shop Rat Fab]

You say "i started on the other side where the other glow plug head broke" How did it break with a GP (glow plug) puller or pliers? If you used a GP uller to remove the glow plugs the head may have popped off and dropped into the cylinder, if you did not use a puller and the tip was missing when you removed the GP it may have been burned off from the military or GL using starting fluid to start the truck if that’s the case its gone and you should be fine. Make sure its not stuck in the GP bore between the outer head and the precup chamber. Did you vacuum with the piston at top dead center with both valves closed? BTW the GP tips are none magnetic so a magent will do you no good.

 

[jarrettpcfr]

1 broke on the drivers side, i got it out with a shop-vac. put it all back together ( injector). So i started in passenger side, took out the injector, can't find, see it, shop vac wont pick it up. the part that came out of the head looked like it had been ran without the glow plug head ( the part with the threads and elec. spade). I guess i will pull of the intake tomorrow to look in the runner, make sude it did not fall into the cylinder. Why couldn't it be like the other one, just shop vac it out!!!!!!!!!

 

[stump]

Pulling the intake wont let you see a broken glow plug. push a small screwdriver in the glow plug hole and look again for the missing piece through the injector hole. the engine might have eaten it but try to make sure . Try to find a bore scope to look at the cylinder for damage.

 

[allrevup]

the glow plug tip chamber is very small (little more then one sq. inch maybe two) if the broken G.P. tip is in there (you shoul be able to see it)
The broken tip may have curve will beign pull out, that may be why if in there, it will not vacum out. Insert a pig tail made out of mechanic wire and turn it, you may fish it out.
It could have desintegrated and blown itself out the exhaust

 

[jarrettpcfr]

i have not ran the truck since i have taken the glow plugs out. is there any chance the tip fell into the cylinder with out it being ran? i really don't feel like taking the head off, but i don't want to cause any damage. i did not know the glow plugs were broken (2 of them one of which i got out), i got it from gov liquidation and probably ran it all of 30 min. since i have had it. i will try the wire, if that don't work i guess i will be pulling the head.

 

[allrevup]

I suppose it could have fallen down.
You said you ran it before finding out about the 2 broken GP's. I don't know if it is always the case, but in a older tread some one said that the sound was unmistakably bad when hi broke the GP tip and he started it like that. He was lucky and found no serious damage after removing the head.
I would try to find a scope and look in there, maybe you can avoid removing the head...

1- it could have blown out
2- the broken tip could have bend into a curve, there for making it harder or unable to fall down and not letting it easily come out.

I had to deal with a broken GP tip on the #8 cylinder (rear most pass. side) a few month back, fortunately I was able to remove it true the injector hole