Manual glow plug setup

[kamakee]

Im having problems with the glow plugs on my m1008. I checked for voltage at the glow plugs it was 1 volt, i checked the relay for voltage and while i was touching it i noticed one of the small posts was loose ....does anyone have the autozone part # i want to just make it a manual setup can i disconnect the controller card ...with the engine running and warm i still have .9 volts so i disconnected all the glow plugs help

 

[Westech]

you really dont want to go the manual way on the glow plugs. They work but it starts so much better and the glow plugs last longer with the factory set up. Relay is NAPA# ST85

look here for all the good info
Cucv - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

 

[realm]

I heard the controller cards go out and then I guess you're screwed.
Is there a more reliable card out there to replace it with?

I personally was planning on keeping mine the stock setup, but understood the card to be a factor in reliability.

 

[Crash_AF]

The controller cards only 'go out' if you neglect your GP system for a long time. Other than failed plugs allowing 18+ volts to go to a part rated for 12V for an extended period of time which causes said part to fail, the controller cards are pretty reliable. My two residue trucks both had controller cards in them when I bought them and both cards work just fine, even after who knows how long exposed to the weather.

If I were faced with the same problem, I'd just replace the relay and be done with it.

Later,
Joe

 

[SmokeyDod]

Joe, I have several cucvs. What specificlly should I do to the GP system on regular basis? Also I noted that on a previous post that stated the GP will last longer with the standard setup vs the manual pushbutton. With the std sys the GPs are cycled almost everytime engine is started and my pushbutton is used just when I need it. I have 3 on pushbutton and 5 with std version w/card. I also have 4-5 cards that are bad but I can't tell what's wrong with them. What & how can I check & repair them? Thanks Smokey

 

[Crash_AF]

Check your glow plugs with a multimeter to make sure that they are still good. You can also check the voltage on the glow plug side of the relay to make sure that the resistor on the firewall is dropping the voltage properly to 15V or less when the plugs are warming up. If it's above 15, there is not enough resistance from the plugs to cause the resistor to work properly and you should find out which plug or plugs are bad.

What I believe usually kills the controller cards is overvoltage for an extended period of time on the voltage sense wire (the small orange wire on the glow plug side of the relay) which burns out a resistor on the board. The resistor is rated for 12V and constantly feeding it more than that causes it to break down and burn up.

Someone recently posted a pic of the burned up component on the board... I'll have to see if I can find it and repost it here.

Later,
Joe

 

[realm]

I bought mine with a new glow plug relay so I'm not familiar with what wires do what. Anyone have a pic handy? Yes, yes... I can do a search too but it's relevant to this thread.

 

[Crash_AF]

It's easy to figure out... there are two large terminals, one goes to the resistor block on the firewall and one goes to the glow plugs.

The small blue wire is the ground for the controller and the pink/black wire is the positive.

And the small diameter orange wire should go to the same terminal as the glow plugs.

Later,
Joe