NormB
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Hokay...
That's 3 hours of my life I'll never get back.
I replaced the cold advance switch yesterday afternoon, engine blew white diesel smoke, cranked and cranked, but no start. Temp was about 40 degrees.
Well, I'd planned on replacing the glowplugs anyway, so that was today:
First 7 plugs came out no problem. Some were a little swollen, but no resistance at all coming out.
Resistance? I was going to replace them anyway, I didn't check with my VOM, but the new ones seemed to settle in at about 3 ohms before dropping to zero after a few seconds. Weird (heated nichrome passing electrons with less resistance, I guess).
I loosened them with a 1/4" ratchet and a 3/8 deep socket, then put the socket on this:
[h=1]Astro 1119 3/8-Inch Drive Mini Wobble Air Ratchet[/h]
which barely has enough torque to get out of its way at 120 psi but is SHORT enough to reach every plug and each of them came out one at a time from passenger rear forward, then driver rear forward. [I left the best for last]
I put new ones in with a generous coating of anti-seize, coated the connector with Deoxit, and that took about 45 minutes, maybe 50 for the first seven.
Then the last, under the alternator. Took a little extra torque to get it loose, then it backed out with the air ratchet until the threads were free. That's as far as it got. Took me almost two more hours to tease that plug out and I finally put a small vise-grip between the flats and the threads, THEN tapped in two large drifts (tapered, square bodies) between the vise-grip and engine to keep the torque in the axial plane and...
plug came out about another 1/8". Hmm.
Looking at it from the bottom, I could see where I could get a short crow-bar (Titanium... a gift from a friend, part of my Zombie apocalypse stash) up there between the vise-grip pliers and a pair of LONG needle nose pliers up against the head and I pried a little, got out from under the beast and twisted the plug a little, got under and pried a little and got all the threads/head portion free but the glow part was STUCK. Either this had to work somehow or I was going to have to pull the generator to get some access.
Muttering please God don't let this break under my breath I was relieved after a few minutes of tapping and prying and twisting that He didn't.
I finally got it out of the hole and it looked like this:
![IMG_3053.jpg IMG_3053.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/450/450979-e692fcf2cb022acfb357ae34648cd646.jpg)
![IMG_3054.jpg IMG_3054.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/450/450980-20d082c80fcea8775bfe58536e1b11c6.jpg)
![IMG_3055.jpg IMG_3055.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/450/450981-d5c61031a93f61f128f663e2bd01c298.jpg)
compared to one that was straighter.
Buttoned up the doghouse, counted tools and fingers, 45 degrees outside, turned the key and waited, the on.
VROOM!
Smoother and quieter than ever before. No smoke. Exhaust smells nicer now, too. Like the school buses that go through out neighborhood every school day.
Wow. It's going to get to the mid-twenties tonight, I'll head out around 7 AM and see if it cranks over like it did today. I think it will.
Now to replace the steering column tomorrow - should hit about 50 degrees tomorrow - and take it for a spin.
Thanks everybody for posting.
Norm
That's 3 hours of my life I'll never get back.
I replaced the cold advance switch yesterday afternoon, engine blew white diesel smoke, cranked and cranked, but no start. Temp was about 40 degrees.
Well, I'd planned on replacing the glowplugs anyway, so that was today:
First 7 plugs came out no problem. Some were a little swollen, but no resistance at all coming out.
Resistance? I was going to replace them anyway, I didn't check with my VOM, but the new ones seemed to settle in at about 3 ohms before dropping to zero after a few seconds. Weird (heated nichrome passing electrons with less resistance, I guess).
I loosened them with a 1/4" ratchet and a 3/8 deep socket, then put the socket on this:
[h=1]Astro 1119 3/8-Inch Drive Mini Wobble Air Ratchet[/h]
which barely has enough torque to get out of its way at 120 psi but is SHORT enough to reach every plug and each of them came out one at a time from passenger rear forward, then driver rear forward. [I left the best for last]
I put new ones in with a generous coating of anti-seize, coated the connector with Deoxit, and that took about 45 minutes, maybe 50 for the first seven.
Then the last, under the alternator. Took a little extra torque to get it loose, then it backed out with the air ratchet until the threads were free. That's as far as it got. Took me almost two more hours to tease that plug out and I finally put a small vise-grip between the flats and the threads, THEN tapped in two large drifts (tapered, square bodies) between the vise-grip and engine to keep the torque in the axial plane and...
plug came out about another 1/8". Hmm.
Looking at it from the bottom, I could see where I could get a short crow-bar (Titanium... a gift from a friend, part of my Zombie apocalypse stash) up there between the vise-grip pliers and a pair of LONG needle nose pliers up against the head and I pried a little, got out from under the beast and twisted the plug a little, got under and pried a little and got all the threads/head portion free but the glow part was STUCK. Either this had to work somehow or I was going to have to pull the generator to get some access.
Muttering please God don't let this break under my breath I was relieved after a few minutes of tapping and prying and twisting that He didn't.
I finally got it out of the hole and it looked like this:
![IMG_3053.jpg IMG_3053.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/450/450979-e692fcf2cb022acfb357ae34648cd646.jpg)
![IMG_3054.jpg IMG_3054.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/450/450980-20d082c80fcea8775bfe58536e1b11c6.jpg)
![IMG_3055.jpg IMG_3055.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/450/450981-d5c61031a93f61f128f663e2bd01c298.jpg)
compared to one that was straighter.
Buttoned up the doghouse, counted tools and fingers, 45 degrees outside, turned the key and waited, the on.
VROOM!
Smoother and quieter than ever before. No smoke. Exhaust smells nicer now, too. Like the school buses that go through out neighborhood every school day.
Wow. It's going to get to the mid-twenties tonight, I'll head out around 7 AM and see if it cranks over like it did today. I think it will.
Now to replace the steering column tomorrow - should hit about 50 degrees tomorrow - and take it for a spin.
Thanks everybody for posting.
Norm