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Manual Glow Plugs!

cjkeeliii

New member
165
3
0
Location
Thomasville, GA
Last night I completed my manual glow plug modification. I removed the light blue and dark blue wires from the glow plug card holder and connected them to a 60 Amperes, push-button switch from Tractor Supply.
Before this modification my glow plug card would activate the plugs for 5-10 minutes at a time toward the end of the cycle. On cold days I could drive 4 or 5 miles with the plugs still on. It got to the point of me removing the card after the truck started.
For this modification I don't know if it was necessary to remove the card, but it seemed to me that the card would still try to work even if a manual switch was installed. I'm no electrician. Anyhow, the dark blue wire routes to the "Wait" light and the light blue wire operates the plugs. I used 10 gauge primary wire (overkill?) and heat-shrunk the terminals. I put the button on the plastic cover for the radio blank. The switch was grounded to that area under the driver's side dash that has the multi-pronged part. Hope this isn't too technical :wink:.
I inserted a spade terminal into the blue wires' terminals and taped the connection with electrician's tape. I removed the wires from the plastic plug holder with great difficulty, but managed not to damage them. Thanks to everyone who ever contributed to this site and the site itself. I would never have known this mod was possible or even how to attempt it. All of the posts regarding the manual glow plug setup are very informative.
 

dstang97

Well-known member
1,859
30
48
Location
Clover, SC
5-10 minutes? I like the stock system and have a push button as emergency. unless you disconnect the blue wire your card will still work. so your really not gaining anything unless you push it longer than the card
 

cjkeeliii

New member
165
3
0
Location
Thomasville, GA
It's crazy, but true: 5-10 minutes. My problems started when I replaced the radiator. I gues the old one was so clogged that the engine reached operational temperature around the same time that the fast idle solenoid released. With the old radiator the plugs would cycle on and off and then stop when the fast idle stopped.
With the new radiator the plugs would continue to cycle after the fast idle stopped and then would cycle to the on position and stay that way until I was about ten minutes down the road. I went manual to prevent swollen or burned out plugs, but left the setup in such a way as to return it to stock.
 
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