i hope i never have to change the glow plugs again!!!

[97powerstroker]

so my truck has not been wanting to start when it gets a little chilly out.so yesterday after work i go to start up the ol girl,and it took 3 cranks and when it did start it clobbered my co workers in a white cloud.i was embarrassed,so on the way hom e bought glow plugs.i started at 6:30,i thought it would take maybe an hour and a half.boy was i wrong.the bolt that is sandwiched btween the valve cover and the firewall was givin me a heck of a time,finally i get it,let me remind you,im doing this in the dark,and it was like 35 degrees last night and windy.plus my truck is tall so i had to stand on the tire hunched over into the engine compartment.i had to do alot more then i wanted.then i get to the other side around 9,by this time my lower back is killin me,and my hamstrings feel like there on fire.the last thing i wanted to do was take the heater box out,or one side anyway,but i did.so i pop valve cover off and switch the glow plugs real quick,that was the quickest part of the job,was actually putting in the new ones.after i got done it was 11:30!! it took 5 freakin hours to do!truck started well today but it still shoots out alot of white smoke,is that normal,it was right at freezing temps here this morning.i hope i never have to do them again,i had nightmares about it.

 

[iracemine]

god I wish I was born down south. It was -2 (not the wind chill) this morning and 3 of 8 plugs working she fired up nice, but of course at 5:55 AM there isint much of a crowd to watch the beast that she is. to be a red neck

 

[97powerstroker]

have fun changin those out

 

[Crumm]

You will be quicker the next time

White smoke is not normal. You GPR may be getting weak or you may have some bad connections where the wires go through the valve cover gaskets.

 

[97powerstroker]

white smoke isnt normal? what does it mean? the connectors,there is one on each side that has the clip snapped off,but they seem to be plugged in tight.my truck smokes white on all cold start ups,it slowley seems to clear up,after about 5 minutes,i can hardly see any,when its warm there isnt any,start up or on idle.so what does the white smoke mean?

 

[DaveBen]

White smoke is water vapors, blue smoke is oil vapors, and black smoke is over fueled. Makes sense with your history of COLD starts.

Dave

 

[johndeerebones]

White smoke is water vapors, blue smoke is oil vapors, and black smoke is over fueled. Makes sense with your history of COLD starts.

Dave

When dealing with diesels white\grayish smoke also means an uncomplete burn, or air in fuel in diesels with typical injection systems, which also causes an incomplete burn.

 

[94f450sd]

every diesel ive ever seen blows some white when first started in the cold.you should see mine start my PSD blows black and the IDI blows white.but the PSD masks the whole nieghborhood.cant see the nieghbors when that bad boy fires up.

 

[94f450sd]

oh and PSD glow plugs aint that bad.id rather put 30 sets in my psd in one day than to have to replace the ones in my IDI 3 times a year.and you dont have to remove half the heater box either.just need to remove the vacuum reservoir that is screwed to the heater box.

 

[97powerstroker]

ok so i shouldnt worry about the white smoke then,whats crumm talkin about then,did these trucks do it when they were new on the lot?