death of bosch duraterms?

[8v-of-fury]

I think I may have killed the un-killable lol. Back In the summer with maybe a few hundred uses of my new gps (only few months old) I had my solenoid on my manual setup fail and leave them on until the battery had drained atleast three times, and then I left them on (switch got stuck and I didn't notice) one day while driving for like 25 minutes.. Granted they still work.. What has happened to them? They really do not burn out do they? I ask because they seem to take a few seconds longer to get a good enough glow to properly ignite the engine..

[maxfax]

They're not un-killable..  Anything can be killed..     I'm not sure exactly what happens, but I have had glow plugs in the past that have gotten slow (for lack of a better word)..

Autolite GP's are one particular example I've seen of this.. Manually power them and they will get hot eventually..  But using the gp timer on the car they are just barely hot till it kicks off.. Oddly enough they measure the same as new gp's on an ohm meter, but the new ones  heated up very noticeably faster..  I suppose it could happen with the Bosch ones, it just take more useage..

Same thing happened on my Isuzu powered tractor.. They didn't burn out, resistance measured fine..  But with a minute and a half of hitting the gp button it barely started.. The new ones are hot in seconds.. The originals and the replacement gp's where both NGK..  

Maybe the continuous heating and cooling does something to the metal??  

[8v-of-fury]

I have seen other gp's like the cheapo autolites explode the tip from getting too hot.. or being left on to long for lack of internal metering.

These duraterms have been left on forever, and still fire the engine off around 0C without to much problem.. I think one may be a little weak as it doesn't do it willingly.. lmao

[maxfax]

I have seen other gp's like the cheapo autolites explode the tip from getting too hot.. or being left on to long for lack of internal metering.

Autolite and Champion gp's are only good for maybe a game of lawn darts..  About every VW I've pulled them out of they blew..  IT was a couple Mercedes that they didn't blow apart, but they wouldn't get hot fast enough..

[8v-of-fury]

guess I need to get new ones and make sure i don't leave em on too long this time.. lol

[AudiVWguy]

I started to do some checking and found that NGK makes a ceramic GP. Heats up faster and a higher in temp {1200 C}. NGK USA said I can't get them in the USA but maybe these are worth checking into.
Maybe our friends in the Great White North have access to these............

[Vincent Waldon]

As a data point,  VW has issued a massive recall for the ceramic glow plugs they used to use on PD engines because the ceramic tips were breaking off, with the resultant predictable engine damage. 

[maxfax]

I think I'd avoid NGK in a vw alltogether..  THe tips blew off those things faster than a set of autolites.. I used them in my tractor since that's what I could find, and what was in it from new...

[8v-of-fury]

BOSCH DURATERMS FTW.

Have been abused and still start the car in 0c (32f) weather.

How can you go wrong?

[maxfax]

Agreed!!  Even the standard ole Bosch have never done me wrong...

[R.O.R-2.0]

im running a set of NGK gps.. have been for a time now.. work fine for me. no blown off tips..

[8v-of-fury]

Would your NGK plugs still fire your car at 32F if you had left them for 15mins plus multiple times?? One of those times being 13.5V the whole time..

Bosch is where its at.. I see no other plug.

[R.O.R-2.0]

i said they work fine.. not they are indestructible..

my cars cant have the plugs left on, i have a return-to-off-posistion switch, controlling a ford constant duty solenoid, powering the plugs directly from the battery, its basically a "mini-pimped" glow plug circuit..

i wouldnt build a GP system that can stay left on. the ones that used a switch that could stay on, i used the stock timer, so no worries there either.. i would leave the switch on, the plugs would cycle, then go off, with the switch still on. basically the start button and glow plug switch became my ign switch..

[8v-of-fury]

well I have a momentary push button switch. My solenoid failed, and left them on for evver.. one time for over 25mins when the switch failed..

jussayin' for that extra $2 they cannot be beat.

[R.O.R-2.0]

i couldnt get them when i bought my last set...