Glow plug help please

[london96td]

Hello all, I'm sorry if this question has been asked but my tablet is not allowing me to search. I recently decided to "pimp my glow plugs". I was aware 2 of the glow plugs are hard to get at but didn't think that hard. I told a friend who is a mechanic and he said the injectors may have to be removed.

I have a few questions. Do the injectors have to be removed or the lines. If the metal lines then can just the 2 going to the 2 injectors behind the pump be removed? Also is there any major steps or can they just be unscrewed? I was also told there's a shield thing between injectors and motor so does this have to be replaced?

All I want to do is do the glow plugs basically so can the metal lines be removed and replaced without any issue?. So the less steps and expense the better. Thank you very much

[jb86]

Just very difficult
I bought a set of gear wrench at sears
About $100
It has what they call x beam shape
Flex on end with ratcheting box
The 8mm barely
I mean barely reaches the nut
With your hand wedged between head and ip
Unscrew it with out dropping the nut
More difficult to re install
More difficult is the plug replacement
I think it was 12 mm
Again the x beam ratchet end is best fit I found
And re installing is some what more difficult
Because you have to hold the nut or plug while starting it
When you re in stall the nut on the plug cut the crimp terminal as instructed to make easier to pull the wire in the future
Took me about 2 hrs to swap plugs and connect wires

[london96td]

Could I just remove the injector lines and replace them when done? Is there a washer or anything between the lines and injector/pump or is it a straight take it off.. change plug and put lines back?

I would get the box wrenches but 100 is a bit out of budget at the moment.

[air-cooled or diesel]

when using gear wrenches on torqued things dont initially loosen or final torque w/these wrenches, use a solid box wrench to start/finish

[masterbeavis]

Removing an injector opens a new can of worms.  You will need to get a flare wrench to loosen the fittings.  You will need new 1/8" injection fuel return lines, you will need a new injector heat shield, which may or may not come out.

You cannot re-use an injector heat shield without major grief down the road.
Your rubber fuel lines may or may not survive being removed, replace anyways, they are cheap.
Your injector may be stuck in the hole.  If you put too much torque on it the wrong way, you will damage your head.

If you are due for a timing belt change, have a shop do the plugs.  They will be disturbing the timing anyways, I cannot imagine it being that much more for them to remove the pump, change the plugs, then prime, purge and start the car.

The tools to set timing really are not that expensive, once you have done it once, its really not as bad or intimidating as the book makes it sound.  If it has been a while since the last belt (about 60K) then I personally would do a new belt, remove the pump, do the glow plugs in 5 minutes instead of 2 hours, and have new plugs and timing belt all in the same job.

[london96td]

Removing an injector opens a new can of worms.  You will need to get a flare wrench to loosen the fittings.  You will need new 1/8" injection fuel return lines, you will need a new injector heat shield, which may or may not come out.

You cannot re-use an injector heat shield without major grief down the road.
Your rubber fuel lines may or may not survive being removed, replace anyways, they are cheap.
Your injector may be stuck in the hole.  If you put too much torque on it the wrong way, you will damage your head.

If you are due for a timing belt change, have a shop do the plugs.  They will be disturbing the timing anyways, I cannot imagine it being that much more for them to remove the pump, change the plugs, then prime, purge and start the car.

The tools to set timing really are not that expensive, once you have done it once, its really not as bad or intimidating as the book makes it sound.  If it has been a while since the last belt (about 60K) then I personally would do a new belt, remove the pump, do the glow plugs in 5 minutes instead of 2 hours, and have new plugs and timing belt all in the same job.

So is this the normal procedure? I was under the impression that the plugs could be changed by removing the metal lines only. Could someone please clarify? Thanks

[TylerDurden]

Let's pretend you said the engine was a 1.6.

It's easier to remove all the injector lines than just a couple. Undo the fittings and lift out the set of lines which are held together by the looms/brackets.

The 8mm flex-head gearwrench is really helpful, so is the magnetic retrieval tool.

Loosen the GP nut and get it most the way off, then carefully unthread the nut, keeping the magnetic tool stuck on the nut; because otherwise you will drop it into the black-hole of wtf-did-it-go.

Then do a similar procedure with the GP (if you're changing it)... loosen it most of the way, then keep the mag-tool on it while getting it unthreaded. Carefully, slowly lift the GP out, like it's a nuclear detonator.  Replace in the same fashion... easy peasy.

[london96td]

Let's pretend you said the engine was a 1.6.

It's easier to remove all the injector lines than just a couple. Undo the fittings and lift out the set of lines which are held together by the looms/brackets.

The 8mm flex-head gearwrench is really helpful, so is the magnetic retrieval tool.

Loosen the GP nut and get it most the way off, then carefully unthread the nut, keeping the magnetic tool stuck on the nut; because otherwise you will drop it into the black-hole of wtf-did-it-go.

Then do a similar procedure with the GP (if you're changing it)... loosen it most of the way, then keep the mag-tool on it while getting it unthreaded. Carefully, slowly lift the GP out, like it's a nuclear detonator.  Replace in the same fashion... easy peasy.

Thank you. So is there a special procedure for removing the lines? Or replacing them? Does anything need to be changed on the lines once they are removed or do they go back on without any new parts?

The engine is a 1.9td

[TylerDurden]

Thank you. So is there a special procedure for removing the lines? Or replacing them? Does anything need to be changed on the lines once they are removed or do they go back on without any new parts? The engine is a 1.9td

The lines take a 17mm wrench (a line-wrench and an open-end wrench are suggested).

Put a paper towel under the end of the IP to catch the bit of fuel that will run out of the lines. Fuel will deteriorate the hoses if left to permeate the rubber.

The lines come off easily, but you want to keep the line ends very clean.  Cover the open injector tops with aluminum foil or whatever (oil resistant) to keep dirt/dust out.


When replacing the lines, I place the lines onto the tops of the injectors and seat each flare into each injector and get the nut finger tight. Then I do the same at the IP... seat a flare into the delivery valve and get the nut finger tight, one by one.

The lines may need some minimal flexing to get the flares seated squarely in the fittings, but it is important they are seated into the sockets properly.

When all the lines are seated, then tighten with the wrenches. It takes a bit of flipping wrenches around to snug the fittings, but that's why the wrench ends are at angles... turn a bit until you bump into a line, flip the wrench, turn a bit more, flip the wrench... turn a bit more, flip the wrench...turn a bit more, flip the wrench...turn a bit more, flip the wrench...

[london96td]

Awesome thanks. So once the lines are off the rest should be easy? Just remove the 8mm nuts then use a 12 km for the plugs? I went ahead and cut out the bus bar so maybe I could just remove the plugs without taking off the 8mm nuts?

[TylerDurden]

If you can still get a wrench on the body of the GP, I rekon that should work. 

It takes a steady hand to pilot the GPs back into the holes using a magnetic tool, but go slow and remember that if it came out, it can go back in.

[ORCoaster]

London calling;   If you still have the bus bar on the GP you will have to use an opened wrench on them and I would opt for a box end.  Take the time to remove the 8 mm nut, washer and piece of bus bar.  This is not a hard operation but one that is more tedious than others.  Like it was said, drop any part down from that place and it disappears in to well, you never can be sure.  8 mm nuts have been found after much searching on the edge of the engine where the oil pan goes.  I have one of those super magnets out of a hard drive that I put on the screw driver and use that to hold the nut as I thread them on.  

Definitely remove the lines as a set.  But after getting the flares to mate with the body of the injector I would only get them on finger tight then back them off a half a turn.  Tyler made it sound like you should tighten them but He knows different.  You are going to need them loose to be able to determine when fuel gets up to the injectors.  Go ahead a put the tight on the line nuts at the head of the IP.  Once you fill the lines, noted by a bit of fuel spurting up from one or two, tighten all and hit the glows and crank.  The initial filling of the lines might take a couple of 15 second crankings.  Try once, check, let starter cool for a minute and crank again 15 seconds.  Check for fuel, or have a helper with a big voice tell you to "Shut it off!, Shut it off!"  Cloth handy to dab fuel from nuts at injector.  Why be a messy mechanic.  That is for TheMan and CRSMP45.    

You are not going to have to remove the injectors.  Which is good.  Most of what was said in this thread is discounted heavily by most of us in this forum.  You have to remove them and install them by turning the wrench towards the head or risk breaking an injector boss.  That can cost you a head.  I have one dead one to prove that.  Getting the injectors out takes a 27 mm socket that is not thick walled as there are two of them that are tight to the coolant bulge area in the middle.  Heat shields can be used again and again.  You just have to know how to reform them so they touch the injector tip area again.  Lots of talk on here about that.  I do it all the time, so do many others.  Some injectors are badly set in place, again penetrating oil, pre-planning and knowing what to do and not do is critical.  I recently pulled some injectors out of head and they looked like they were glued in with old diesel or WVO.  The heat shields needed much work to get out but a self threading screw worked to get a tight grip on it.  That one got thrown away after removal.  Most lift right out for me with a pair of needle nosed pliers.  I put the tip in the hole and pull the handles apart and slowly, love that nuclear reactor analogy, bring them out to the left hand.

Best of luck.

[TylerDurden]

The heat shields ...  Most lift right out for me with a pair of needle nosed pliars. 

Magnetic tool good for heat-shields too, if they're not coked-in.


I only look for fuel at the injector lines if I suspect the IP isn't priming. Otherwise, I just put on the lines, draw fuel through the IP with the mighty-vac and crank... 30 sec and they light-off.

[air-cooled or diesel]

heat shields can be used again are you sure?? know for a 1.6 they are 1 time use, dont forget to use brake clean when reassembling hard lines, and have clean paper towels for lines to sit on while out of car, dont forget anti-seize on gp threads

[8v-of-fury]

heat shields can be used again are you sure?? know for a 1.6 they are 1 time use, dont forget to use brake clean when reassembling hard lines, and have clean paper towels for lines to sit on while out of car, dont forget anti-seize on gp threads

Yes, they can. It has been documented, one member has used a set up to 8 times.