Glow Plug Help

[79Rabbit]

Im my last post I was having trouble getting my 79 Rabbit to kick over and had white puffy smoke come out when i first start the engine, and darker smoke when i start the engine when its warm.....  Well I took it apart and found that the Cylinder #1 had the tip of the glow plug broken off.  Anybody have any ideas on how this may have happened? Also whats the best way to fish out that glow plug tip?  I know is gotta be in there somewhere......  Thanks!

[tylernt]

Glow plugs can be burned by a bad injector, or by a malfunctioning glow plug relay that makes them stay on too long / all the time.

If it's just the one plug that got burnt, then that injector probably needs rebuilt. Hope you kept track of which injector was on that cylinder.

I think I paid about $40 per injector rebuild from the local Bosch shop (that includes new a nozzle). No need to do all 4 if your other 3 glow plugs are fine.

White smoke can be an indication of over advanced timing, so once you fix the injector and the glow plug, you might get the timing checked if it still blows white smoke on startup.

[jtanguay]

black smoke on startup may also be an indicator of bad compression.. or possibly bad injector, but usually blue smoke is an injector.  sometimes hard to differentiate colours... blue is almost a white & blackish blue haze... hmmm confusing isnt it? lol

[79Rabbit]

That sucks if the injector went bad..... what about the Missing glow plug tip? whats the best way to fish that out? Also Whats the best way to test for a bad injector? any ideas? Thanks!

[tylernt]

Testing the injector involves some specialized shop equipment, so unless you're really into diesel tech stuff it's not really feasible to do it yourself. Best home test for a bad injector is if it damages glow plugs.

If the glow plug tip is not visible via the injector hole, then it probably fell down into the cylinder and got pulverized between the piston and the cylinder head. So there may be some loose debris in there. Someone else more knowledgeable than I can comment if they would be soft enough to be harmless or if you should try to blow them out with compressed air. Hopefully it would not be necessary to pull the head off.

[79Rabbit]

Hey thanks guys! I Ordered some new glow plugs last night with a new relay.... Im going to pull out that injector and most likely replace the whole thing, not sure yet still have to check prices.  Thanks for the help guys!

[tylernt]

Sounds great. Don't forget to get a new injector heat shield (washer that goes in the bottom of the injector hole), as they are not re-usable. Make sure it's right-side up, too.

When loosening the injector, only go forward a quarter of a turn at a time and then back off a bit. Also, never pull towards the front of the car, always push towards the back of the car. The injector bosses in the cylinder head have been known to crack if you pull.

Don't let me scare you though, you'll be fine.

[79Rabbit]

Hey you guys wouldnt happen to know of the best place to get those injectors would ya?  Cheapest i found them was $36.95 with a $11.00 Core charge.  Know of anyplace cheaper?

[tylernt]

$37 is a good price, like I said I paid $40 to have my used ones rebuilt. If there is a cheaper source, I'd like to know about it too!  :!:

[foxracer1]

I would replace a whole set not just one. The other 3 cyls will have old worn out injectors. just my $.02

[burn_your_money]

If you are in Canada the cheapest I have found so far is http://www.autopartsonlinecanada.com/
sometimes you have to say that you have a 84 rabbit to find injectors
They are around $50 + $20 core IIRC

Definitely replace them in a set, it's like driving with 3 bald summer tires and one winter tire in the snow....

[burn_your_money]

breaking pressure discussion


pop tester

[jimfoo]

What was the filter you used in the tee?

[Fisher]

Halsey Import Parts in Portland, Or.  $36