last year my truck had a wired electrical issue were everything electriconic got fried, the intake that bolts to the heater grid got so hot that the paint was bubbling up on it so i unhooked the relays as a safety measure- well now it is finally getting cold here and my truck doesnt like to start to well, last winter i plugged it in every night and it started fine, i think i have a bad IP because i have checked my injectors and even changed them and it still has the same problem

can i use a glow plug relay for a 7.3 to run my heater grid or should i find factory replacement ones?

 

The relays are simple on/off units that can be replaced with a generic starter relay for under $10 each. Usually older Fords or Jeeps will work.

Make sure the type relay you get doesn't ground through the case though. I got some and they did that -- Dodge does all its switching through grounds intstead of hot wires, so a grounded relay will switch the system. I mounted mine on some insulated material to break the circuit.