When I start my truck in the morning, the glow plugs cycle normally and the truck runs great. Once i'm headed down the road, and the engine reaches 180 to 200 deg, the glow plug light will start flashing rapidly, maybe 5 times, and it may even stay on for 3 or 4 seconds. That will only happen once, then it wont do it again for the rest of the time the engine is warm. If I let the truck sit till it's completely cool, the same thing will happen again. I replaced the glow plug controller, and all of the glow plugs. The condition didn't change. I'm wondering, is there a sensor that tells the glow plug controller when to kick on that may be malfunctioning? I also replaced all the engine ground straps..no deal. Any ideas would be appreciated, it's rather annoying!

 

Bad controller. Every 5.7 or 6.2 diesel I've worked on, I bypassed that crap (when they quit working right), and went to a momentary switch. $10 is cheaper than $400.

 

Sounds like a good idea. How did you bypass them?

 

I will have to check on it for ya tomorrow, unless someone else remembers how to do it.

 

This is a guide to help you install a switch for you to have the ability of extending the glow time. This is helpful when you live in older climates or if you have AC Delco 60g glow plugs. I only suggest installing this if you have self regulating glow plugs. This is a fairly simple modification and if you set everything up yourself you will save quite a bit of money. Most kits for this will cost you over $100, but if you follow this guide you can do it for under $40.

Parts:

* Ford Starter Solenoid [$12 - Advance Auto - 5470277 (S58Z) ]
* #6 or 8 Gauge Wire and Connectors [$14 - Tractor Supply Co. (6 gauge, 2x 24" wires) ]
* Momentary Push Button Switch [$5 - Tractor Supply Co.]
* Switch Wiring and Connectors [In garage]
* Add a Wire Fuse Tap [$7 - Advance Auto - 5080114 (BP/HHH) ]

Total Price for Me: $38
Estimated Time: 1hr 30 mins
Difficulty: Easy

Step 1:
Disconnect battery grounds and then take off the nuts that hold the power lugs on the glow plug relay.

Step 2:
Mount the solenoid in your place of interest (I mounted mine on the fire wall.
Hook up switch wire to the "S" lug and feed wire through firewall, make sure you have enough wire to go to switch.

Step 3a:
Remove your dash bezel. You can do this by pulling out your cup holder a little bit, dropping your steering column all the way down, and for automatics putting shifter into "1". After that pull the corners and along the top on the bezel. Only thing holding it on are the clips.
After the bezel is loose, pull it away from the dash enough so you can unplug the headlight switch and cargo lamp, and 4x4 switches.
Note: You do not need to remove your bezel if you place switch on one of the two extra switch panels, just pry those out and you can feed wire through.

Step 3b:
Drill where you are going to mount your switch and mount it (you have one shot). The next thing you will need to do is run the power to the switch. Using the fuse tap, tap into a fuse that is only has power when key is on and run that wire to the switch (I used Cruise fuse).
After the switch is all hooked up (solenoid and power) go ahead and hook up everything behind the bezel (headlight,cargo, 4x4 switches) and mount the bezel back on the dash.

Step 4:
After everything is done inside the cab, go back and connect the the Solenoid to the Glow Plug Relay. Do this by using the #6 gauge wire and connectors for the lugs. It shouldn't matter how it is hooked up as long as you have one lead on solenoid and one lead on relay, and the other wire on the opposite side of the relay and solenoid.

Step 5:
Make sure all the connections on the relay and solenoids are tight and no bare wires are touching that shouldn't be. Hook the batteries back up and test. Turn on key, wait for the glow light to go off and push the new glow button. If working properly the glows will work (hear the click) and the WTS light on dash will light up (97+ WTS light will not light up, the light is computer controlled). If this happens then you are done .

Note: On 97+ trucks you may want to install an extra indicator light to make sure your glows are working.

 

Thanks, sounds like it's really easy.