Need to replace my glow plugs. Have never done it before. What do i need to know to replace them?

 

3/8 deep well socket.
3/8 open end wrench.

Turn engine over so that the GP you are working on has the piston at top dead center. That way if the tip breaks off it will fall right on piston and not down into the cylinder.

Cylinder numbers are assigned 1,3,5,7 on the left(passenger) bank from front of truck to back, and 2,4,6,8 on the driver's side, front to back. Firing order is 1,2,7,3,4,5,6,8.

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The timing mark is found on a little plate that is on the front of the engine on the passenger side. The plate is mounted so it is very close to the main pulley on the lower front of the engine which is mounted on the vibration damper. On the side of the vibration damper, is a line, which when lined up with the line marked (O) on the plate, tells you that the #1 piston is at TDC(top dead center) You can see the line on the damper, and it points to the line on the plate with the (barely visible)O mark on it.You'll have to find a way to turn your engine over by hand. Make sure you remove the power wire to the injection pump(so the engine won't start)and then rotate the engine until you can line up the marks.

The engine rotates in a clockwise direction as seen from the front of the truck, and for every 1/4 turn of the engine(crank) each next piston will arrive at TDC. So, When the line on the vibration damper is at the 2 oclock position, cylinders 2 and 5 will be at TDC. When the mark is at the 5 oclock position, cylinders 7 and 6 will be at TDC, 8 oclock has cylinders 3 and 8 at TDC, and back to 11oclock, 1 and 4 will be at TDC.

 

Most important rule of thumb; do not force the glowplug to unbolt out. You will have a very unexciting task of pulling the head off to take off the tip, if it gets hard, turn it back in and back out and repeat the process until she breaks loose

 

Be careful to not break the rubber that goes over the bullet connector it's pretty brittle or soft.

 

I'm replacing some of mine and noticed my #8's cover of the bullet is broken off... How serious is this?

 

Not very, some heat shrink tubing is a quick and good fix for it, all mine are broken as well