W124 606 glow plug

[The Big E]

Anybody know how to!
1994 E300 Diesel estate. Number three glow plug has gone down. Easy to get at apart from what looks like a diaphram housing, about 5cm dia. and 2cm thick with an adjusting screw and lock nut on the top of it, it's sitting on top of the injector pump and it's bang in front of No. 3 Can I remove this 'gadget' or do I have to struggle behind it? I can just get my socket on the plug but nothing else:sad: Any advise would be appreciated.

 

[Hibbo]

I've not had a look ender the intake manifold on mine yet, but what you are describing sounds like the shutoff valve.

Can you not just get a spanner on to the plug?

 

[The Big E]

Hi Hibbo
Thank's for the reply. I don't think it's a shut off valve....Too inaccessable in my view. The screw with a slot and lock nut look more like something to adjust or regulate something....flow...pressure......who knows. I've just been to halfords and bought a shorter socket but still can't get a drive to it! As i understand it, they should be removed with a hot engine and I've got mits like shovels! so useing a ring or open ended seems out of the question. By the way, how do you get the enging back to hot, after the time it takes to remove everything, things have cooled down somewhat. Will it run without all the manifolds etc, with all pipes etc plugged.

 

[The Big E]

Update

Took me all day but finally got it out I ground the 3/8 drive socket from Halfords down to 50mm and after lots of swearing and grunting finally had success! No chance of torquing the new one to specified Nm though without removing that 'gismo' on the pump:neutral:

The Big E

 

[premmington]

Word of warning... Have seen two glowplugs snap off in 600 series heads. I always, make sure engine is hot & only use six sided socket that fits well.
Hexagonal socket will fit the the soft glowplug better.

http://www.remmington.plus.com


1990 W124 300D

hundreds of thousands of miles on the clock & still going

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Make sure you ream the hole, and I'm told that a dab of copperslip on the body of the plug can help.

You should do all the plugs at the same time. It'll save a lot of hassle in future.

Be careful you don't snap them though.

 

[Iain the gadget]

Make sure you ream the hole, and I'm told that a dab of copperslip on the body of the plug can help.

You should do all the plugs at the same time. It'll save a lot of hassle in future.

Be careful you don't snap them though.

Good advice!

 

[The Big E]

Thanks for that guys.
Just got back to the computer.
Premmington,
I’ve heard about them snapping off that’s why I wanted the gadget sitting on top of the injector pump out of the way! Anybody know what this is?? Also how do you get the engine back to hot after the time taken to remove everything in order to gain access to all the plugs?

Parrot of Doom,
By ream do you mean clean the thread in the head, I didn’t do that! Does not the 'swarf' drop down into the pot? Also I’ve read somewhere that the copper in the copper grease can corrode ‘electrolysis’? the ali head and 'weld' the plug in. It was something to do with marine engines. I only replaced the faulty one as it was accessible without taking the whole manifold off.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Yes, clean the crap out of the hole, including the thread. Don't worry about anything dropping down, so long as its not a big chunk of metal it won't damage anything. Its only dirt. I cleaned my intake manifold out a few months back, you should have seen the crap in there - you could have filled an egg cup with it all. Lots of that would have later come off and entered the engine.

There are several theories about GPs sticking, personally I think its because of a carbon buildup along the shaft (not the thread) of the glowplug. I think that a tiny amount of copperslip would provide a slightly better seal between the plug and head, so that carbon buildup can't happen.

I guess the only way to test that would be to replace all the plugs at once, and just copperslip one of them. Then remove and replace them in a year's time, and see whats what.

You really should do them all though, if one has gone the rest won't be far behind. Wait for the next one to die so you have to take the manifold off, and replace the rest while you're at it.

 

[The Big E]

Yes Parrot
that's my intention to do them all next time but will the engine run, with no manifolds, to get it hot again after stripping everything off ready? The first one I did cold and I thought it was gonna snap at any moment . It was really TIGHT! and yes I cleaned loads of gunk from the ports as you did.

 

[e300 diesel prospector]

Big E

I have exactly the same problem with access to No3 glowplug - surely someone can tell us what the diesel pump part is thats obstructing No3, and if we can unscrew it, then replace it, to gain better access. This picture is what it looks like. I've already managed to replace the other 5 glowplugs.