Jim-ME
11-13-2009, 05:55 PM
Since the install of my 2.5 NAD I have had a couple of people question why I wasn't using my glow plugs on cold mornings with a cold engine versus just cranking it to start it. My answer was always that it didn't seem to make any difference if I used them or not. After checking voltage to the glow plugs last Sunday I found out that they weren't getting any power. The 25A fuse in the circuit the glow plugs were wired to was blown and replacing it with a 30A fuse just blew that too. I had originally used a 30A rated Hella relay wired into my choke switch so that when I pulled out my choke, the cold start light in the speedometer lit, and the relay was tripped sending power from my added extra fuse block to the glow plugs. I went this route trying to save having to replace my existing ignition switch with, as Les would say, a proper diesel ignition switch. After talking to Matt Browne, Les at RN and Mark(SafeAirOne) I quickly figured out that I needed more than a 30A circut to power the glow plugs. I ended up finding a 70A Hella relay at Susquehanna MotorSports which has a diode in it so that there would be no chance of feeding any excess power back into my choke switch and frying it or the factory wiring. Unfortunately RN didn't have any relays larger than 30 amps other than expensive timed diesel relays which sent me to Susquehanna. I was bound and determined to keep the cost of making this work as low as possible. I ended up wiring directly off the battery with 10 gauge wire protected by a 50A maxi-fuse to provide power thru the relay to the glow plugs. I'm still using the choke switch to turn the relay on as before but the best news is that it works and I'm not cranking my engine for ever to get it started all for about $10. Ten to fifteen seconds of glow plug time and it now starts just like a warm engine. I really appreciate the help from Matt and Les but it was Mark that drove into my head that starters are very expensive to replace so fix the glow plugs. Thanks Mark, I owe you! Hope this makes some sort of sense and may be of interest to some one of you.
Jim
Jim