I have had problems with these burning out over the years..... one year I replaced the 6 times...... The same plug does not always burn out either. Normally when they burn out it is after a lot of highway.. Has anyone else had this problem or know what it could be? I have done every test I know and taken it to 3 shops....No luck yet...Thanks

 

I had a 1972 220D for 11 yrs. , drove it 300,000 miles without any problems at all, never heard of this kind of glow plug problem, good luck in finding a solution to this problem. I can only add this, check your ground of the glow plugs, you may be pulling too much amphereage, also check your battery ground too the engine itself.

 

is your g/p/relay sticking..stay glowed all the time ..??

 

how do you know they are burning out? i have the same car, a '73, and i'd like to know. does the little wire loop break?

 

My mechanic told me that a common mistake people make when replacing the plugs is not cleaning the carbon from around the inside of the hole where the glow plug is in.
hope this helps,
Jay
1979TD

 

Sort of related...
A Wisconsin parked, 1973 220d on the highway for 300 miles, loaded down, moving a person across states, Pops the first cylinder plug. Drives it on three to the gas station. Waits 2 days to get 3 plugs from NAPA that the Mercedes Benz dealer said are correct.

Install the three plugs and put a used one in the slot for the first cylinder, the same one that blew. IT WON"T START

Get a nice local car fixer to spray some ether in the air intake and tow us in a circle until it pop starts.

Drive just about anther 300 miles when the same cylinder pops the glow plug, ie a old one. Leave with a great mechanic in York, Nebraska.

What he figure out is the replacement plugs, including the own he got from Mercedes Benz, which was the same one. The "loop" style which it not the "pencil, bullet" style needs a seperate ground. IE the threads do not do it to the engine.

When he hook up the ground line the new plugs pulled to much juice and melted the wires that connected them.

When I arrived they should me a slightly better way to start it with ether and I drove home without having to use the ether again. I guess I gotta source the proper glow plugs. I learned alot though.


You heard of this?, common old MB knowledge??

ws

 

Dieselgiant.com has a conversion kit to convert from the loop style
to the "pencil" style, the pencil style are much more reliable. Excessive
carbon will still cause them to fail prematurely.

John

 

So you can see the relationship or where the Injector would be spraying to the Glow Plug.

 

Thanks for the picture.