Winter Smoke

[VanVan]

Hi -

I'm in Vancouver, Washington, and it's just now turning a bit cooler, and suddenly starting my 1.6n/a Westy generates large volumes of smoke, and idles / runs roughly until warm. Once warm, it seems quite normal.

First thought was glow plugs; they're new Bosch (a year old, perhaps 4500 miles); the circuit draws 45 amps. I do NOT feel warmth when I touch the head right where the gp threads in...

I've wondered if the Diesel mix changes seasonally here - I've heard this is done, but know nothing about it overall....

Any thoughts?

[Fatmobile]

45 amps at the beginning?
How many amps when the glowplugs were hot ...just before the glowplug relay shut off?
Silvertop slowglows 9 amp each
or gold top fast glows 12 amps each?

[grahamaaron]

I had a situation where my Transporter/Westy (over a period of a winter month) started smoking more and more, but only for 30 seconds after cold start. I replaced the glow plugs, but used a fast-glow variety. I can’t remember the exact type by they were the NGK brand and the suffix was R which meant fast start (instead of J which was regular). The smoking stopped straight away. The plugs that I removed had a fair coating of carbon when I removed them. The carbon wiped clean easily, but I replaced them all the same... it’s too much hassle getting to that one under the fuel pump to not just put new ones in. Good luck.

[VanVan]

Okay - it's mid-May, and warm enough, and I still get more smoke than seems right. It's white smoke, for the most part. On occasion, it's been tinted black/gray, but I believe the engine was being revved up when still cold - it's not the first flush of smoke. That's pretty much white.

On the amperage, how are you guys measuring? I have a loose ammeter that's supposed to be in a dashboard; it's not terribly accurate, but my multimeter doesn't go that high. This one's vague, but seems to read in the mid-thirties. That's either three golds or four silvers, right?

All four are new Bosch but I don't recall which, because at the time, I didn't understand there were shades of glowplugs.

My relay seems to work; the amperage drops after something like 18 seconds, about when the dashboard indicator goes off.

After three cycles on the plugs, a finger reached in next to a plug doesn't encounter noticable warmth.

The whole system is stock - all a 1982 1.6D n/a, Westfalia.

Shopping (at Sears!), I couldn't find an ammeter that went to, say, 50. Unless there's something I misremember about electricity, to measure this accrurately, I need a higher range, right?

Assuming I wanted to just replace them all and see what happens - what is the absolute best way to make this system hot and bulletproof?

[hoyt]

Have you seen this link:

http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/CheapTri ... lugs.shtml


As for measuring current over 10amps, you need to get
a clamp on amp probe.

[grahamaaron]

Yes, most multimeters wont measure more than 10 amps. You could, as mentioned buy hoyt, get hold of a current meter that clamps over your glow plug feed. Remember that all the plugs are in parallel so if you measure that main feed to all of them it will represent 4 times the current of single glow plug (assuming that are all indentical and working). An alternative way to measure the current would be to use a "Shunt" resistor. When placed in series with a single glow plug feed, you can measure the voltage potential across the shunt and use Ohms law to work out the current flowing through both the resistor and the glow plug. For example, if you used a 0.1 Ohm shunt resistor in series with your plug under test, and measured 1 volt accross the shunt, that would mean you have 10Amps flowing though both resistor and glow plug. V/R = I , 1V/0.1Ohms = 10Amps. Whether you'd bother to measure the current is another matter. Good luck again.

[VanVan]

Hi -

no time to tinker, so no news -

re-read much of Hoyt's links, and have only one question before I tear in and thoroughly test the system:

http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/GlowPlug.shtml says "early engines and turbo-charged engines use the slow glow system while later, non-turbo sengines use the fast glow system."

Mine's a 1982 1.6D n/a. It has fast plugs - seven seconds.

Is there a way to tell whether it's SUPPOSED to have fast or slow?

Would 30-second plugs generate more heat?

Philosophically, I figure I can pull these out and use the battery charger many many times for the price of a high-amp meter...

[hoyt]

Hi -

Mine's a 1982 1.6D n/a. It has fast plugs - seven seconds.

Is there a way to tell whether it's SUPPOSED to have fast or slow?

Would 30-second plugs generate more heat?

I looked in the bentley manual for Vanagons and there
is a section on "Quick glow troubleshooting". Not sure
if that means fast glow plugs or fast troubleshooting....

My '82 1.6D NA also has fast glow plugs, but I don't know
if they are original or not.

I don't think the 30sec plugs produce more heat, they just
take longer to make the heat. Slow glow plugs draw less
current.

--John

[Fatmobile]

Philosophically, I figure I can pull these out and use the battery charger many many times for the price of a high-amp meter...

Mine cost me less than $3 at hosfelt.com.
Dash mounted ammeters are cheap.