E270 CDI Glow Plug Change

[DreamCar]

Anyone know roughly the time it will take a specialist to change glow plugs? I'm starting to have the light come on for thirty seconds after starting and my service is due in nine hundred miles so figured probably should get them all changed. Some cars seem to not take too long but some apparently can be a real pain to change glow plugs.

 

[m80]

Yours will be the meaty plugs, so less chance of snapping.
It's still worth pre treating with plus gas for a couple of hot / cold cycles though.

It's not really nice for us to say how long it'll take some one else to do the job, but assuming it goes easily it's better to have a coffee in their waiting room they do it, rather than travel home and back.

 

[W1ghty]

Anyone know roughly the time it will take a specialist to change glow plugs? I'm starting to have the light come on for thirty seconds after starting and my service is due in nine hundred miles so figured probably should get them all changed. Some cars seem to not take too long but some apparently can be a real pain to change glow plugs.

Probably an hour

 

[mercmancdi]

Don’t know who’s doing it but I always ask if one snaps what happens and if they reply your problem I walk away , A good garage might charge an extra £60 but should say if one breaks don’t worry we will sort it.
Sometimes those removals need bit of time if there’s a stubborn one , I have done them at home and got 5 out in 15 minutes but had to spend 1-2 hrs on one stuck to ease it out rather than snap it.

 

[Trickythemerc]

I have just changed my No. 4 glow plug and despite it being the daft thin one it came out with no trouble. Well soaked over a couple of days in ATF and acetone mixture with a warm engine it was all done in less than an hour.

 

[DreamCar]

Great, thank you all.

 

[Smiley]

It is a good idea to ask what happens if one snaps.....because there are some mechanics who can not remember the last time they snapped one - and that is because they are careful and they know how much force they can put on it before they work it back the other way and take their time - then there is the other sort of mechanic who breaks one every time......so if they tell you that they break quite frequently they are not the right people.....

 

[ALFAitalia]

I changed one(number 1 pot) on my ALFA on Friday (Bosch)....do it with a warm ( but not too hot) engine and they will come out easily mine took no force as all....as they shouldn't because in my case they must only be tightened to just 8nm.....one of the few times I use my tiny Inch/Pound quarter drive torque wrench. Finding my 9mm deep wall 6 point socket took longer than the rest of the job put together as changing glow plugs is the only time I use it!!

 

[colinallcars]

I changed one(number 1 pot) on my ALFA on Friday (Bosch)....do it with a warm ( but not too hot) engine and they will come out easily mine took no force as all....as they shouldn't because in my case they must only be tightened to just 8nm.....one of the few times I use my tiny Inch/Pound quarter drive torque wrench. Finding my 9mm deep wall 6 point socket took longer than the rest of the job put together as changing glow plugs is the only time I use it!!

Friday must have been glowplug day! I changed them on my daughter’s 1.6 Qashqai. I think the deep wall 6 point 1/4 socket is a must to avoid exerting excess force and doing damage. The first three came out quite easily, the fourth, the one that had failed, required a little persuasion but a (very) slight tightening and loosening motion worked.

 

[ALFAitalia]

I only replace the failed ones....they are like light bulbs....they either work or they don't. In the five years I've owned her I've replaced three of the four. Takes about 10 minutes including getting the engine cover off and on. Its easy to tell the duff one with a multi meter. They should be about 2 ohms resistance between the tip and below the red seal....three of mine where between 1.9 and 2.2 ohms....the fourth was 63 ohms!!

 

[91dm]

Try and keep the engine as warm as possible. I had good luck with our 270 ML changing them while warm.

 

[Smiley]

How tightly they were put in is not usually the problem - it is the build up of carbon deposits - and yes a deep six point socket, a warm engine, some pre work with penetrating fluid, patience and knowing when to stop applying force are the secrets to the removal of stubborn ones

 

[ALFAitalia]

Personally I don't think penetrating fluid helps. I tried it a couple of times.....the was no sign of the liquid on the treads at all when removed....the threads mesh to leave an air tight seal so the fluid cant get in....As said its not the tiny fine threads that are the issue....its mostly carbon build up. The longer you keep running the car with a duff glow plug the worse it will be as a functioning plug burns the carbon off.