Hows a diesel work

[tractorfan]

i have a bet riding with a friend on how diesels work i say glow plugs used in some diesels to warm cylinder then its all heat and compression from there he says glow plugs always need to be on when running thanks for answers

 

[Bob Huntress]

Glow plugs are simply a cold weather starting aid, if that answers your question.

 

[Anonymous-0]

U WIN

 

[Gene Davis (Ga.)]

Collect your beer or steak dinner whichever the case is and then tell him he is thinking about a model airplane engine,

 

[RobMD]

that's FUNNY!

You just ask him this - why the heil would the glow plugs need to be on all the time if the compression creates all the heat?

 

[ericlb]

you can also mention that big truck diesels more than a few years old, dont have any glow plugs at all and they start and run too, some late model trucks now i understand do have them as well as pickup diesels but even so they only help with initial cold starting, then they are off

 

[Bill(Wis)]

Suck, squeeze, bang and blow. No glow plugs required.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Bill, good discription. I like that.

 

[Bill(Wis)]

And it applies to most of the engines we're used to including gas turbines and jets.

 

[Walt Davies]

Take him out to a place that has old diesel engines and then ask him to find the Glow Plugs. An early IHC 1066 or so has no glow plugs but it does have a button to inject ether in to the manifold.

Walt

 

[big fred]

And a model airplane engine doesn't need the glow plug "on" once it's started. The heat from the burning mixture keeps the glow plug glowing.

 

[Dave from MN]

I just told the wife she needs to run like a diesel!!!! She"s giving me a confused look. I"ll email your explanation to her work. Better for her to read it there than here, now!

 

[CJ3b_jeep]

I sure wish mine had glow plugs, it'd be a whole lot easier to start on days like today.

 

[MN Rick]

Tell a 460 diesel that.....lol

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

Seems to me even the cummins trucks motors only use a preheat grid, no plugs.

 

[Anonymous-0]

A search engine can be your friend.
Lots of Diesel Info here

 

[Mike (WA)]

We had an '85 Ford 6.9- they were famous for glow plug sensor(s) malfunctioning. "That sinking feeling" is defined as going 70 on the freeway, and the glowplug light goes on. When they come on in a hot engine, they get cooked in short order, and there goes another C-note for a new set. Finally disconnected the sensors altogether, and just used a button under the dash for start up. End of problem.

 

[Tim B from MA]

Where are you sleeping tonight?

 

[dave guest]

Been a long time, 1962, I know glow plugs are only for starting. But seems like to me I had to use them summer and winter. Mercedes 190D. Glow plugs had a separate manual momentary switch. Darn thing ran good but nobody knew nothing about them but dealers. Even truckers scratched their heads back then. One neat thing when I changed oil I went to buy a gasket. It was a canister type filter. Dealer's parts man said, "no such animal. Machined so well no gasket needed." Stove oil was 19 cents. Cold weather, left it run all night. Beautiful car, leather seats, 4 speed on the column. Good for 60 or 70 mph and super mileage. Parts were like gold.

 

[Mike (WA)]

I had a '68 Mercedes diesel, and it had a little thing looked like a cheese grater, and it had a looped iron wire inside, that supposedly heated up at the same rate as the glow plugs. So when it got orange, you pulled the lever on out farther to engage the starter. After it started, release the lever, and it would USUALLY go in far enough to turn off the glow plug- but sometimes hung up a bit, so you had to watch the ole cheese grater to be sure it turned off. A little primitive, but a fun car. It wasn't exactly "life in the slow lane"- more like "life in the bike path".