Once you've done the first 1/4 turn, wind it back in gently to move that WD40 down the thread a bit. Do that again for 1/2 a turn and wind back in gently. Better not to try and remove them just by anticlockwise movement alone.
Thanks for the tip. My E350 Mercedes had failure for glow plugs and had run for almost 95K Kms. Garage mechanic said its risky to remove them as they may snap and head lathe is the only solution to remove, if they do snap. I advised them to oil using deep penetrating spray. Did the oiling for 2-3 times in intervals of few hours for 48 hrs. Kept the engine running for 30 mins before starting the removal. All 6 plugs came out smooth with manual fixed wrench. Replaced and work done
3 things jump out at me (1) pre spray with a proper penetrant and leave for 24 hrs (2) Get the engine hot first, yes it will have cooled down a little by the time you start to remove them (3) Use a deep socket that will fit over the whole length of the glow plug (3) Standard WD40 is NOT a penetrant, it's a rust inhibiter / moisture dispersant.
I have a set of plumbing sockets, extra thin and long. Looks like June I should go and buy some proper penetrant. WD40 may not be sufficient in my 25yo diesel 😬
Just my Golf mark 5 glowplug after watching this and reading this comment. Ran the engine nice and hot and while ticking over removed the connectors/harness to keep spraying GT85 penetrating spray around the plugs. Switched off engine and using a proper deep 10mm socket gave them a go. Omg they felt tight, so I just went very slowly and every time there was a tad of movement and tightened again so back and forwards, back and forwards kept spraying GT85 when it was slacked off then tightening again to try and get the fluid into the threads. 2 loosened nicely quite quickly. Other 2 were much slower, so it was just case of being patient turning a few mm back and forwards, spray, repeat, repeat repeat etc not getting greedy with exerting too much force and slowly every time I was counting how many quarter turns forwards and back i was getting and eventually i got them all out. Took just over an hour to get them all out so patience is everything! New ones in, start up and job done all engine fault codes gone! Thanks for the video and the useful comments. 👍🏼😁
well done for removing them just one tip , when you get the plug movin spray the threads as they come up and do them back in this will make it easy to remove as the plug will not go tight and may snap of yes take your time in and out till they become free of the head alway do this never had any plug or bolt snap in 30 years of working on car and vans cheers good vid
@@KurtG85 Typically the glow plug is steel/stainless steel, threading into aluminum, so one might expect, with a warm engine, the aluminum will "grow" at a greater rate than the steel, causing an easier removal. Personally, I would soak the area for about a week, maybe 2, with the best penetrating oil you can buy, then remove from a warm engine.
@@junkmangeorge6363 I've heard another perspective that removing from a heated block actually makes it worse as when the aluminum heats it expands, therefore a hole in it (a thread hole) would actually get smaller as the metal expands making it tighter.
@@KurtG85 All/any material with a hole in it expands outwards from that hole (except wood). Case in point, you have a stuck nut and bolt, you heat the nut to remove it, or you have a broken exhaust stud, you heat the flange around the stud to extract the stud.
@@junkmangeorge6363 Thanks for your input on this. Your comment spurred me to do some more research on the subject to confirm what you said and sure enough you're right. I'm going to have to be that know it all told you so guy to the guy who told me the hole shrinks now. 😂
Good advice... Another help is applying counterforce with your other hand on the ratchet head while you wrench it off. It helps keep the socket perpendicular. I've snapped things before by letting the socket lean over while applying the torque.
Mate this video has just enabled me to take out all 4 of our glow plugs without breaking them, clean them up and back in again and she starts like new! Thank you mate, bloody legend! Nice pace in the video and no distractions! 👍🏻
Hello mate, awesome to hear, I m also interested in cleaning them as I have only glow plugs faults and a rough idle, I m wandering how many miles were on yours, as well as if it could fix a rough idle ? Thanks George for the video, awesome stuff !
Can't help but notice that on the glow plugs you removed, all 4 showed signs that your socket didn't go fully down onto the hex head. Whilst doing other jobs on recessed bolts I have managed to strip a bolts head by doing this. It's always best to spend a couple of quid and buy a "deep" socket that fully seats onto the head. A fiver spent now is better £500 for a second hand replacement cylinder head
Also, they are all bashed because of the way you use your rachet, lots of short turns without taking up the slack each time. You should have the proper socket for a demo on RUclips - or offer to show how you drilled out your extension! If they are original how have all four got alloy jammed in the threads? They look like they have been installed ham-fistedly, which is unlikely to occur at the BMW factory. If you're taking the head off then run a chaser down those threads before the new plugs are installed. I think the torque rating is just 15 lbs/ft. You ideally want to blow out the recesses with compressed air before you start spraying a solvent around in case it loosens some debris like a small stone and it gets into the bore when you extract the plug. I'm about to do my TDI which has 320,000 km on it, no record of them being changed - so I came on here to see how to do it without stripping them. I'm a qualified mechanic but I want to know what I'm up against! Thanks for your video.
What you should do is this . Once it starts to move then stop and then start to tighten then the reverse That way you will loosen it Just going one way you are not getting the carbon off which is what tightens and will snap the plug . So backwards and forwards is the order of the day. PS Its normally the tip that snaps off !! be very aware as its the carbon build up that causes the seizure.
Soak for a week in thin oil. It might cause a capillary reaction as the engine goes through heat cycles. Then when it comes to removal, get the engine red hot first. The alloy has expanded. But alas in a world of so called engineering excellence some may need to strip out a lot of junk just to get to service items. What this guy is displaying is something called feel, unfortunately many folk are heavy handed like toddlers.
My advice is this. Spray WD40 and leavr it for at least 3 hrs. It takes time to penetrate. It will not work immediately. Then tighten the glow plug, minimum force but just enough to break the contact of the thread inside. You wont feel anything but it will help. While the socket is in the glow plug and the adapter bar is fitted tap it a few times with a hammer, DON'T whack it, just light taps. This will also help free it up. Then very SLOWLY unscrew the plugs... Seriously, take your time. This is the best way of doing it, trust me
Yeah, I like the subtle tightening start on stuff like this. It relieves built-up stress from constant compression trying to get through the threads. Lets everything relax then the tap for extra gravy points to the same end...I just go for an overnight soak for peace of mind and others mentioned warming the engine which is a great tip too especially for stuff like this where the metals are different...THEN start working it loose slowly. It's what I do with any fastener on the exhaust side too, especially exhaust manifolds and turbo flanges and such.
As of yesterday I am brand new to diesel engines. So you are saying soak those plugs even with the car in use. Can't imagine WD-40 harming anything but wanna make sure. Being my first time I should certainly soak and probably use a torque wrench to get a feel for these guys. Thanks for such an informative video man!! 👏
When I decided to remove my plugs, I made a 50-50 mix of diesel and AT oil and for 15 days, I soked them with that mix, right after the engine was turned off and I would leave them over night. I did that for 15 days straight. The came out very smooth. When I put in the new plugs I put around their threads some copper grease, to make it easy to remove next time...
What I think is missing here from some otherwise very good instruction is the precaution of looking for and attending to any loose debris around the plugs before removal, lest it make its way into the combustion chamber when the plug's removed.
Thanks for the video - it was very helpful for me. I did this job with my old 2004 Nissan X-trail 2.2 with 250 000 km on it. I had to exchange only one glow plug. I used torque wrench in order not to exaggerate with the force and the glow plug started to rotate at 25 Nm. According to the spec should be tightened with 20.5 Nm so it's something similar. Of course I used also WD-40. The shape of the thread is perfect. The rest of the glow plugs show resistance at 1.3 Ohm level so I don't touch them for now.
The most stressful job I know taking out glow plugs why can't the thread be the same size as a spark plug then the job would be an easy quick thing to do we all sleep walked into this one done on purpose to make it difficult to charge more money great video by the way keep up the good work 😜
Good shout on the WD. You can never use too much. Allowing it to soak for days or even weeks in advance can only serve to help, even with only mild penetration. Oh and if the threads on the old plugs look like that I would suspect that the threads in the cylinder head have succumb to some damage also. Probably best to run a tap down each one and then use a straw on a vacuum cleaner to get any swarf that might have fallen into the cylinders. Then inspect for swarf in each cylinder with a bore camera before reassembly.
Did mine recently! 230k on the originals, they were fooked🤦♂️ Another good tip is to work them up and down, change to Motor oil when they start to move, that way you can preserve the threads and they come out almost perfectly!
Changed mine on our N47 a while back. Soaked them beforehand and got the engine hot before trying to remove them. 3 came out no problem, the 4th came out probably 1/2 way before going tight. No amount of backwards / forwards with lube did anything and in the end it snapped. After a fair bit of thought i decided to buy one of the £30 kits off eBay which have stepped drills and are designed to drill glow plugs out in situ. It worked a treat and got the majority of the plug out before the drill snapped. Fortunately the part that was left was loose in the head and wound out with a screwdriver
Aluminium and steel expand at different rates, I oil mine for 5 days prior when engine is hot also take them out warm, always works a treat, good recap vid.
@@littlereptilian7580 oil where the glow plug goes into the head, any release oil will do and if your driving the vehicle every day the better as the different expansion by heat of the iron and aluminium will allow the oil to penetrate.
I work in a garage, I can assure you that sometimes glow plugs do break on removal, often even though you can unscrew them the tip can be thoroughly stuck in the hole and will shear from the glow plug body!
@@kuldeepb1 i pushed the tip down onto the piston. I couldn't get the tip out with a magnet so in the end i removed the head. It turns out the tip wasn't magnetic. Cheapest option and easiest is to buy a glow plug removal tool. You can get them on ebay
Hi George removing glow plugs is a bit of a hair raiser , most important its most recommended that the engine is at running temperature before attempting to remove glow plugs , also its recommended that the treads should be re-cleaned with an M10X1 Tap before re-assembly , BMW also have a problem with the control unit for the plugs which I would recommend you to replace when you have got the induction manifold removed it makes life easier and you are sure that the plugs are working properly its not worth taking chances
I sprayed CRC 5-56 the day before plug removal, I kept the intake manifold on and run the engine for 10 minutes, then I started to remove the glow plugs, they loosened relatively easy but I had to reverse the turning in steps when I felt some harder resistance. The old glow plug threads looked like new, no issues. The old plugs looked fine too, despite 180 000 miles on them.
Done mine today. Not a job I was looking forward to reading all the stories of snapped plugs. I didn't remove manifold and had enough room to get a long socket down. They were a bit tight but using a torque wrench I undid them gradually. Undo, do up, repeat. Used some WD40 penetrate and let sit for 10 min or so after each session. The ones I took out look tip top, bo blackening on the stems and threads looked like new. (81,000) Not a job I will have to do again so pleased it went without any mishap
Mount the new glow plugs with 15Nm. Mind you: the plugs break at a torque of 35Nm! Use a torque wrench to loosen them so you don’t exceed the 35Nm while doing so.
Thanks for the comment. I've got to do the glow plugs on my vw t5 1.9 tdi. I've replaced plenty of spark plugs before but these will be my first set of glow plugs. All the comments about hos easily they snap has got me a little nervous. Lol. Wish me luck!
@@empire1771 it went really well. I was a bit nervous because of all the stories of glow plugs snapping off but i just made sure the socket was on squarely. The first one was on pretty tight but i just tried not to put too much pressure on it too quickly and hold the force to give it a chance to unscrew. Sure enough they all came out with no problems.
Step 1, clean all the crap from around them. Also 1/2 turn out, 1/4 turn in until they are out. But before removing once loose, blow nozzle to clean out any loosened debris.
The CORRECT way is to loosen them by using a TORQUE WRENCH. You should set the wrench at just over the maximum tightening torque. So if the maximum tightening torque is 14Nm set the loosening torque to 16 Nm and no more otherwise you have the terrible likelihood of snapping the glow-plug clean off! If the maximum torque is reached but the plug does not turn, further action is required before making further attempts. The biggest influence will be running the engine to full high temperature where the threaded hole will expand slightly. You could even spray the plug with Freezer spray to increase the temperature differential to help loosen them. Just be very careful al the same...
How do you run an engine to temperature (or at all) if the intake manifold etc is already off? I have the M57 engine and I can’t see how you can get to the glowplugs to spray any lubricant around them with the manifold still in place…..???? Thanks
After seeing this video I thought of checking the heaters in my Peugeot XD3P engine. It's a simple connection where all glow plugs are connected to a single copper strip. I used a dc clamp meter to check the current draw. I could read 16Amp in the first plug, 31A at second, 48A at third and 60A at the cable. Roughly 15A per plug. My battery terminal voltage drops from 12.6 to 11.5v while the glow timer is on , indicating good battery health.
Thanks for posting this. How much torque is needed to *undo* the plugs? Is there a torque limit above which I should hand it over to a garage who, presumably, know how to handle it better than me? Thanks for your advice.
I would use my longer ratchet without a swivel, I have more of a feel in that and I can aplie the force in exactly 90 degrees. I am also inclined to use a long extension, so that I stand upright and if anything snaps, I won't injure my fingers. If it does not loosen - then even tighten it a little more, and then open it. If it goes stiff, I would work it back and forth till I feel that it runs free in the tread.
@@GeorgeAusters been there done that, mechanic for more than 45 years, -- and if WD 40 does not work: Coca Cola- does ,and has loosened many of stuck bolts and screws.
So I had a Coke and Vodka and after a few I couldn't what I was doing so problem solved! - But seriously Coca - Cola does a great job on stuck bolts if left for a few days. If Possible I try and spray the plugs over a couple of weeks to get them good and soaked. A warm engine helps too. @@hansweitbrecht1957
This helpful! Garage replaced 3/4 of mine and 4 “we didn’t want to snap” - u can see when u attach socket the wd40 sloshing about - so really soak them
When I've done it a warm engine helps, if you get a sticky one use more penetratind oil and drive it in and out a few time to loosen the rubbish on the threads
I prefer to use a T handle bar with the socket for more control over the angle. Then you can't bend the glowplug. Secondly, the glowplug is sealed to the cylinder head, therefore a penetrant (not WD40), will not be able to be taken into the threads by capillary action. If it will not break free, then try to tighten it very slightly and work it back and forth gradually. A penetrant will help once its broken free.
Glow plugs snapping on removal is not a myth, some engines are worse than others, do Glow plugs on a tdv6 rangerover and let us know how you get on. Good video tho, only addition from me is get the engine stinking hot, then try remove. It has the added benefit of making the work more pleasant In winter
Good mechanics that’s how you must do glow plugs ,but I’ve seen evan highly experienced mechanics do this method and you think all is good up you notice 1 or 2 Of the glow plug tips stuck in cyclinder head and can turn into £1k-£2k job, some say do when hot because expands but the glow plug is also expanding to cylinder head so it’s a hard disiscion but I think the way you are showing is the most likely to be successful and losening and tightening while spraying wd40 will help alot
Great work on this video. Love the outro ! Penetrating oil " KROIL " the oil that creeps " is great stuff too. We use on aircraft cables. It will supposedly climb vertically. Albeit slowly, but it works.
Hola Jorge, just bought a 2003, Ford Transit, with 2.4 DI engine. So changing all the service parts and checking everything. Today removed and cleaned the egr and inlet manifold which were encased in s#^t !! So while they are off think i will change the glow plugs !!
@@GeorgeAusters George. The caps on my glow plugs don’t look great. Are they just a single live terminal connection on the plug that I could check with a volts meter. ?? Before I start trying to get the glow plugs out. ??
Your videos are very useful. I really want to give this a go. So you are saying maybe 24hours before doing this spray them with WD40 or some kind of displacing fluid. Then before doing the deed give em another soak for about 30 minutes and slowly get them out. Also, should you soak the new ones at all? What would happen if I was to snap one? Can the car still run or would this do serious damage to it? I also have a E87 N47 engine 57 plate. 92k miles never changed plugs since becoming the owner 8 years ago @ 34k miles.
@@8thomas3 yes, unfortunately the access is terrible. It was a 6h job in dark and snow outside, but I did it. Also, if you plan to do it, you might consider removing swirl flaps in your manifold, many people recommend it. Also, prepare to discover a lot of build up grime inside it, so get some brake cleaner or something similar and clean it. It gave few extra HP to my car - throttle response was much better afterwards
@@8thomas3 well, it's not a difficult job, it takes a lot of time because there is a lot to take out, get some box for all your screws etc and keep them organized, also, when you remove the actual glow plugs and you turn them around but they don't want to come out - don't hesitate to gentle pull them as long as you can see the actual threads being undone, I spent about 5-10 minutes trying to unscrew one plug just to find out it is actually undone, just stuck. If you find similar situation, just leave one to be and try others. Any other questions just ask!
I've got a vw passat b6, the glow plugs are inside the head alongside the cams. In theory they should come out fairly smoothly, right? Also I'm assuming it's best done with the engine at operating temperature?
Also, tool suppliers offer glow plug sockets for most popular glow plugs. Also a T bar, to fit your socket allows a better chance of not damaging your glow plug, compared to a ratchet.
Providing it turns this works. But if doesn't even begin to turn, you have a problem. If I run my self into this situation, I put the socket and extension on the glow plug, bottom it out, and give it a couple solid walks with a hammer. This loosens off any rust, or soot build up on the end of the glow plug. And if that still doesn't do it. I have a 3/8 breaker bar that I can put on the socket, and then I can hit the back of the breaker bar while applying turning pressure. This acts as an impact wrench but you can adjust the torque and prevent it from just snapping the plug off.
George, if you think about it, 'if' WD-40 can get by the threads of the heater plug, then logic would dictate that compression gases will escape from around the threads too or am I missing something here...? I'm thinking your socket should have deeper because, the witness marks on the heater plug are halfway down the hex?
if you look at the glow plugs they have a little conus at the end of the thicker part. that conus is supposed to seal the compression chamber. if you do not tighten the new glow plugs to the correct torque it might well be that it isn't gonna be sealed anymore and then the gasses (with all the crud) will evade through there and the crud will make it impossible to remove the plug in one piece.
Agree with everything in this vid but a few measures not included. It's all about feel. Having been an hgv mechanic for 29 years who also had the good fortune to have worked for a company for 8 years that restored and reconditioned old aircraft ground support equipment I have had my fair share of battles with threaded items that looked me in the eye and said bring it on, you've got two hopes, Bob Hope & no hope of getting me out 🤣 So, plenty of lube to begin with and gentle work with the socket and ratchet while using all of your spidey senses to feel if there's any rotational movement, a feel of plasticity or rock solid. Plasticity is a huge warning telling you to stop 'cause you're about to wring its neck. Rock solid says get some heat in it and keep lubing and trying with feel and caution. If you're lucky enough and it moves, unscrew a flat at a time lube and wind back in. This serves two things. It breaks off crud but importantly it takes much needed lube back into the threaded hole. Keep doing that and before you know it the thing is freeing up and you're on the home straight. Sadly the "feel", takes a while to develop but once you have it is as valuable as hour most prized Snap on tool. The feel also works equally well as a torque wrench.
If the glow plugs are threaded that badly , does that mean the inside of the thread in the cylinder head needs to be cleaned somehow? Would these be threaded too or at least contain bits of metal from the previous glow plug? Also, should this be done when the engine is hot or cold?
Hey, thanks for the video! I have do to the same in a ford focua 1.6tdci diesel engine. Ok i will put a lot of wd40 like a week and a i will remove. Wish me look
Mercedes manual actually even specifies a max loosening torque to the glow plugs so you wouldn't snap them. Also ceramic anti seize is to be applied on the long shafts between threads and the tips.
@@adonramlal-brooks4134 I can’t remember now but bought genuine Bosch glow plugs and module and also new intake manifold o-rings + throttle body o- ring. Made sure to keep putting wd-40 on all 4 glow plugs a few days before doing the job. I kept doing it, morning, lunch and evening. Took the car for a drive. Waited to cool slightly. I’d say 3hours removing the loom, intake manifold and then finally glow plugs. Just being extremely careful. I even bought a glow plug socket and was extremely careful cracking them loose. 1-2hours cleaning intake manifold and throttle body and cleaning mating faces. 1-2hours installation of glow plugs with glow plug grease and torquing down the bolts. No glow plugs fault since. Hope this helps.
Great video. I’m thinking about removing mine without removing the manifold. If I’m presoaking with WD40 or similar could I still drive the car? Cheers
My Skoda Yeti at 180,000kms is in the garage today having new glow plugs fitted. I am a bit worried now as to the total costs. The plugs are fairly cheap at less than 100 euros for a set but the labour it would seem could be enormous and then what if they snap one?
When replacing with new, would you use a copper or silver slip to prevent future seizing problems? Also what if the worst happens and they snap? I assume you have to drill them out and re-tap the threads? Costs?
When my glow plug would not unscrew, I soaked it with wd40 and pure kerosene for several days; it was thanks to kerosene that I was able to unscrew the plug without damaging the threads or breaking the glow plug. In this case, you should not rush, slowly rotating the glow plug in different directions, spilling kerosene on the threads.
Hi George..good videos as usual! With the state of the old glow plug threads, did you have to retap the glowplug holes before screwing new ones? Mine have come out same as yours. All the threads are almost flat now
Thanks for the reply. Everything is back together now but the car cranks fine but doesnt start. I tightened them to 20nm and they were fine and felt tight. Theres no error codes on the diagnostic autel but its not starting at all now.almost feels like its getting no fuel. Fuel rail pressure is ok too. If the glow plug relay is dead, will the car not start at all ?
Of course most torque NM ratings for threaded components are engineered to be applied in a dry unlubricated condition. Any bolt thread that you apply anti-seize , grease or oil to and then torque up to the manufacturers spec is going to screw in deeper and not pull up correctly in its dry friction state as most bolts are engineered to do. The torque works with dry friction, so that the same friction prevents thread reversal due to vibrations. In some cases the extra rotation/s when using lube before the torque wrench clicks can be hair raising as you realise you are loading up the forces with the threads trying to pull harder in opposite directions rather than just metal to metal dry friction force and so unless the manufacturer specifies specialist grease, the threads should be mostly clean and dry. How you achieve that in many cases is near impossible.
Don't use WD-40, use a proper penetrating oil like Plusgas or similar. There is a WD-40 special penetrating spray available which seems okay but just don't use the normal household WD-40 because it's a water dispersant NOT a penetrating oil. My method for removing glow plugs on my M57D30TÜ2TOP engine (535d E61) is to get the engine fully hot (90C) and then start stripping the inlet manifold etc. By the time you've got the glow plugs exposed give them a good soaking with Plusgas and go get a cup of tea. Come back in 10 mins and with a torque wrench set to 25NM, give them all a try. You'll probably get 1 or 2 out. Make sure you don't go beyond the torque wrench "click" and bear in mind they can tighten up again after initially coming loose. If that happens, spray some more plusgas and tighten them back up a bit before loosening again. Increase torque a bit to maybe 28NM and try again - you'll probably get another 2 or 3 out. Then wait another 10 mins longer with a bit more plusgas sprayed and then go to 30NM and if necessary 35NM. If they don't come out at that point then try alternating between tightening (same 35NM) and loosening and see if you can rock them loose. At this point the engine is cooling so you've got to make the call between increasing torque to 40NM or if those particular plugs are not showing faults, maybe just leave them be and replace the others. I nearly got to this stage just last week but got it out at 35NM after testing if one of the other Bosch plugs could handle 35NM in a vice. It's not just about snapping the plugs, it's also about damaging the cylinder head threads. Cylinder 6 was by far the hardest to shift in my case and was not showing a fault so I very nearly left it alone. When reinstalling, smear the threads with copper grease but only a small amount and observe torque specs when tightening. I think mine were only 13NM but check NEWTIS for your engine. I'd recommend changing every 4-5 years just to ensure they can be removed if they do fail. Think of them like spark plugs and replace every 60k miles or whatever. Oh, and don't let all the penetrating oil and swarf go down the glow plug hole when you remove it. Try to soak it up or blow it out once the plug is nearly out.
do not use copper grease/paste With aluminium, higher metalgrade will corrode lower grades, they will seize like you never seen before, same goes for aluminium brake calibers, Dont grease the pins with copper paste. You may use something like ceramic paste or so 👍
After watching this video I would / Will do the same as in soaking them for at least a week Then instead off using a racket I would use anti ~ clock working torque wrench so as to ensure not to much pressure Click Click Click There we go nice and smoothly
Ace vid, need to do this myself. Just out of interest, why have you used a 3/8 inch socket (9.52mm) not a 10mm? Is it just to get a good grip on it? Cheers.
First off your method/ procedure is a proven and good practice. Also there are many misconceptions on the internet , especially that cylinder head removal is always the case, no this is not so!!!- However if someone is misguided enough to think an extractor has more purchase than the original M10 hex - then most probably, this would be the case after breaking the top. Also every BMW glow plug that is stuck - is not down to wrong torque but a phenomenon that I have proven time and time again, (galling) - this usually happens with metals that are similar in nature but not in this case - when you first crack a plug you may get a few loose turns and then it goes tight - This can be attributed to either carbon on the electrode and aperture or the parent threads have over time lost their running clearance.( which should be .05 to .1mm between the plug and parent thread) - So little bits of metal coming off the plug thread due to one or two frozen threads at the top, they start falling to the bottom and the threads start trying to weld themselves together. The penetrating oil helps maintain movement but eventually the plug either comes out or breaks under the torsion pressure generated. So I hope you use a (clearance tap) to restore the lost clearance or the next time the plugs are changed it will be a nightmare……. 👍
Hay bro on any bolt nut on any car 4WD OR EVEN Torsion bar nuts or Allen, key diff nut spray inox on them then in 3 days they will undo with just a normal spanner and socket set
I just cleaned the wells out with a vacuum cleaner. Here is me Installing the new ones👍🏻 How To PROPERLY Install New Glow Plugs ruclips.net/video/M69u2b1ckuM/видео.html
Have you thought of slightly loosening it and then turning it back and slowly work i loose. Presume you can get to the plugs a couple of days before to stray WD40 on
my motors got 240K on it and still got the original glow plugs , as far as I'm concerned they can stay in there as well. most diesel's will start if they have good compression anyway regardless of the glow plugs condition. Save yourself a ball ache and leave well alone.
Trouble is with leaving knackered glow plugs in a modern engine, is that on initial cold start up, dirty exhaust/unburnt particulates can pass through the engine and foul up EGRs and sensors.
Thanks for posting, everyone has their methods, like you said preparation is key, soak them well in your favorite release fluid, although less convenient, I like the engine to be hot, then take your time and work away as described below, do not get in a hurry. If all else fails use your favorite extractor tool. :-(
Lefty Loosey & Righty Tighty.. repeatedly. As you retighten and reloosen, the threads become looser as they re-cut themselves. This also carries the WD40 further down into the thread.
Buy WD40 HERE: ebay.us/WrmBQc
Once you've done the first 1/4 turn, wind it back in gently to move that WD40 down the thread a bit. Do that again for 1/2 a turn and wind back in gently. Better not to try and remove them just by anticlockwise movement alone.
What about PB Blaster penatrating oil spray?
Was just thinking that myself, great minds.....
Surprised he never done thisn
@@ThorsTreasure spot on royal purple synthetic penetrating oil is the best by far
Thanks for the tip. My E350 Mercedes had failure for glow plugs and had run for almost 95K Kms. Garage mechanic said its risky to remove them as they may snap and head lathe is the only solution to remove, if they do snap. I advised them to oil using deep penetrating spray. Did the oiling for 2-3 times in intervals of few hours for 48 hrs. Kept the engine running for 30 mins before starting the removal. All 6 plugs came out smooth with manual fixed wrench. Replaced and work done
Wow surprised they went so fast. My BMW diesel glow plug module finally is going out after 255k km. But the glow plugs are fine.
3 things jump out at me (1) pre spray with a proper penetrant and leave for 24 hrs (2) Get the engine hot first, yes it will have cooled down a little by the time you start to remove them (3) Use a deep socket that will fit over the whole length of the glow plug (3) Standard WD40 is NOT a penetrant, it's a rust inhibiter / moisture dispersant.
Exactly what I was going to comment
I have a set of plumbing sockets, extra thin and long. Looks like June I should go and buy some proper penetrant. WD40 may not be sufficient in my 25yo diesel 😬
Just my Golf mark 5 glowplug after watching this and reading this comment. Ran the engine nice and hot and while ticking over removed the connectors/harness to keep spraying GT85 penetrating spray around the plugs. Switched off engine and using a proper deep 10mm socket gave them a go. Omg they felt tight, so I just went very slowly and every time there was a tad of movement and tightened again so back and forwards, back and forwards kept spraying GT85 when it was slacked off then tightening again to try and get the fluid into the threads. 2 loosened nicely quite quickly. Other 2 were much slower, so it was just case of being patient turning a few mm back and forwards, spray, repeat, repeat repeat etc not getting greedy with exerting too much force and slowly every time I was counting how many quarter turns forwards and back i was getting and eventually i got them all out. Took just over an hour to get them all out so patience is everything! New ones in, start up and job done all engine fault codes gone! Thanks for the video and the useful comments. 👍🏼😁
@@MNCPMSteve The best penetrant bar none to use for this is Plus Gas A . £10 for 400ml from screwfix at the moment
Sp90 in the shed I'll try that
well done for removing them just one tip , when you get the plug movin spray the threads as they come up and do them back in this will make it easy to remove as the plug will not go tight and may snap of yes take your time in and out till they become free of the head alway do this never had any plug or bolt snap in 30 years of working on car and vans cheers good vid
Do you recommend heating up the engine before loosening? Everyone I've talked to said it should be cool when threading a new one in. Is this right?
@@KurtG85 Typically the glow plug is steel/stainless steel, threading into aluminum, so one might expect, with a warm engine, the aluminum will "grow" at a greater rate than the steel, causing an easier removal. Personally, I would soak the area for about a week, maybe 2, with the best penetrating oil you can buy, then remove from a warm engine.
@@junkmangeorge6363 I've heard another perspective that removing from a heated block actually makes it worse as when the aluminum heats it expands, therefore a hole in it (a thread hole) would actually get smaller as the metal expands making it tighter.
@@KurtG85 All/any material with a hole in it expands outwards from that hole (except wood). Case in point, you have a stuck nut and bolt, you heat the nut to remove it, or you have a broken exhaust stud, you heat the flange around the stud to extract the stud.
@@junkmangeorge6363 Thanks for your input on this. Your comment spurred me to do some more research on the subject to confirm what you said and sure enough you're right. I'm going to have to be that know it all told you so guy to the guy who told me the hole shrinks now. 😂
Good advice... Another help is applying counterforce with your other hand on the ratchet head while you wrench it off. It helps keep the socket perpendicular. I've snapped things before by letting the socket lean over while applying the torque.
Mate this video has just enabled me to take out all 4 of our glow plugs without breaking them, clean them up and back in again and she starts like new! Thank you mate, bloody legend! Nice pace in the video and no distractions! 👍🏻
Appreciate it and glad to help!
Hello mate, awesome to hear, I m also interested in cleaning them as I have only glow plugs faults and a rough idle, I m wandering how many miles were on yours, as well as if it could fix a rough idle ? Thanks George for the video, awesome stuff !
Why clean them better to fit new ones.
The method above isn't in my estimation good , you have been very fortunate to remove all 4 without breaking them.
Can't help but notice that on the glow plugs you removed, all 4 showed signs that your socket didn't go fully down onto the hex head. Whilst doing other jobs on recessed bolts I have managed to strip a bolts head by doing this. It's always best to spend a couple of quid and buy a "deep" socket that fully seats onto the head. A fiver spent now is better £500 for a second hand replacement cylinder head
Great point, Ignorance has bounders ( don't be cheap )
Use correct glow plug sockets not exspensive tbh ... spray spray soak soak n spray
Also, they are all bashed because of the way you use your rachet, lots of short turns without taking up the slack each time. You should have the proper socket for a demo on RUclips - or offer to show how you drilled out your extension!
If they are original how have all four got alloy jammed in the threads? They look like they have been installed ham-fistedly, which is unlikely to occur at the BMW factory.
If you're taking the head off then run a chaser down those threads before the new plugs are installed. I think the torque rating is just 15 lbs/ft.
You ideally want to blow out the recesses with compressed air before you start spraying a solvent around in case it loosens some debris like a small stone and it gets into the bore when you extract the plug.
I'm about to do my TDI which has 320,000 km on it, no record of them being changed - so I came on here to see how to do it without stripping them. I'm a qualified mechanic but I want to know what I'm up against!
Thanks for your video.
What you should do is this . Once it starts to move then stop and then start to tighten then the reverse That way you will loosen it Just going one way you are not getting the carbon off which is what tightens and will snap the plug . So backwards and forwards is the order of the day. PS Its normally the tip that snaps off !! be very aware as its the carbon build up that causes the seizure.
Soak for a week in thin oil. It might cause a capillary reaction as the engine goes through heat cycles. Then when it comes to removal, get the engine red hot first. The alloy has expanded. But alas in a world of so called engineering excellence some may need to strip out a lot of junk just to get to service items. What this guy is displaying is something called feel, unfortunately many folk are heavy handed like toddlers.
If you are able to get an engine "red hot" you no longer have to worry about the glow plugs as the engine will no longer be functioning.
My advice is this. Spray WD40 and leavr it for at least 3 hrs. It takes time to penetrate. It will not work immediately. Then tighten the glow plug, minimum force but just enough to break the contact of the thread inside. You wont feel anything but it will help. While the socket is in the glow plug and the adapter bar is fitted tap it a few times with a hammer, DON'T whack it, just light taps. This will also help free it up. Then very SLOWLY unscrew the plugs... Seriously, take your time. This is the best way of doing it, trust me
Yeah, I like the subtle tightening start on stuff like this. It relieves built-up stress from constant compression trying to get through the threads. Lets everything relax then the tap for extra gravy points to the same end...I just go for an overnight soak for peace of mind and others mentioned warming the engine which is a great tip too especially for stuff like this where the metals are different...THEN start working it loose slowly. It's what I do with any fastener on the exhaust side too, especially exhaust manifolds and turbo flanges and such.
Did mine on my Saab ! Spray every day with plus gas A on the plug threads, a week later they all came out like a dream 👍
As of yesterday I am brand new to diesel engines. So you are saying soak those plugs even with the car in use. Can't imagine WD-40 harming anything but wanna make sure. Being my first time I should certainly soak and probably use a torque wrench to get a feel for these guys. Thanks for such an informative video man!! 👏
Yes correct!
@@GeorgeAusters You are awesome! One fresh subscribe w/notifications coming at ya! 👏😊
70% vegetable oil and 30% acetone way better than wd40 at reducing the torque needed to unscrew a tight bolt. Yes there’s a study and test about this
@em4703 Hey! Gonna mix that up for this next bolt instead of cutting it. Thank you for sharing that information 😁 Hope you have a great weekend!!
@@tecc8380how did you get on?
When I decided to remove my plugs, I made a 50-50 mix of diesel and AT oil and for 15 days, I soked them with that mix, right after the engine was turned off and I would leave them over night. I did that for 15 days straight. The came out very smooth. When I put in the new plugs I put around their threads some copper grease, to make it easy to remove next time...
Better to use either nickel or aluminium anti seize. Copper on steel and aluminium causes an electrolytic reaction between the two metals
@@richardrichard5409better ceramic grease, copper paste not good for aluminum
What I think is missing here from some otherwise very good instruction is the precaution of looking for and attending to any loose debris around the plugs before removal, lest it make its way into the combustion chamber when the plug's removed.
Yeah, I'm going to do mine tomorrow, where this bloke sprays more WD40 I'm going to spray some brake or electrical cleaner to blow out any debris.
what I learned from my mechanic father was to also re-tighten a bit now and then to prevent snapping
Thanks for the video - it was very helpful for me. I did this job with my old 2004 Nissan X-trail 2.2 with 250 000 km on it. I had to exchange only one glow plug. I used torque wrench in order not to exaggerate with the force and the glow plug started to rotate at 25 Nm. According to the spec should be tightened with 20.5 Nm so it's something similar. Of course I used also WD-40. The shape of the thread is perfect. The rest of the glow plugs show resistance at 1.3 Ohm level so I don't touch them for now.
The most stressful job I know taking out glow plugs why can't the thread be the same size as a spark plug then the job would be an easy quick thing to do we all sleep walked into this one done on purpose to make it difficult to charge more money great video by the way keep up the good work 😜
Haha cheers Keith!
Good shout on the WD. You can never use too much. Allowing it to soak for days or even weeks in advance can only serve to help, even with only mild penetration. Oh and if the threads on the old plugs look like that I would suspect that the threads in the cylinder head have succumb to some damage also. Probably best to run a tap down each one and then use a straw on a vacuum cleaner to get any swarf that might have fallen into the cylinders. Then inspect for swarf in each cylinder with a bore camera before reassembly.
New plugs went in fine👍🏻
Did mine recently! 230k on the originals, they were fooked🤦♂️
Another good tip is to work them up and down, change to Motor oil when they start to move, that way you can preserve the threads and they come out almost perfectly!
I had butterflies in my stomach when you started the first one, but good video right here, thanks
Changed mine on our N47 a while back. Soaked them beforehand and got the engine hot before trying to remove them. 3 came out no problem, the 4th came out probably 1/2 way before going tight. No amount of backwards / forwards with lube did anything and in the end it snapped.
After a fair bit of thought i decided to buy one of the £30 kits off eBay which have stepped drills and are designed to drill glow plugs out in situ. It worked a treat and got the majority of the plug out before the drill snapped. Fortunately the part that was left was loose in the head and wound out with a screwdriver
Aluminium and steel expand at different rates, I oil mine for 5 days prior when engine is hot also take them out warm, always works a treat, good recap vid.
Oil with what ?
@@littlereptilian7580 oil where the glow plug goes into the head, any release oil will do and if your driving the vehicle every day the better as the different expansion by heat of the iron and aluminium will allow the oil to penetrate.
Just came here after the glow plug light came on my 330D. Great video, all I need to worry about now is not snapping any of the 6 plugs on my engine 🤢
I work in a garage, I can assure you that sometimes glow plugs do break on removal, often even though you can unscrew them the tip can be thoroughly stuck in the hole and will shear from the glow plug body!
Perfect example of why you should not buy a BMW 1 Series
Welcome to my world. 1.4 fiesta ,2 tips stuck in engine. Handy enough to remove with the right tools. No taking the head off.
@@georgiewbg6687 I'm here because we have to remove the glowplugs on our bmw 1 series 😭
@@bobbydaly309 how? Which tool u used? Even am facing the same issue and the mechanic is suggesting for head off
@@kuldeepb1 i pushed the tip down onto the piston. I couldn't get the tip out with a magnet so in the end i removed the head. It turns out the tip wasn't magnetic.
Cheapest option and easiest is to buy a glow plug removal tool. You can get them on ebay
Hi George removing glow plugs is a bit of a hair raiser , most important its most recommended that the engine is at running temperature before attempting to remove glow plugs , also its recommended that the treads should be re-cleaned with an M10X1 Tap before re-assembly , BMW also have a problem with the control unit for the plugs which I would recommend you to replace when you have got the induction manifold removed it makes life easier and you are sure that the plugs are working properly its not worth taking chances
I sprayed CRC 5-56 the day before plug removal, I kept the intake manifold on and run the engine for 10 minutes, then I started to remove the glow plugs, they loosened relatively easy but I had to reverse the turning in steps when I felt some harder resistance. The old glow plug threads looked like new, no issues. The old plugs looked fine too, despite 180 000 miles on them.
👍🏻
Done mine today. Not a job I was looking forward to reading all the stories of snapped plugs. I didn't remove manifold and had enough room to get a long socket down. They were a bit tight but using a torque wrench I undid them gradually. Undo, do up, repeat. Used some WD40 penetrate and let sit for 10 min or so after each session. The ones I took out look tip top, bo blackening on the stems and threads looked like new. (81,000) Not a job I will have to do again so pleased it went without any mishap
Mount the new glow plugs with 15Nm. Mind you: the plugs break at a torque of 35Nm! Use a torque wrench to loosen them so you don’t exceed the 35Nm while doing so.
or just use a 1/4 ratchet
Thanks for the comment. I've got to do the glow plugs on my vw t5 1.9 tdi. I've replaced plenty of spark plugs before but these will be my first set of glow plugs. All the comments about hos easily they snap has got me a little nervous. Lol. Wish me luck!
@@activechaos128 howd it go?
@@empire1771 it went really well. I was a bit nervous because of all the stories of glow plugs snapping off but i just made sure the socket was on squarely. The first one was on pretty tight but i just tried not to put too much pressure on it too quickly and hold the force to give it a chance to unscrew. Sure enough they all came out with no problems.
Yup, I have a beam torque wrench for that. The breaking torque is published for the plugs. Just take your time and go back and forth.
My cars at 142k lol cant believe i never thought about changing them. Your videos are brill.
Overall no work will be started till may.
Step 1, clean all the crap from around them. Also 1/2 turn out, 1/4 turn in until they are out. But before removing once loose, blow nozzle to clean out any loosened debris.
spot on
The CORRECT way is to loosen them by using a TORQUE WRENCH. You should set the wrench at just over the maximum tightening torque. So if the maximum tightening torque is 14Nm set the loosening torque to 16 Nm and no more otherwise you have the terrible likelihood of snapping the glow-plug clean off! If the maximum torque is reached but the plug does not turn, further action is required before making further attempts. The biggest influence will be running the engine to full high temperature where the threaded hole will expand slightly. You could even spray the plug with Freezer spray to increase the temperature differential to help loosen them. Just be very careful al the same...
How do you run an engine to temperature (or at all) if the intake manifold etc is already off? I have the M57 engine and I can’t see how you can get to the glowplugs to spray any lubricant around them with the manifold still in place…..????
Thanks
After seeing this video I thought of checking the heaters in my Peugeot XD3P engine. It's a simple connection where all glow plugs are connected to a single copper strip. I used a dc clamp meter to check the current draw. I could read 16Amp in the first plug, 31A at second, 48A at third and 60A at the cable. Roughly 15A per plug. My battery terminal voltage drops from 12.6 to 11.5v while the glow timer is on , indicating good battery health.
Thanks for posting this. How much torque is needed to *undo* the plugs? Is there a torque limit above which I should hand it over to a garage who, presumably, know how to handle it better than me? Thanks for your advice.
those two glo plugs with damaged threads were a potential bad day . lucky day .great video .
I would use my longer ratchet without a swivel, I have more of a feel in that and I can aplie the force in exactly 90 degrees. I am also inclined to use a long extension, so that I stand upright and if anything snaps, I won't injure my fingers. If it does not loosen - then even tighten it a little more, and then open it. If it goes stiff, I would work it back and forth till I feel that it runs free in the tread.
Not a bad idea!
@@GeorgeAusters been there done that, mechanic for more than 45 years, --
and if WD 40 does not work: Coca Cola- does ,and has loosened many of stuck bolts and screws.
@@hansweitbrecht1957 OR mix Auto trans fluid & Acetone ... its an EXCELLENT penetrating oil ...
@@hansweitbrecht1957hey that's really good thinking regarding the cola!
So I had a Coke and Vodka and after a few I couldn't what I was doing so problem solved! - But seriously Coca - Cola does a great job on stuck bolts if left for a few days. If Possible I try and spray the plugs over a couple of weeks to get them good and soaked. A warm engine helps too. @@hansweitbrecht1957
This helpful! Garage replaced 3/4 of mine and 4 “we didn’t want to snap” - u can see when u attach socket the wd40 sloshing about - so really soak them
When I've done it a warm engine helps, if you get a sticky one use more penetratind oil and drive it in and out a few time to loosen the rubbish on the threads
Basket...! The threads are stripped. How did the replacement plugs go in? Did you tap the ports prior to replacing them?
tapping into the cylinder head while its still attached to the engine is a terrible idea.
You should always blow the dirt around the plugs! You will end up soaking all the dirt in to your cylinders once the plug is out.
Do you recommend tapping the threads in the head before inserting the new glow plugs? Great videos!
If they don’t go in cleanly yes👍🏻
I prefer to use a T handle bar with the socket for more control over the angle. Then you can't bend the glowplug.
Secondly, the glowplug is sealed to the cylinder head, therefore a penetrant (not WD40), will not be able to be taken into the threads by capillary action.
If it will not break free, then try to tighten it very slightly and work it back and forth gradually. A penetrant will help once its broken free.
Glow plugs snapping on removal is not a myth, some engines are worse than others, do Glow plugs on a tdv6 rangerover and let us know how you get on. Good video tho, only addition from me is get the engine stinking hot, then try remove. It has the added benefit of making the work more pleasant In winter
There's a sudden jerk only when they break and not before. That's why if they are to break, there's no preventing this without a torque drive.
Good mechanics that’s how you must do glow plugs ,but I’ve seen evan highly experienced mechanics do this method and you think all is good up you notice 1 or 2 Of the glow plug tips stuck in cyclinder head and can turn into £1k-£2k job, some say do when hot because expands but the glow plug is also expanding to cylinder head so it’s a hard disiscion but I think the way you are showing is the most likely to be successful and losening and tightening while spraying wd40 will help alot
Yep!
Great work on this video. Love the outro ! Penetrating oil " KROIL " the oil that creeps " is great stuff too. We use on aircraft cables. It will supposedly climb vertically. Albeit slowly, but it works.
Something tells me it will smell like kerosene : )
I bought some BERU glowplugs and remember that they had written on the box the torque at which they should be tighten at and it was 15 Nm.
Hola Jorge, just bought a 2003, Ford Transit, with 2.4 DI engine. So changing all the service parts and checking everything. Today removed and cleaned the egr and inlet manifold which were encased in s#^t !!
So while they are off think i will change the glow plugs !!
Brave man George. I have to do mine and I’m absolutely dreading it. The luck I’ve had with my car. I have 6 to do aswell. 🙈🙈
Good luck 🤞🏼
Cheers. I’m going to need it. 😁😁👍👍
@@GeorgeAusters George. The caps on my glow plugs don’t look great. Are they just a single live terminal connection on the plug that I could check with a volts meter. ?? Before I start trying to get the glow plugs out. ??
Your videos are very useful. I really want to give this a go.
So you are saying maybe 24hours before doing this spray them with WD40 or some kind of displacing fluid. Then before doing the deed give em another soak for about 30 minutes and slowly get them out. Also, should you soak the new ones at all? What would happen if I was to snap one? Can the car still run or would this do serious damage to it? I also have a E87 N47 engine 57 plate. 92k miles never changed plugs since becoming the owner 8 years ago @ 34k miles.
Brush new plugs with fresh engine oil before installing🤟
This helped me to replace glow plugs in my BMW by myself with success. Thank you for sharing
Great to hear!
Did you take off the intake manifold?
@@8thomas3 yes, unfortunately the access is terrible. It was a 6h job in dark and snow outside, but I did it. Also, if you plan to do it, you might consider removing swirl flaps in your manifold, many people recommend it. Also, prepare to discover a lot of build up grime inside it, so get some brake cleaner or something similar and clean it. It gave few extra HP to my car - throttle response was much better afterwards
@@DKFuRUDEGO thanks so much for the response and advice! I'm both excited and scared to do this.
@@8thomas3 well, it's not a difficult job, it takes a lot of time because there is a lot to take out, get some box for all your screws etc and keep them organized, also, when you remove the actual glow plugs and you turn them around but they don't want to come out - don't hesitate to gentle pull them as long as you can see the actual threads being undone, I spent about 5-10 minutes trying to unscrew one plug just to find out it is actually undone, just stuck. If you find similar situation, just leave one to be and try others. Any other questions just ask!
I've got a vw passat b6, the glow plugs are inside the head alongside the cams.
In theory they should come out fairly smoothly, right?
Also I'm assuming it's best done with the engine at operating temperature?
i have a e 90 320d and im no bmw fan at all its just a run around car but ur channel is just good genuine advice all in all for any diesel cars subbed
Thanks Daniel, much appreciated
Also, tool suppliers offer glow plug sockets for most popular glow plugs. Also a T bar, to fit your socket allows a better chance of not damaging your glow plug, compared to a ratchet.
Good idea Steve!
@@GeorgeAusters If only they put Antisieze paste on at the factory !
Providing it turns this works. But if doesn't even begin to turn, you have a problem. If I run my self into this situation, I put the socket and extension on the glow plug, bottom it out, and give it a couple solid walks with a hammer. This loosens off any rust, or soot build up on the end of the glow plug. And if that still doesn't do it. I have a 3/8 breaker bar that I can put on the socket, and then I can hit the back of the breaker bar while applying turning pressure. This acts as an impact wrench but you can adjust the torque and prevent it from just snapping the plug off.
George, if you think about it, 'if' WD-40 can get by the threads of the heater plug, then logic would dictate that compression gases will escape from around the threads too or am I missing something here...?
I'm thinking your socket should have deeper because, the witness marks on the heater plug are halfway down the hex?
if you look at the glow plugs they have a little conus at the end of the thicker part. that conus is supposed to seal the compression chamber. if you do not tighten the new glow plugs to the correct torque it might well be that it isn't gonna be sealed anymore and then the gasses (with all the crud) will evade through there and the crud will make it impossible to remove the plug in one piece.
@@martinbaumer6230loo
If they start moving spray em and run em back in then back out spray em run em back in back and forth as such and walla
Agree with everything in this vid but a few measures not included. It's all about feel. Having been an hgv mechanic for 29 years who also had the good fortune to have worked for a company for 8 years that restored and reconditioned old aircraft ground support equipment I have had my fair share of battles with threaded items that looked me in the eye and said bring it on, you've got two hopes, Bob Hope & no hope of getting me out 🤣
So, plenty of lube to begin with and gentle work with the socket and ratchet while using all of your spidey senses to feel if there's any rotational movement, a feel of plasticity or rock solid.
Plasticity is a huge warning telling you to stop 'cause you're about to wring its neck. Rock solid says get some heat in it and keep lubing and trying with feel and caution.
If you're lucky enough and it moves, unscrew a flat at a time lube and wind back in. This serves two things. It breaks off crud but importantly it takes much needed lube back into the threaded hole.
Keep doing that and before you know it the thing is freeing up and you're on the home straight.
Sadly the "feel", takes a while to develop but once you have it is as valuable as hour most prized Snap on tool.
The feel also works equally well as a torque wrench.
If the glow plugs are threaded that badly , does that mean the inside of the thread in the cylinder head needs to be cleaned somehow? Would these be threaded too or at least contain bits of metal from the previous glow plug? Also, should this be done when the engine is hot or cold?
Hey, thanks for the video! I have do to the same in a ford focua 1.6tdci diesel engine.
Ok i will put a lot of wd40 like a week and a i will remove. Wish me look
Sprayed my on my transit will be removeing them tomorrow what a great video on how to easy shown will let you know how i get on 🙈
Mercedes manual actually even specifies a max loosening torque to the glow plugs so you wouldn't snap them. Also ceramic anti seize is to be applied on the long shafts between threads and the tips.
All 4 glow plugs replaced, Module and air intake cleaned thanks to your help👍
No problem Jonni, glad to be of help👍🏻
How long did it take and what was the total cost if you don’t mind me asking
@@adonramlal-brooks4134 I can’t remember now but bought genuine Bosch glow plugs and module and also new intake manifold o-rings + throttle body o- ring.
Made sure to keep putting wd-40 on all 4 glow plugs a few days before doing the job. I kept doing it, morning, lunch and evening. Took the car for a drive. Waited to cool slightly. I’d say 3hours removing the loom, intake manifold and then finally glow plugs. Just being extremely careful. I even bought a glow plug socket and was extremely careful cracking them loose.
1-2hours cleaning intake manifold and throttle body and cleaning mating faces.
1-2hours installation of glow plugs with glow plug grease and torquing down the bolts.
No glow plugs fault since. Hope this helps.
Great video. I’m thinking about removing mine without removing the manifold. If I’m presoaking with WD40 or similar could I still drive the car? Cheers
Yes still fine to drive
My Skoda Yeti at 180,000kms is in the garage today having new glow plugs fitted. I am a bit worried now as to the total costs. The plugs are fairly cheap at less than 100 euros for a set but the labour it would seem could be enormous and then what if they snap one?
I'd be checking the head thread before fitting new glow plugs in case they need to be re-threaded 👍
I could use rust removal also ,for penetrating the rust ? And then wd 40 ?
When replacing with new, would you use a copper or silver slip to prevent future seizing problems? Also what if the worst happens and they snap? I assume you have to drill them out and re-tap the threads? Costs?
Yeah you can use an anti sieze compound if you wish👍🏻
Thanks. What about the second part of the question?
When my glow plug would not unscrew, I soaked it with wd40 and pure kerosene for several days; it was thanks to kerosene that I was able to unscrew the plug without damaging the threads or breaking the glow plug. In this case, you should not rush, slowly rotating the glow plug in different directions, spilling kerosene on the threads.
CRC Knocker Loose works wonders like Double Diamond!
Thanks man your video is very helpful. Does it has 1/3/5 or it doesn't matter I should not worry about coordination ?
Hi George..good videos as usual!
With the state of the old glow plug threads, did you have to retap the glowplug holes before screwing new ones? Mine have come out same as yours. All the threads are almost flat now
Didn’t need to retap the holes.. new ones went in fine👍🏻
Thanks for the reply. Everything is back together now but the car cranks fine but doesnt start. I tightened them to 20nm and they were fine and felt tight. Theres no error codes on the diagnostic autel but its not starting at all now.almost feels like its getting no fuel. Fuel rail pressure is ok too.
If the glow plug relay is dead, will the car not start at all ?
@@GeorgeAusters any ideas?
Of course most torque NM ratings for threaded components are engineered to be applied in a dry unlubricated condition. Any bolt thread that you apply anti-seize , grease or oil to and then torque up to the manufacturers spec is going to screw in deeper and not pull up correctly in its dry friction state as most bolts are engineered to do. The torque works with dry friction, so that the same friction prevents thread reversal due to vibrations. In some cases the extra rotation/s when using lube before the torque wrench clicks can be hair raising as you realise you are loading up the forces with the threads trying to pull harder in opposite directions rather than just metal to metal dry friction force and so unless the manufacturer specifies specialist grease, the threads should be mostly clean and dry. How you achieve that in many cases is near impossible.
Anti-seize should be applied according to the service manual. At least for many car models.
Don't use WD-40, use a proper penetrating oil like Plusgas or similar. There is a WD-40 special penetrating spray available which seems okay but just don't use the normal household WD-40 because it's a water dispersant NOT a penetrating oil.
My method for removing glow plugs on my M57D30TÜ2TOP engine (535d E61) is to get the engine fully hot (90C) and then start stripping the inlet manifold etc. By the time you've got the glow plugs exposed give them a good soaking with Plusgas and go get a cup of tea.
Come back in 10 mins and with a torque wrench set to 25NM, give them all a try. You'll probably get 1 or 2 out. Make sure you don't go beyond the torque wrench "click" and bear in mind they can tighten up again after initially coming loose. If that happens, spray some more plusgas and tighten them back up a bit before loosening again. Increase torque a bit to maybe 28NM and try again - you'll probably get another 2 or 3 out. Then wait another 10 mins longer with a bit more plusgas sprayed and then go to 30NM and if necessary 35NM. If they don't come out at that point then try alternating between tightening (same 35NM) and loosening and see if you can rock them loose. At this point the engine is cooling so you've got to make the call between increasing torque to 40NM or if those particular plugs are not showing faults, maybe just leave them be and replace the others. I nearly got to this stage just last week but got it out at 35NM after testing if one of the other Bosch plugs could handle 35NM in a vice. It's not just about snapping the plugs, it's also about damaging the cylinder head threads. Cylinder 6 was by far the hardest to shift in my case and was not showing a fault so I very nearly left it alone.
When reinstalling, smear the threads with copper grease but only a small amount and observe torque specs when tightening. I think mine were only 13NM but check NEWTIS for your engine. I'd recommend changing every 4-5 years just to ensure they can be removed if they do fail. Think of them like spark plugs and replace every 60k miles or whatever.
Oh, and don't let all the penetrating oil and swarf go down the glow plug hole when you remove it. Try to soak it up or blow it out once the plug is nearly out.
Is it worth copper greasing the shaft as well as the threads?
do not use copper grease/paste With aluminium, higher metalgrade will corrode lower grades, they will seize like you never seen before, same goes for aluminium brake calibers, Dont grease the pins with copper paste. You may use something like ceramic paste or so 👍
Are you turning the rachet right to loosen the plugs instead of lefty lucy?
After watching this video I would / Will do the same as in soaking them for at least a week Then instead off using a racket I would use anti ~ clock working torque wrench so as to ensure not to much pressure Click Click Click There we go nice and smoothly
Ace vid, need to do this myself. Just out of interest, why have you used a 3/8 inch socket (9.52mm) not a 10mm? Is it just to get a good grip on it? Cheers.
It was a 3/8 inch drive 10mm socket
@@GeorgeAusters oh, I see. Apologises. Thanks.
My mate down the pub reckons that when you do them back up to tighten them until it goes soft then loosen it of a quart turn. Sorted!
Here’s a video of me installing the new ones👍🏻
ruclips.net/video/M69u2b1ckuM/видео.html
First off your method/ procedure is a proven and good practice. Also there are many misconceptions on the internet , especially that cylinder head removal is always the case, no this is not so!!!-
However if someone is misguided enough to think an extractor has more purchase than the original M10 hex - then most probably, this would be the case after breaking the top.
Also every BMW glow plug that is stuck - is not down to wrong torque but a phenomenon that I have proven time and time again, (galling) - this usually happens with metals that are similar in nature but not in this case - when you first crack a plug you may get a few loose turns and then it goes tight - This can be attributed to either carbon on the electrode and aperture or the parent threads have over time lost their running clearance.( which should be .05 to .1mm between the plug and parent thread) -
So little bits of metal coming off the plug thread due to one or two frozen threads at the top, they start falling to the bottom and the threads start trying to weld themselves together.
The penetrating oil helps maintain movement but eventually the plug either comes out or breaks under the torsion pressure generated.
So I hope you use a (clearance tap) to restore the lost clearance or the next time the plugs are changed it will be a nightmare……. 👍
If you use a torque wrench set to the install torque that can work and you can be sure you're not going to shear one off.
Did you run a tap to clean the threads out in the hole?
Very fine threads on the plugs how does WD 40 penetrate them.
would the use of a heat gun applied to each plug be useful ?
Hay bro on any bolt nut on any car 4WD OR EVEN Torsion bar nuts or Allen, key diff nut spray inox on them then in 3 days they will undo with just a normal spanner and socket set
Thath feeling when you try too loosen them and you just heard and feel it SNAPS right off deep down there. Thanks for video.
Haha just gotta take your time and be patient!
@@GeorgeAusters did you do any refresh of the threads in the engine block before you put in the new ones?
I just cleaned the wells out with a vacuum cleaner.
Here is me Installing the new ones👍🏻
How To PROPERLY Install New Glow Plugs ruclips.net/video/M69u2b1ckuM/видео.html
NGK should be good too. They sometimes have higher torque rating than other 🤔
Rune torque rating on glowplugs? Its not sparkplugs dude
how you clean the hole before new glow plugs?? what material can protect aluminum ?
Looks to me that the threads in the head will also be damaged if the glow plug threads are now damaged. Would you have screwed new ones in?
They were actually fine because the new ones screwed straight in👍🏻
Have you thought of slightly loosening it and then turning it back and slowly work i loose.
Presume you can get to the plugs a couple of days before to stray WD40 on
Yep that’s a good method
I always had good luck with something like a breaker bar for better control, obviously dont fully send it but inch it only 2-3 degress each way
Thank you for explaining the right way to do this job
What torque do you use for the intake manifold bolts?
Would have it been possible to heat around the plugs with a blow torch to heat the metal first?
Diesels are so finicky but I love them anyway. Thank you for this video, it was very informative 👍
You could use a flexible socket coupling and a T handle.
Thanks for the video. What about the treads in the engine? I presume one can expect that they need some retread process?
They were fine. New ones went in no problem👍🏻
my motors got 240K on it and still got the original glow plugs , as far as I'm concerned they can stay in there as well.
most diesel's will start if they have good compression anyway regardless of the glow plugs condition. Save yourself a ball ache and leave well alone.
Trouble is with leaving knackered glow plugs in a modern engine, is that on initial cold start up, dirty exhaust/unburnt particulates can pass through the engine and foul up EGRs and sensors.
Thanks for posting, everyone has their methods, like you said preparation is key, soak them well in your favorite release fluid, although less convenient, I like the engine to be hot, then take your time and work away as described below, do not get in a hurry. If all else fails use your favorite extractor tool. :-(
Hi George Febi glow plugs is a good alternative or not ?
I would only use Bosch or Beru
@@GeorgeAusters ok 👍🏻 thanks 😀
Lefty Loosey & Righty Tighty.. repeatedly. As you retighten and reloosen, the threads become looser as they re-cut themselves. This also carries the WD40 further down into the thread.