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Glo-plug advice

H

Harold Melius

Member
I need some advice on a tractor I am fixing up. I have little experience with dsl engines. It is an International 656 6 cyl. dsl. I had to replace the clutch and torque amplifier and some leaks and I am putting it back together now. The wiring was a mess, so I am putting in new wiring and can't use the old wiring as a guide. I wired the glo-plugs today, coming from the ignition switch accessory position to a push button switch, out to a harness connecting to all 6 plugs. 12.7 volts in and out of the switch, about 11.5 volts to each of the glo-plugs. I used an infared thermometer to check the temp of the base of the plugs before energizing them. I then held the button down for 30 seconds and checked the temp again, no change. Should I have had a measureable temp difference? How can I check to see if they are actually working?
 
Check the resistance on each glow plug. IF you have no resistance your plug is bad. Also I thought that there was a relay/solenoid on the glow plug circuit on a IH 656. The glow plugs would pull way more current than the key switch could carry. You will need the glow plugs working. Those IH 656 engines where cold blooded in the middle of July. They where pretty good on fuel use though.
 
Typically the top end of the glow plug isn't going to get hot enough to read. The easiest way to check to insure they are good is to ground the body of the plug and jump to the hot let with a heavy gage wire. It doesn't take but a second for the tip to begin glowing. Yes, you can check the resistance, but this way you know for sure it works instead of just guessing at what the resistance on a good plug should be.

As far as the wiring goes, the push button isn't going to carry enough amperage for the plugs to work properly. What you need to do is wire the push button to a solenoid like you'd use for a starter. It will be able to carry the required amperage for them to work without burning up the contacts in the switch.
 
Digital "clamp-on" ammeters that can read DC amps are mainstream nowadays, and not real expensive.

Buy, beg, borrow, or steal one and check the amp draw of each GP while energized, probably in the 10 to 15 Amp range.

Saves a LOT of BS and guesswork!
 
There is no relay on it now, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one originaly. As I said, the wiring was a mess. I am going to look at a wiring diagram and see what it looked like from the factory. The push button switch is rated at 65 amps and none of the wiring got hot during my 30 second test. I tried removing one of the plugs to see if it would glow by grounding it out, but it seemed to be in pretty tight and I was afraid of breaking it off and creating another problem :) I just bought a new meter the other day so I still have the instruction manual. Can I check the resistance by putting one lead on the positive terminal of the plug and the other on the plug casing?
 
You said the push button switch is rated for 65 amps,but you are still putting the load thru the ignition switch if I read correctly.I would definitely wire in a relay to carry the load,and protect the ignition switch.Use heavier gauge wire on the load side of the terminals.And,yes that sounds like the way to check the resistance on the glow plug if it is single terminal and grounded base.Mark
 
I was originally going to put battery voltage straight to the push button switch, which seems to be the way it was previously wired. Since that made the button live all the time, I decided to go through the ignition switch so that the key had to be on to activate the plugs. But you are right that doing it like that will likely burn the ignition switch, and it does seem to be dropping the voltage a little. I am going to wire it direct to the button temporarily and see if I can find an amp meter to check it out with.
 
Originally, not hooked through ignition switch. Requires a heavy gauge wire from junction block. Then to a heavy push button switch , through glow plug meter to plugs. They will draw a total of near 70 amperes. Relay would be good but was for sure not original. A 656 has all the improvements in injection pump, injection nozzles and engine therefore, are easy starters if in shape. Way way too many operators never ever did learn how to start one even after driving them for 40 years. Something like teaching the wife how to use a hand choke on the old pickup truck.
 
I have a UD 236 IH engine in a small Galion grader. I rewired everything for the glow plugs. Used 8 gauge wire and connectors as that's what the parts book said. I don't remember a relay, could be wrong. I some times have old age disease.
DWF
 
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