glow plug removal

[hix2003]

Hi,
2005 (05) 1.9 dci with 65k on the clock.
I have the 'Check Injection' warning and I'm sure it is a glow plug gone. I hav had this warning every 15k miles or so and it has always been the glow plugs. The car is now out of warranty so I plan to change i myself. I have had a look and tried to remove the plugs. Cylinder 1 and 2 were easy to remove as it looks like thes ehave been replaced before. I'm a little scared to force the others as they are very tight. what are the chances of breaking these off in the head before they undo?

thanks for the advice...

[nickbell69]

hix i did mine couple of months back and found 1 really tight but it went in the end. Not sure about using WD40 or similar to loosen them a bit perhaps someone will know of what to use. Not wanting to frighten you but i have read somewhere about 1 snapping off then it is quite a job!!!! I found plug on far left easier to get at by removing the connector that is in the way. Good luck with them let us know how you get on.

[DJC013]

Hello, i was thinking of changing my glow plugs, does anyone have any views on whether it is better to change them when the engine is Hot or Cold ? Regards Damian.

[nathanl]

changed mine today - took a while getting the engine cover off but jobs a goodun and no more bloddy "check injectors" ...well atleast until the next fault

[nickbell69]

DJC013 did mine cold and was ok. Only thing with it being hot is the chance of burning hands!!

[DJC013]

Hello, thanks for that information, best regards Damian.

[hix2003]

Hi,
just changed mine. They were very tight. I was told by a mechani that it's best to do it when the engine is cold and to use a more robust socket set. Undo very gently and it will come out. Very rare to actually break one if done like this.
All OK now

[hix2003]

Hi,
just changed mine. They were very tight. I was told by a mechani that it's best to do it when the engine is cold and to use a more robust socket set. Undo very gently and it will come out. Very rare to actually break one if done like this.
All OK now

[Deano16v]

best to do it when its cold as you have less chance of stripping threads in the block etc.

[AlexB]

Thermal expansion of aluminium is greater than that of steel. So, it should be easier to work on a warm engine. It should not be overly hot, otherwise the penetrating fluid will boil.

Use penetrating fluid and let the thread soak for some time. Always use wall-drive cr-v sockets, which do not damage the edges of the plug/nut/bolt. Apply the torque not exceeding 2-3x of the normal tightening torque and wait. There is a good chance that the fastener would "click" and start turning within a minute or so. Then apply more penetrating fluid to protect the thread.

Always think twice before applying excessive torque. It may be worth to postpone the job and to do more soaking.

When dealing with glow plugs, it is important to understand that a plug may be tight due to carbon deposits covering its end. Don't force the deposits in the thread. Keep turning the plug left-right and let the penetrant to do the job. The deposits will loosen and fall off. They are not dangerous to the engine. An option is to use a penetrant with graphite or MoS2 in it.

This is what Beru says about fitting new plugs:
https://www.beru.com/english/produkte/gl ... utipps.php

[Deano16v]

you have to be even more careful with the alloy heads as they are softer than steel and it is easier to damage the threads, hence why working on them cold is usually the better option.

[AlexB]

I don't understand why cold... Well, I don't do it for living, so someone who does might know better.

[Missykeljo]

Having the same problem with my bucket of trouble. I love my car but Check Injection and into safe mode, is really doing my head in.