Preparing for next winter...

[stantjeeper85]

This past winter was a tough season on my 6.2 and while it's nice and hot I'd like to get it ready for next winter. I already have a short list of things I know I need to get done, what else do you guys suggest, and what supplier do you suggest I use?

List so far:

Engine block heater - LMC magazine
Manual glow plug controller - What supplier?
Anythng else?

[NH2112]

Check coolant freeze protection, even if you're in TX, NM, or AZ -34F is a good temp to set it (50/50 mix.) If it's been more than a couple years since you drained, flushed, & refilled, go ahead and do that too, along with new Gates hoses & belts and 180F or 195F Robert Shaw thermostat. I like the plain green stuff best but if Dexcool is your thing go with it.

If you don't know what kind of glow plugs are in the engine, a fresh set of AC60Gs is a good idea. If you have AC60Gs and they're more than a few years old, or have even a little bit of trouble starting without the block heater at ~30F, a new set would be a good idea.

You didn't give the year of your vehicle but if it's an 82-84 you can disconnect the controller and just wire a toggle switch to either of the small terminals on the glow plug relay, and ground the other one. If you have an 85-93 you can pick up a 12V starter relay from NAPA with a grounded base, hook the battery cable to 1 large stud, the glow plug harnesses to the other, and the toggle switch to the small terminal.

[mvtofino]

...but if it's an 82-84 you can disconnect the controller and just wire a toggle switch to either of the small terminals on the glow plug relay, and ground the other one.

Hey NH2112;

Pardon me for injecting a question on this topic. After a lengthy troubleshooting process, I finally wired up a glow plug controller bypass switch for my '83 Chevy P30 chassis under a Pace Arrow motor home. We disconnected the controller as you suggest, and everything works fine except that now the engine will not shut down when the key is in the off position. Earlier in this repair exercise I had installed a kill switch in the pink wire leading to the fuel solenoid atop the injection pump, so that comes in real handy now!

The alternator sends a signal to the gp controller through the brown wire in terminal 6 of the gp connector (if I recall correctly), and I wonder if this has something to do with the no shut down with the key condition I now have.

The key must be in the run position once the engine starts, and the key must be in the start position to crank her over, so I know the ignition switch is functioning properly. I also installed a new glow plug relay as I thought a sticky or otherwise faulty relay may have been the culprit, but apparently not.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I am worried about any alternator signal being left energized while the engine is shut down, or if there might be some other undesireable consequences that I am not aware of that could prove harmful or cause some other damage. A brand new alternator was faulty and fried the glow plug controller before being diagnosed and replaced under warranty. But it still cost me almost $2,000 in additional parts and labour to arrrive at this unknown position.

I'd appreciate your input, and thank you in advance.

JT

[NH2112]

Well I guess the first thing I'd do is ensure your ignition switch is properly adjusted or isn't worn out, because either of these could possibly cause power to stay on the pink wire. Sometimes one that works fine in the other positions doesn't work in one particular position.

In order for battery voltage to remain at the brown wire I think the diodes would have to be shot, in which case you should also be seeing your batteries drain when the vehicle sits. Although if you have a battery cutoff switch or master power switch this won't happen. Plus, with the connector removed from the top of the glow plug controller I don't know how any juice present at the brown wire would find its way to the fuel shutoff solenoid (or anywhere else.) So for the time being I'm going to call the brown wire a non-issue.

So, it seems like you're getting stray battery voltage on the pink wire due to a short somewhere else. What I'd do is disconnect the pink wire with the engine off, connect a test light to it, and pull fuses one at a time til the test light goes out. Then "all" you have to do is trace that circuit til you find the short.