How long does it take for the glowplugs to warm in cold weather?

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Hi, I'm new to this forum and have only owned my fourtak 2.8TDI since summer. Bought it as I have a horse and need to get down stony tracks in winter and hope to be towing with it at some point.

I LOVE it, but have just had a few small problems with it recently. I went away for 4 days and when I came back my battery had drained flat due to the alarm I'm guessing. Should it be draining this quickly? Bought a battery charger and charged it up overnnight, been okay since.

Another problem is, its been a bit colder in the morning, I normally leave it to 'click' 3 times before starting the engine and this seems to work but recently that doesn't seem to be long enough and it wont start.

Also, can anyone tell me what the 'clicking' noise is that I'm referring to above. Was just told to leave it to click 3 times by the previous owners and being a girl I dont really know what goes on under the bonnett (0;

Any help would be great!
Thanks
Laura

You should have a

You should have a light(orange) on the dash which says "Glow" on it(I think). This should light up when you turn the key on, and go out when the plugs have been on long enough. I had the glow-plug relay go on my trak, and that clicked, but it wasn't heating the plugs at all. So this may or may not be the same thing.

I'd wait for someone more knowledgeable that me to post here, but I would guess that the glow-plug relay is goosed.

i wait for the first 'click'

i wait for the first 'click' after the yellow glow light goes out - as far as i know the plugs are 'dual voltage' - i assume given a lrge amount to start (till the light goes out) then on the lower voltage 'to simmer' until the click (the relay switching them off) - if you are struggling to start off this, firstly get your battery properly checked (a battery can show faults when tested under load) - it may not be up to starting when cold (but id expect it to struggle to turn the engine over too!) - secondly get the glow plugs checked - it will probably be cheaper to replace them than the battery.

Fourtrak Fieldman TDL 3" Body Lift on 31"x10.5 MT's
Chugging away nicely on B100 - happy days!!!

Fourtrak Fieldman TDL 3" Body Lift on 31"x10.5 MT's
Chugging away nicely on B100 - happy days!!!

An 88AH battery may take 3

An 88AH battery may take 3 days on a low cost battery charger to fully recharge.

Starting in winter needs a fully charged battery in reasonable nick to have any chance once it goes below zero for a few days !

At the minimum leave the charger on whilst at home every day for a week.

If you have a dc voltmeter, when it reads 14 volts with the charger on it is fully charged more or less.

until you get to that pont learn to cherish your charger ! Lol

Tim

I'm new as well and like

I'm new as well and like half way up a mountain in Wales.

My glow plugs go on for about 3 seconds. it starts but takes about a minute at 1500 rpm to settle down and become usable.

Glow plug relay does seem very likely.

I have several Diesel 4x4s and I usually replace the glow plugs and then use a starter solenoid off a mini or Landrover series to bypass the automatic thing as being cheap and effective fix. 100Amp+ wire is recommended.

Tim

Poor Starter

'92 Fourtrak 2.8 TDX

Welcome to the site.

I replace my battery every 3 years (90amh),nothing lasts forever, (on 2nd year life of present battery) my truck has been recently stood for 2 weeks and started with minimum heat, and turn over, ( and I run a veg oil mix) cost/reliabilty outweighs the potentional problems with starting, also I have the heater plugs checked yearly. ( check that the rear door light switch is working, on mine the light is under one of the foldup rear seats and this gave me problems before I was aware of it staying on ) . The truck will start with out the heater plugs , though it will take more spinning over and drain the battery more, so it thus will need a good battery. As for the clicking noise that is the heater plug relay switching on and off. Battery drain from alarm is minimal. Suggest also cleaning battery terminals and checking for tightness also earth strap connection, also fan belt tension. A visit to an auto electrician may be of help if one is unsure.

Edward (ews)

Edward (ews) '92 Fourtrak 2.8 TDX

I don't know if this has any

I don't know if this has any sound engineering basis, but in cold weather I cycle the glowplug sequence several times. ie, turn on ignition, wait for glowplug light to extinguish, turn off, and then on again. It seems to help.

David T