Glow Plugs

Glow plugs

Diesel enignes do not use a spark to ignite the fuel, they rely on the compression to raise the temperature of the air so the diesel will combust when sprayed into the pre chamber. Diesel engines usually have quite large and strong blocks. When starting the vehicle from cold the engine will act as a heat sink and dissipate the heat that is generated by the piston compressing the air. Therefore the engine cannot generate enough heat for the diesel fuel to combust.

Glow plugs are used to pre-heat the cylinder or pre-chamber before cranking the engine. Switching the key to the on position the dashboard will show -------->

This indicator shows that the glow plugs are active and usually lasts between 2-5 seconds
once the light goes out the enigne is ready to crank