Glow pllug wiring

[valley]

Greetings, When the weather is cold the glow plugs don't help much [I have a coolant heater]. I have seen threads refering to installing a heaver wire.
Question is: Does the new wire come from the battery with a new switch or back to the key?
My thinking is canceling the wire from the key and installing the heaver wire from say the starter post to the glow plug strap by way of a switch would be right.
What's your thought? Thanks Richard

 

[greg_g]

The more voltage arriving at the glow plug, the hotter they "glow". And the biggest problem with many Chinese wiring systems is the proven fact that too much voltage gets lost before even arriving at the glow plugs. Larger gauge wiring - and a glow plug relay - is the solution.

Mount an inexpensive Ford type relay - available at virtually all auto parts stores - somewhere under the hood. Buy also several feet of 10ga primary wire and crimp-on connectors sized for the relay posts. Locate the OE wire that's connected to the glow plug buss bar or jumper wires. Move that to the small "S" post on the relay. Locate where the battery cable attaches to the starter. Run a length of 10ga wire between there and one of the two large posts on the relay. Connect the other large relay post to where you removed the OE wire.

Job's done, you might even have change left from a $20 bill.

//greg//

 

[valley]

Hi greg, I just checked the wire going to the glow plug strap looks like 12ga. Still go with 10ga? I was thinking of a starter button. Have you done this to one of your tractors {using a relay}?

Just checked, don't have a relay on the shelf. Next time We go off the hill I'll pick one up. Thanks for the description.

 

[PILOON]

I'd use the 10 guage!
Deffinately use a relay as switches are rarely rated for more than 10 amps.
Relay coil will draw so little current that any momentary (spring loaded push switch) will do the job.

One idea could be to use a spring loaded toggle switch as it would be more rugged, however you would then be advised to install some sort of 'ears' or guard to prevent accidental activation.

PS; I did this type of set-up on an 8 cyl GMC desiel.

 

[greg_g]

Hi greg, I just checked the wire going to the glow plug strap looks like 12ga. Still go with 10ga? I was thinking of a starter button. Have you done this to one of your tractors {using a relay}?

Yes, I installed both a starter relay and a glow plug relay on the Y485 in my TaiShan.

The outside diameter of the Chinese wire may be confusing. Pretty sure they use metric wire, so don't judge the gauge by the outside diameter. It's the diameter of the wire inside the insulation that determines the gauge, the metric equivalent of 12AWG being 3mm. A lot of the wiring on both my tractors is the metric equivalent of 16-18 gauge. The OE glow plug lead is probably 14ga at best. I think the wire between the ammeter and the keyswitch might be close to 12ga though.

Anyway. Insulated 10ga primary wire should be available in any auto parts store. Remember, that the alternator is not contributing any juice during starting. So by using comparatively fat wire that is independent of the OE wiring harness, you're delivering nearly full battery voltage to the glow plugs (and to the starter solenoid when you add the 2nd relay).

//greg//

 

[valley]

greg, Re: the wire looks like 12ga braded not the insolation. Installing a solenoid and the use of 10ga wire sounds good. The wire would be much shorer and have a stright shot with less chance for loss.

 

[Turbo]

here is the formula for voltage loss.
just make sure your connection are clean and tight.

Voltage Loss Formulas

http://www.windsun.com/Hardware/Wire_Table.htm

 

[greg_g]

here is the formula for voltage loss.

Useless. Ohms Law does not take into consideration the shoddy Chinese connectors/lugs/plugs/paint/et cetera. Rather than tackle this with a scalpel, it is much better fixed with a hammer. And that hammer is usually in the form of a $13 starter relay and a little bit of 10ga wire.

//greg//

 

[Turbo]

Ohm's law has everything to do with it, It's the hart beat of the electrical system provided you know how to use it and understand it.
have a bad wire because of high resistance do to corrosion, bad connection, paint or a loose fitting, or 0 resistance broken wire or connection. blowing a fuse? chaffed wirer or shorted glow plug. All can be found with a OHM meeter or test light. Each component of the circuit can be tested and verified it's workability, but to suggest of throwing in a relay because you think it's voltage loss, paint, connection or what ever is bad advice, it could be the glow plugs are bad, in that case relay would not fix it. so find the problem and come up with the proper repair.

 

[greg_g]

You're preaching to the choir Turbo. I've got a fair amount of experience in low voltage DC myself, and have been down this road before. Personally I might add - having owned pair of JM254s back around the turn of the century, and currently a typically hard starting Y485 in my 2006 TS354C. You on the other hand, own one of the newer generation. Quality control has improved somewhat in recent years. So before you go over the edge here, I suggest you research this problem relative to the older models with YangDong (and some LaiDong) engines and the QD100C3 starter. What I describe has been a chronic problem with that particular combination for years.

Short of rewiring the entire tractor, the least expensive - and most effective fix for low voltage at the solenoid - is to add the Ford type relay. The same voltage loss is often present at the glow plugs, an issue also fixed with the Ford type relay. Common problem #3 is low charging voltage, fixed with a length of 10 ga primary wire directly connecting the alternator B+ post and the positive battery cable.

//greg//