Hi folks ... New to this forum and also to Toyota diesels and diesels in general, so have a question for all you long-timers. Adopted this 81 pickup from my auntie who had it on her desert homestead. She's never seen salt (The pickup, not the auntie). Took it back east. Want to change out the glow plugs because of hard cold weather starting and too much smoke on startup. 240k, with questionable rebuild by previous owner at 200k. Is it best to stay with OEM or is there a better aftermarket glow plug. Been reading up on the different heat ranges and patterns. Have no clue how to know what is best. Any thoughts?
Hi Benno I've got a 1980 diesel Hilux, and they can be hard to start when cold, but they don't have to be. first, pull out all the glow plugs and check them as it says in the video. If they don't glow or glow in the middle then replace them. Next, if you replace them, The only difference between the aftermarket cheap plugs and the expensive ones is how long the last. I recommend NGK. Make sure you get the right one for your Hilux as there are different voltages plugs. If the Hilux is still hard to start, replace the battery with the biggest capacity one that will fit in the hole. I can't tell you how important this is. If the battery is even a little bit stuffed or a little bit too small the engine will struggle to start in the cold. All the above assumes that the starter motor, battery leads, terminals, glow plug circuit and engine are all in good condition.
Great advice, thanks! It starts pretty good but staggers and smokes for a minute or so until it develops some heat. I use the cold weather additive in the fuel. I'm suspicious of the glow plugs due to the sooty buildup in the exhaust tip, thinking inefficient burn or something else I don't know what yet. Plenty of smooth power when warmed up. That first smoke seems excessive for me, but others I've spoke with say it's normal. I live in a pretty eco-weenie area so I really need to get on top of emissions.
Oh, My … I’m not sure I would know what to do with the extra power if it were running on all 4, but wouldn’t that mean it would still miss all the time on the dead cylinder? It does not miss once warmed up. Unless the plug is dying and slow to heat at first. I will do the test on the video you sent this week. You are getting hit pretty hard down there in OZ with the fires and now the virus. Hope things are going smoothly for you. Take good care!
glow plugs are used to help start the engine when cold if one is burnt out it will misfire and smoke when cold usually a minute or so. It won't give you any more power. We are all under lockdown and I'm starting to get cabin fever.
