Diesel engines run later than gasoline ones. First, they need to be heated a little. A glow plug is a heating element activated when the engine temperature is too low. It increases the temperature inside the cylinders to facilitate the pressurization and detonation of diesel fuel.
About 5-10 seconds should elapse to reach the appropriate temperature. When a sufficient temperature is reached, the vehicle’s computer (ECU) will allow the driver to start the engine.
Why does the diesel engine preheat (glow plug) lamp light up?
Normally, the glow plug lamp only lights up when the engine is cold. If this lamp blinks and goes out, it means that a problem with the glow plug has been detected.
Usually, this problem is caused by the expiration of the spark plug life. Over time, after repeated heating cycles, glow plugs exhaust their life and cannot generate heat.
Usually, the problem is solved when the glow plug is replaced. If the glow plug has been changed but the problem has not been resolved, the glow relay may also be faulty or there may be a battery-related problem.
If this lamp is flashing, it would be good to go to the service and connect your car to the computer. The flashing of the glow lamp generates an error code in the vehicle’s brain. If this code is learned by connecting to the computer, the source of the problem will be understood.
What happens if the glow plug breaks?
If the glow plug is broken, it is necessary to start the starter for a long time when starting the vehicle. When the engine is cold, there may be a jolt at the first start, it may emit white smoke, and it may start after 20-30 minutes. This will be even more annoying when the weather is cold.
In such cases, you should take care of it immediately. Because long-term starters will weaken the battery, as well as not replacing the broken spark plug will both wear out the engine assembly and increase fuel consumption.
What happens if the glow plug lamp does not turn off?
Some diesel vehicles will not start until this lamp goes out. In some of them, it is also possible to start the vehicle without turning off the lamp. But in order to start the vehicle, it is necessary to wait for the light to turn off (even if it does not turn off for half an hour), otherwise, the spark plug failure will affect other parts of the vehicle over time.
What does it mean if the glow plug lamp is not lit?
When starting the vehicle in a diesel car, it is customary for the driver to light this lamp for a few seconds. There will not be a heating process in hot weather or when the engine is hot. Therefore, the preheating lamp will also not light up.
Because the preheating lamp turns on means that the engine is heating up, wait for the required temperature to be reached before starting the vehicle. The driver must wait for this lamp to turn off.
If the engine is already hot, the driver does not need to wait, so this lamp will also not light up.
However, it is also necessary to think about possibilities such as connection failure or sensor failure.