321dave wrote ...

Hi all,
i was looking around the web today before purchasing 6 NGK glow plugs and i spotted this box!
They appear to be BERU as OEM for Citroen. From what i could find anyway.
Steve were the glow plugs you extracted intact Beru by any chance?

gmerry wrote ...

Hi e3steve and anyone else who has replaced a glowplug, did you start the job with the engine really hot or at least at operating temperature?. In theory, the alloy heads have a higher thermal expansion rate that the steel/ceramic of the plug. Did the first one come out and then the subsequent one get harder as the engine cooled? Just trying to find out if this is a factor at all.

Off on a little tangent, it seems that the "norm" for Discovery 3s with the same engine is for the body to come off, remove the cylinder heads and then machine/hammer out the plugs from the combustion side backwards. It seems as though you E3steve had a narrow escape from that kind of job escalation.

Regards
G

321dave wrote ...

Thanks Steve, my Plugs are on route this morning and im getting a basic 8mm extractor kit just in case. Hopefully I won't be needing it!

Just thinking, how long would it realistically take to strip down the top area to get access to the glow plugs? and would the engine still be warm enough?

e3steve wrote ...

Having done said strip-down to that level, I reckon I could be unscrewing the glowplugs within an hour or two.

If the engine is stopped when the fan cuts in it will stay good and hot for that amount of time, but the coolant-dump will be the hazardous part of the operation at that sort of temperature! Pre-remove the undertray and the engine cover, and have all your tools laid out and to hand alongside (and at a sensible height -- I lay mine out in an orderly fashion on and old picnic table, right next to where I'm working).

Don't forget to elevate the bonnet beyond its normal open position, and have plenty of light on the subject! - Click Here -

gmerry wrote ...

I like the orderly approach!

For draining the coolant, at least partially, I disconnect the heater quick connect under the air cleaner housing. Its easy to get to and avoids me going near that bla&*ed plastic radiator, the connections of which I do not trust in the slightest.

For refilling the coolant next time, I'll use the vacuum refill method with the Pela650.

Good luck with it.
G

PS, I'll post a link on the NGKdotDE website which has a few details on these glowplugs. Apparently they are Self Regulating Metal type, two internal coils, one is the heater element the other is the regulator. Good old magnesium oxide insulator. They stress need for reaming out the cylinder head recess if there is any carbon build up before replacing. They are designed for a 11V supply (any guesses as to where that comes from?) and it warns against testing them with a direct battery feed because there is a danger they will burn out. Also they say not to leave the ignition on without the engine running, reminds me of burning out the ignition coil on my dads car aged 6!. Not sure how this fits in with a long Lexia session too.