Everywhere I've read about this they've described it as a pig of a job but haven't actually offered any advice on how to go about it. Is it really that bad or are they exaggerating? Any special tools required? All four have gone apparently (auto electrician told me when removing my duff immobiliser) but my car will still start (cranks over for a couple of seconds first and there is some smoke on starting). I guess I'm knackering my starter motor if I don't change them? Any help appreciated, not touched Diesels before. Andy
Andy, The Tdi glow plugs can be changed with a deep 10mm socket and a suitable torque wrench. After removing the plastic cover over the pump/plugs/injectors, take out the 50A fuse* and then pull free the 'bus-bar' connection to the plugs; it has snap connectors to the plugs, like spark plugs (a bar bolted to each plug terminal would need each nut and washer removed). Clean the recesses around the plugs, and use the socket to unscrew each plug. Replace plugs using torque wrench (paynes mentions 15 Nm for the early '1Z' 90 bhp engine code); too tight will damage them. Re-fit bus bar & fuse. * may be a strip type in plastic fuseholder on bulkhead on the earliest cars, more likely to be a large ('maxi' size) 2-blade type added above regular fusebox.
OK, I took a look inside the engine bay before I do this job on Saturday so just wanted to double check...pics always help: OK, so here's what I see...so I'm assuming I don't have a plastic cover to remove? I'm also assuming that I have to remove nuts labelled 'A' that go onto the top of 'B' before pulling the 'bus-bar' connection ('B'?) off?? Then once I've pulled the cords marked as 'B' below, I should expose the plug. Is that correct? What's the big nut ~20mm ('C') at the bottom of the bus-bar for? Do I need to remove it or will it come off with the 'bus-bar'? Thanks, Andy
Glow plug location Hi, Watch out, those are the injectors. Nuts 'A' secure the feed pipes to the injectors, flats 'C' screw the injectors into the cylinder head. Tubes 'B' return excess fuel to the pump/tank circuit. Actually, this may not be a Tdi engine. The #3 injector should have an electrical connection, for a 'needle sensor'. In the first picture, I think a glow plug is visible; where the metal pipes from the injection pump branch out, forming a 'V'. Showing between the two pipes for cylinders 1 & 2, and those for No.s' 3 & 4 (below No. 3 injector) is what may be one of the glow plugs. On the D and TD engines, the insulated bus-bar connecting strip is bolted to each plug, with the feed connection on No. 4. The bar makes a loop under the coolant elbow/temperature sender. The plug flats may well be larger than 10mm, too. Sorry, but in this case changing them will be more difficult than I thought. Using tools on the plug flats would be easy with the head on the workbench, but in the engine bay the injection pump, coolant outlet, hoses, etc are obstructing. I suppose the sparky checked that the plugs are faulty, but if you want to confirm it, the figures given in paynes for the TD engine (code 'AAZ') are 1.5 ohms resistance on each individual plug, a steady current of 8 amps per plug, and 25 Nm fixing torque.
