Hi,

My 2005 CRD has logged 135,000 miles and now has a bad glow plug. I have a set of the metal glow plugs and was planning on replacing all 4 but after reading up on the procedure I'm concerned about having the broken tip problem. How common is this problem?
If the problem is caused by carbon buildup is there anything that can be done proactively before trying to remove the GP that will decrease the risk the tip will break off. I've been running a Green Diesel Eco Tune for about a year so I suspect there is less carbon buildup.

Thanks

#3 is the hardest to get to as it REQUIRES removal of the intake elbow. Once #3 is done the rest are a piece of cake. I'd replace them all. While it is physically possible to break a tip it does require somewhat significant sideways force, don't ask, which is not going to happen if you just unscrew them and pull them straight out. What can help in removal is application of a bit of PbBlaster or similar lube and a touch of block heat, like what you would have if the block heater was on for a couple of hours. All the ones that were replaced in my vicinity unscrewed easily.

FYI don't delay on this as there is some suggestion that glow plug tip breakage is more likely after you get a glow plug CEL, of course it's possible such a CEL is the result of tip breakage. If you do have a broken tip inspect it carefully as a sooty break indicates an old break in which case the piece has passed thru the system without causing damage vs a shiny break which indicates a fresh break which means best look into the cylinder, pull the injector and use a bore scope, for the remains. If you are not sure sooty vs shiny just snap the tip off one of the other glow plugs you will be throwing away anyway.

At 135,000 miles I hope the timing belt job has been done if not you are way out on borrowed time.

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Sold to LOST member my 05 Ltd, GDE Stg II turbo + TCM tune, SunCoast TC w. Transgo kit, Steiger window regulators, Samcos, Fumoto valve, 2nd gen filter head with Lub. Spec. bleeder, Hayden clutch & 11 blade fan, inverted spare, P-1 battery, BF Goodrich Long Trail TAs, Etecno1 glow plugs, timing belt at 50K miles/8 yrs

I don't think you can mix metal and ceramic. I had one bad one and it is such a pain to get at you might as well do them all. I sprayed/soaked some sort of anti-seize (think industrial strength wd-40) on it an let it sit for a couple hours and they came out okay. It is nerve wracking for sure but I am glad I did it. Personal opinion is that the professional mechanics that break them probably rushed it weren't careful enough. One of the write ups recommended using plastic tubing which worked pretty well to be able to pull it straight out.
For reference I have gde tune since about 6 months after they came out and I never worked on a car before I got this one...

Also make sure you get the codes cleared afterwards or you will still get the light.

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2005 Liberty CRD, 245/75R16, OME CRD Springs front, OME HD rear

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I replaced the belt, all the rollers, tensioner, water pump and therm at 100K. It still runs good and strong after the GD Eco tune. My intension was to do them all but the postings on this site often make me a little paranoid.

Hardest part will be removal and reinstall of the intake elbow. In fact I'd recommend getting weeks101's elbow kit just to avoid the hassle of reinstalling the elbow. If you don't get the kit I strongly suspect the reinstall would be much easier if you replace the elbow bolts with studs and nuts then at least you don't have to deal with threading the rear bolts back in.

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Sold to LOST member my 05 Ltd, GDE Stg II turbo + TCM tune, SunCoast TC w. Transgo kit, Steiger window regulators, Samcos, Fumoto valve, 2nd gen filter head with Lub. Spec. bleeder, Hayden clutch & 11 blade fan, inverted spare, P-1 battery, BF Goodrich Long Trail TAs, Etecno1 glow plugs, timing belt at 50K miles/8 yrs

I was paranoid too and put off replacing glow plugs.
Last month I finally did it. Replaced all four with the Etecno ones.
All four factory original plugs came out clean with no cracks or chips in the ceramic.
And the four new one went on without issue.

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What people should be "parnoid" about is driving at ALL with a CEL for the glow plugs. I would STRONGLY suggest you park your vehicle until you have time to replace the GPs. They break apart after electrial failure. I also strongly suggest the Weeks elbow, since it often takes 3-4 hours to get the OEM elbow back together.

I would also suggest asking ID Parts if they have updated steel GPs in stock. (The earlier versions often failed in a few months.)

DOC

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2005 KJ CRD Ltd Detroit TrueTrac Bilsteins G2 GDE "HOT" ECU GDE TCM "Tow Tune" "euro" TC SEGR Weeks Elbow New HG at 130K ARPs Clean CAT aFe Filter Magnaflow Exhaust EHM Cumminos In-Tank Lift Pump Hayden Fan Clutch Nylon Fan VH Enabled with GDE lower shutoff point Recalibrated Temp Gauge Tekonsha Prodigy Sears P-1 ZDDP

replace all 4 and do the intake elbow from Weeks as suggested. I had to replace 2 Etecno GP's and wish I had just done the elbow the first time. Also, IDParts is awesome about warranty returns on the GP's...I actually bought 4 new ones and returned the 4 old ones without a problem. Etecno will actually do the same, it just takes a lot longer. IDParts should have the updated GP's now.

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sold...05 CRD Limited, GDE Hot Tune, Euro TC, ARP Head Studs, Intake Elbow Kit, Samco CAC Hoses, Etecno 7v glow plugs, OME 790 and Bilstein 916 up front, OME 948 and OME N132L rear, JBA Upper A-Arms, 245/75/16 Duratracs on Moabs, Renegade roof lights, Curt Front Hitch, BTF Kryptonite Diff Cover, JCR Stage 2 Rock Rails, Skid Row Skid Plates

I keep seeing reference to updated GP's but never saw any official acknowlegement that there was an issue even though there was plenty of evidence.

Did Etecno1 actually do anything to address the reliability issues or is this just an assumption.

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This morning I decided to deal with my CEL and replace my glow plugs. Well I'm really in the thick of it now. Despite warming the engine with the block heater and applying blaster #2 glow plug came out hard. The GP has no chips or cracks but the threads on the old plug are flattened off. Any ideas on what my options are at this point? It's #2 so it is possible to access the hole. Can the threads be cleaned up? Can this be done with the head on?

Any idea what these threads are? I really don't want to pull this head but realize I may have no choice.

Thanks for any help.

Yes, Etecno has acknowledged they had a defective batch. I doubt they would announce it publicly but they did admit to me (via email) that there were issues - all of which were reported in North America. They did make an updated version, which I believe is relabeled but I cant remember the difference.

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sold...05 CRD Limited, GDE Hot Tune, Euro TC, ARP Head Studs, Intake Elbow Kit, Samco CAC Hoses, Etecno 7v glow plugs, OME 790 and Bilstein 916 up front, OME 948 and OME N132L rear, JBA Upper A-Arms, 245/75/16 Duratracs on Moabs, Renegade roof lights, Curt Front Hitch, BTF Kryptonite Diff Cover, JCR Stage 2 Rock Rails, Skid Row Skid Plates

I've got a current issue with #1 GP. Not sure if I have the OEM GP or the new steel GPs. Before tearing into it, how would I know which is which? In transitioning over to the steel replacements, what else has to be done?

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2005 Jeep Liberty Limited CRD 4x4, K&N Filter, stock

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If you have the original ceramic, the tip will be straight all the way down below the stainless steel section. The metal plug tips are tapered.

The Etechno plugs are a drop-in replacement for the ceramics, nothing else needs to be done. You can also drop them in if you have had the Bosch 5v plugs, but the 7v may not get as hot unless the program in the computer is updated to put you back to 7V. GDE can do this for you.

Panda52: I don't know what you mean by "flattened off" but if you have access to a grinder or a dremel, you can solve this pretty quickly. Take one of the old plugs and break off the ceramic tip first. Now take your dremel with a cutting wheel, or a grinder with the same (narrow cutting disc, NOT a wide grinding stone) and slice a single slot across the threads, along the axis of the glow plug. You have just made a thread chaser and this will cut the threads just enough to clean them up. Give it a wipe with some grease or aluminum anti-seize to both lube it, and to catch any cuttings from the hole.

Run this in and out on the threads in the hole a few times, and you should be good to go.

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FYI:
If you need or want to replace your 7v glow plugs, now is a good time to purchase as IDParts has recently dropped their price on a full set of four and has them on sale [Glow Plug Set 7V [Etecno] (Liberty CRD)]...
http://www.idparts.com/glow-plug-set-7v-etecno-liberty-crd-p-3559.html

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Hopefully this isn't the case, but it sounds like maybe the threads seized together and the block's threads came out with the glow plug? My cylinder 2 plug did that:


Either way their post is from a couple years ago, so they've probably gotten it taken care of by now

DOH!

Totally missed the dates in the thread. Good catch Joe.