2004 glow plug problem and solution

Ciprian

Spark Plugs not allowed!
Hi folks,

About 2 months ago I had the check engine light come on. I hook up my DAD to the van and I got 2 codes: P1482 and 2134. P1482 means that the glow plug module blew an internal fuse link and 2134 says that the glow plug #2 is bad.

All good and well, the van would still start fine even in 25 degrees and I did not have time to mess with it for a while. The check engine light would go off after a few cycles, and then would show up again, and then would clear, and come back over and over.

One day, I disconnected the glow plug connector from the glow plug module and tested all glow plugs with Dr. A's method. I got a 20 amps fuse and connected all glow plugs through the fuse to the + terminal on the battery. When I would touch the wire to the battery terminal I would get a little spark on all glow plugs, meaning that none of the glow plugs failed open, but interestingly enough, none of the glow plugs would burn the fuse, meaning that none were shorted. Weird.

I connected the connector back to the module since I did not have time to go any further.

About a month later I took the module out and opened it up to see what I would find in there. Sure enough, one fusible link was blown, the one from glow plug #1, not the one from #2 as the code suggested. But this is understandable, since MB messed up the software a bit and it has a glitch.

But this puzzled me since the #1 glow plug showed good by Dr. A's test. So, I proceeded to test the glow plugs again, and this time the fuse would blow right away on glow plug #1, so definitely the glow plug was shorted. I was so scared to even attempt to take out the glow plug fearing a broken plug and then more trouble to fix than to leave it alone. But after a while I got enough courage to attempt removing the glow plug. I warmed up the engine to 180 degrees, shut the engine off and I applied just a little torque on the glow plug and it broke loose. Then slowly it came out as easy as anything. I was very surprised at how easy it came out, since I have over 380k miles on the van. I then put some anti seize lubricant on the threads of the new glow plug and installed it back in, and then I torqued it to 19 Nm.

Then I modified my module with 5 external fuses, thanks to surelyoldbill for the idea, and finally had the time last week to put it all together back in the van. Finally, I have a van that is cel free. That check engine light started to get on my nerves.

So, definitely I had a glow plug that would short out intermittently, and no, it was not the wire harness, since when I got the plug out and tested it, it was shorted.

I only changed the one bad glow plug. I will change the other ones as they go bad, since it doesn't cost me but a few cents for a new fuse when another one goes.



This is the modified module, I know it does not look as professional as surelyoldbill's, but it works.
IMAG0280.jpg

The culprit.
IMAG0282.jpg

The old, together with the new.
IMAG0284.jpg
 

220629

Well-known member
Ciprian,
It appears the old GP in the pic is Bosch? The ones I removed from my 2004 213,000 miles or so were also Bosch. Supposedly Beru are OEM in our model year so maybe our engines have seen a glow plug change at some time? Your module fuse mod looks much better than mine FWIW. Thanks for the info. vic
 

Ciprian

Spark Plugs not allowed!
Vic,

I bought my van new from the dealer in 2005. I doubt they changed the glowplugs in the one year they had it on the lot, but anything is possible.
 

220629

Well-known member
Vic,

I bought my van new from the dealer in 2005. I doubt they changed the glowplugs in the one year they had it on the lot, but anything is possible.
Ciprian,
Thanks for the reply. Was the removed GP indeed a Bosch? If so, from what you indicate the Bosch plugs in mine could have been original. My 2004 had 172,000 miles on it when I purchased so I can't say either way. :idunno: vic
 

Ciprian

Spark Plugs not allowed!
Ciprian,
Thanks for the reply. Was the removed GP indeed a Bosch? If so, from what you indicate the Bosch plugs in mine could have been original. My 2004 had 172,000 miles on it when I purchased so I can't say either way. :idunno: vic
To be honest, I don't really know, since it is kind of rusted, but I think it is Beru. I tried to take the rust off, but that took the writing also. Will let you know when I remove another one.
 

Ciprian

Spark Plugs not allowed!
Vic,

#3 glow plug shorted last week, so I replaced it today. Here is a pic of it. It is a Beru, not Bosch. Came out very easily, just like the other one.

IMAG0360.jpg
 

220629

Well-known member
Ciprian,
Glad it again went well for you. I found replacing my five went very well and is really not a bad job at all as long as it goes well. I'm thinking that I'll remove/re-install mine every couple years. Probably not necessary, but it will make me feel better.

Thanks for the update. vic
 

Ciprian

Spark Plugs not allowed!
Ciprian,
Glad it again went well for you. I found replacing my five went very well and is really not a bad job at all as long as it goes well. I'm thinking that I'll remove/re-install mine every couple years. Probably not necessary, but it will make me feel better.

Thanks for the update. vic
Vic,
Mine has almost 400k miles and almost 7 years on the road, and both glow plugs that I changed came out very easy. So, I think you are right in saying that it is probably not necessary to remove/install. But hey, we need something to do when the van decides to keep going and going without any breakdowns. :rad:
 

famof8

Famof8 + 1 = Famof9!
Cip, glad to hear that you are still going strong. Your van is an inspiration to mine at only 234,900 miles. I wouldn't worry about the way your mod looks. I have seen it all in my line of work and trust me, some factory stuff I see doesn't look as good as your mod.
 

StephenH

New member
I'm new to sprinters and have a 2004 and the engine light stays on after the glow plug light goes off (after 10 or so seconds). I was told by the original owner the engine light sometimes stays on and other times it goes off. He had it checked and was told it was cylinder #5's glow plug that needed replacing but didn't ever do it. Now I have it and my mechanic hooked up the computer diag and is getting code: P1482-002 "Glowplug module incorrect timer" (he told me over the phone so don't know if that's exact text).

There was no second code to indicate which glow plug. Does that mean there may be an intermittant problem like in this thread.

If so, is there any danger in driving it as I need to go from Vermont to Texas next week. I'm not a mechanic but I have a good one to work on it as needed.
 

220629

Well-known member
...
If so, is there any danger in driving it as I need to go from Vermont to Texas next week. I'm not a mechanic but I have a good one to work on it as needed.
First let me extend you a hale and hearty welcome to the forum.

The glow plugs are needed for starting in cold weather approximately below 32F or so. Once the engine starts and is running they are basically no longer needed. There is an after glow programmed stage which helps keep smoke to a minimum on cold start, but that isn't critical.

There should be no problem running to Texas from Vermont this time of year.

FWIW. The glow plug fault codes which point to specific T1N glow plugs being bad are notoriously inaccurate. Further tests are required to verify which glow plug(s) are actually bad.

There's some glow plug information found in post #141 and #142 in this thread.


Aqua Puttana's Cheap Tricks - Nothin' Fancy Here

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4827

Glow plugs have been discussed many other places. A search from the blue bar above will surface more threads. Good luck. vic
 

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