Glow Plug Surprise

If you are having starting issues when it’s cold, check the WHOLE glow plug circuit.

Recently I happened to be standing on the left side of the tractor while starting it. (Made sure that it’s out of gear) While I was heating the glow plugs, I saw a small spark. Investigation revealed several bare spots on the wire that runs from the resistor coil under the battery to the rearmost glow plug.

Over the winter I had very quirky starting. Now I think I had intermittent glow plug performance.

If you want to rule out this issue, disconnect the glow plug from power wire and then see if the resistor coil and dash indicator still heat up. If they do, you have a short that’s cutting your glow plugs out of the circuit.

By disconnecting the wire from the resistor coil that runs the glow plug, I was able to manipulate the wire enough to wrap the whole length of it in electrical tape.

I won’t know until next winter whether that was the main issue causing unpredictable starting, but if it was, it might explain why the guy sold the tractor so cheap.