Remember Glow Plugs?

Some of the old John Deere 2 cylinder diesels had a gas pony motor as a starter.You had a problem if you forgot to fill the small pony motor gasoline tank, and shut it off in the middle of the field.We always made sure a chain was on that tractor,sometimes pulling it to start was easier than using the pony motor.

 

I drove a Volvo day cab with glow plugs in 1985. It had a very large engine block, but was cut back in horsepower. The truck attracted attention for its unusual leaf suspension, air assisted clutch, air powered clutch brake, and cab air ride. The transmission could be shifted into any gear at any speed, but releasing the clutch while in the wrong gear was traumatic. The cab was small but heavy, in the European tradition. If we had to wait for repair parts, we said they were on the boat.

I thought of glow plugs as a delay whereas a shot of starting fluid only takes a few seconds. Remember ether "pills"?

 

My uncle had a 1937 International with an engine you started on gas, then when warmed up a bit, you pushed a lever on the dash that shut off the gas and started the diesel flowing. Seems to me it had a 5 speed transmission with a two speed rear end, a sterring wheel as large as a boat and mechanical brakes.
We used it to haul logs down off the mountain to the sawmill.
I drove it once as a 17 year old and it liked to beat me to death.
But I loved it!

 

Ahhhh, the old John Deere 720. Worked for a farmer that had one of those. Pulled a little 6ft one way with it.
Also had an old Jeep I think it was that had the button on the floor you had to push to start it. They all got quite a kick out of this city kid when he couldn't figure that out.

 

And those were the good old days . {?}
But I do miss them.

 

All the major engines still have some type of cylinder heater weather its glow plug or otherwise, when you turn the key on and the gauges go up and down and you hear all the clicking, that is the glow plug circuit cycling, and the computer setting up.

 

That is COMPLETELY false!

The clicking you hear is the system performing checks or as you said, The computer cycling itself...Most modern heavy duty diesels have no glow plugs or any other such preheating devices.

Light duty diesel such as the ones in pickup trucks do have glowplugs but they don't make any sound at all.

 

I have never had glow plugs on any of my Cummins,but I have seen them in pick-ups.