where are my glow plugs on a relay van 2.8 hdi

selectsands · Post by **selectsands** » 21 Oct 2010, 18:22

hello, so i have bought 4 glow plugs for my van, lifted the bonnet thinking i should easily see the glow plugs.....there was a plastic cover on top of the engine so i undid two screws and the oil cap and removed the cover...there were four things (pardon my language) in a row, each one was plugged into a cable and along the top was a pipe connecting all four,but nothing really looked like the glow plug i was holding in my hand!!
the relay is a 51 plate
help would be very much appreciated and i have gone nearly blind looking through the forum for relevant topics....
thanks anthony

Dommo · Post by **Dommo** » 21 Oct 2010, 18:33

Those 4 things sound like the injectors, with the metal pipe connected to them all being the 'common fuel rail'.

I'm unsure where you would find the glow plugs however!

Edit - Actually having thought about it a bit more, it may not have glow plugs being a fairly big engine.. Are you sure it does have some??

spider · Post by **spider** » 21 Oct 2010, 19:08

Does appear to have them.

Cannot tell if front or back ( ! ) from this pic though, knowing a few annoyances about these commercials (such as excess unbolting to change a headlight bulb!) , I would not be surprised to find them at the rear of the head (sorry)

This is the only 2.8 engine pic I have, it is a Boxer but should be the same:

'DIESEL SOFIM 2800'

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 21 Oct 2010, 19:40

I expect your plugs will be in a similar spot to those on the 2ltr engines. Down the back of the head.

selectsands · Post by **selectsands** » 21 Oct 2010, 23:33

thanks for your replies i shall be investigating tomorrow when it is light again....knowing my luck it will be in a very awkward place...but thanks for pushing me in the right direction.....lucky i didn't start taking the injectors aparts eh!!!!
cheers ant

selectsands · Post by **selectsands** » 22 Oct 2010, 18:12

ok i have looked all down the front of the engine (removing two big hoses to get a clear view) and over the back (above and below the exhaust manifold) and there are definately no four glow plugs in a row or anything like that attached to a wire....
on the front of the head is four injectors (as i now know) these are connected by a tube along the top and electrical plug, then beneath these are four things (sorry) that are bolted in and connected by solid pipe to something with bosch written on it.
beneath that on the left side (facing the engine) is a plug type hose that unclipped and i think desiel poured out and next to that is something that could be a glow plug but there is only one of these???
please help as these cold morning as get colder and i fear one day the van just wont start....
thanks anthony

spider · Post by **spider** » 22 Oct 2010, 18:32

Its probably your fuel filter and fuel pump you are describing.

The 'single' part is probably a sensor of some description.

The parts near in the head end of the metal pipes are the fuel injectors themselves (do not remove!)

I've never seen this engine that I recall though so cannot be sure, I do think as above they are around the back of the head though.

Looking at the diagram, quite low down on the head too (so if you imagine where the injectors are but around the back) about an inch or so lower than that (but at the back)

Sorry that's not a lot of help.

selectsands · Post by **selectsands** » 22 Oct 2010, 19:03

cheers andy for your reply

whilst i was underneath the van i did see something that may have be a glow plug it had a single cable that looked like it was attached to the alternator.....if there are four of them i can't see them above the exhaust manifold or below it....i am really stumped....its crazy cause everything else on the engine is easy to get to, i mean like the oil and fuel filter, etc...they seem to have hidden this part...unless there is just one...possible?????
cheers anthony

spider · Post by **spider** » 22 Oct 2010, 19:38

Should be four. Will be above exhaust manifold I would say.

Trouble is I have never ever seen this engine (and HDi's were 'brand new' almost) when I left so I cannot be sure what is where, sorry.

selectsands · Post by **selectsands** » 22 Oct 2010, 20:20

ok i just popped out and had another look, from under the engine at the back i have looked up to the exhaust and cant see them and from above i have looked down the head to where a large metal thing where four big metal connections are to the head....unless they are between this and the exhaust which would mean getting to them would be very hard....

i was wondering if the injectors are the things connected to the solid pipe what are the plastic things just above them, they each have an electrical plug and are all connected by a rubber pipe on the top end of them...i took the pipe off each one (removing a metal paperclip type thing one each one) but the plastic casing doesnt move....dont suppose these could be anything to do with it?
cheers and sorry for my questions, i am keen to do things myself and on cars i have always been able to look at a hayes manual but they dont do one for vans.....!

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 23 Oct 2010, 08:39

I've just looked on Citroen Service, and there's 'no document found' for engine pre-heating, where glowplugs are usually listed, for your engine. An optional cold start device (intake air pre-heater) is shown, though, and is presumably fitted for cold climates due to the lack of glowplugs. This seems to correspond with a relay, function unspecified, whose part number differs for cold and very cold climates.
Why do you believe that the glowplugs (if fitted) need changing?

selectsands · Post by **selectsands** » 24 Oct 2010, 17:06

well this may explain why i can't find them....the only reason i thought they needed changing was i called up a garage (the guy who does my mot) and said that when the engine is cold it takes maybe a couple of seconds to start, it almost seems a struggle and then fires into life, then no problem stop starting all day...then next morning same again...and his first comment was "glow plugs need replacing"
i then popped down Motor Factors and they looked them up and said ah yes these are what you need and relived me of £35...and now it looks like i dont even have them
my first thought was maybe my battery didnt quite deliver enough ommp for the cold start so was struggling...its had a new starter motor which is the big 2. something KW (very expensive of course)
any ideas.....
thanks

selectsands · Post by **selectsands** » 25 Oct 2010, 20:33

yes as said before....i don't have any glow plugs....have since re spoken with motor factors who have agreed saying that the hdi engines do not have them and instead have something else which they didnt know what, but believed it to be a Citroen part and most likely expensive....
however since then i had the old van up to wigan and back on a delivery mission (550 miles round trip) and the problems seems to have gone (for now)
thanks for all your posts and ideas
cheers
anthony

French Car Forum

where are my glow plugs on a relay van 2.8 hdi

where are my glow plugs on a relay van 2.8 hdi

thank q

just cant see them

is there really four or could there be one

if its four then .......

hi dnsey

in conclusion