All Trucks, Campers, Trailers, RV's and Motor Homes - 1983 Diesel Goow Plug System

The truck was not starting well in the morn and sometimes the glow plug light would not come on. You could move the wires on the glow plug wire connection on the solenoid and it would fix it. I cleaned the connections and all of a sudden we have no glow plug working, no seat belt buzzer gauges not working and no voltage to the solenoid contol wires. The water in fuel light works, the starter cranks and the radio works. All of a sudden it works and then it stops. There is no voltage to the control side of the glow plug solenoid. So is it the ignition switch or do you have any other ideas

Without knowing what type diesel it is, it would be difficult. Cummins doesn't use glow plugs, but an intake heater grid. Have you cleaned the terminals on both batteries?

Sorry, 1983 Chvrolet 6.2

Check the ground wire from the engine block to firewall.

That is most common curpit when it screw up the glowplug function.

The ground wire will look like small braided wire and it about 12 inches long and it will be located back passgernr side of engine block [ near the vaccum pump ]

Merci,Marc

Thanks for the help Marc. I checked it out and cleaned it at the engine and the firewall, also cleaned all battery conections and to the block connections. I think the funny thing is that the gauges do not work. Any chanch I blew a fuseable link, I checked all the fuses in the fuse block.

sound like you blew the fuseable link they are little more tricky to find it.


IIRC i know one set is near the starter and second one is on the firewall near glowplug contoller.

and i am sure most fusebale link is 14 gauge size so you may have to look little more closer to find it.

with my old 83 GMC truck IIRC i think it was orange colour wire i am not sure but once you will see it you get the idea.

Merci,Marc

I've seen many problems with the glow plug solenoids on those engines. It's something that is easy and cheap to change. Give it a shot. You can also check your glow plugs by unplugging them and then taking a regular test light (available at most auto parts stores) and take the clamp side of the test light and hook it up to your positive side of your battery, then touch the probe side of the test light to the end of the glow plug. It should light up on all of them. If it lights up on none of them, your doing something wrong. Those engines were also infamous for having injector pump problems, but if runs ok after it starts, it's probly ok.

sewscruwed.,,

The OP did mention the gauges not working so i know it is a fuseable link blew out because part of the gauges work interconnected to the glowplug controller circuit.

Typically most 6.2L trucks do have 4 or 5 fusebale links in there.

I know for sure a master fuseable link is near the right battery post and about 2 or 3 more there while the GP circuit is on the firewall that is the other location of fuseable link.

I highly doubt a ingtion switch can cease function but if so it will shut off the IP [ injector pump ] fast.

But if that the case it is not to hard to get ahold of ingtion switch but it canbe pain in butt a little espcally if you have automatic tranny verison.

With my old GMC truck i have before i ran 680,000 miles and never replaced the ingtion switch at all.

Merci,Marc

Thanks for all the help guys, it was the 20 amp gauge fuse blown. I swear I check it twice and it looked good, one more time and it was obvious.

Well almost success, the glow plugs do not work, except when I use the switch that is installed. It just provides a ground to the relay and powers up the relay. I think the wires to the controller have a bad connection. Will be checking all the connections to see if I can fix it but I may end up using the manual switch. All gauges work.