Westerbeke glow plug relay question?

[Dulcesuenos]

One engine has become harder and harder to start. Tested the glow plugs and they were good. The relay however is only delivering 1.5 volts to the glow plugs and it very slowly climbs to 7 volts. The other engine starts right away i checked it to compare and foumd The relay feed wire to the glow plugs starts at 10 volts and climbs. The relay looks lime a standard old Ford style relay. Anyone replace one with an aftermarket type? Also does this sound lime a bad relay?

[propellanttech]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

One engine has become harder and harder to start. Tested the glow plugs and they were good. The relay however is only delivering 1.5 volts to the glow plugs and it very slowly climbs to 7 volts. The other engine starts right away i checked it to compare and foumd The relay feed wire to the glow plugs starts at 10 volts and climbs. The relay looks lime a standard old Ford style relay. Anyone replace one with an aftermarket type? Also does this sound lime a bad relay?

You could swap the relays to see if the problem swaps with them. If the problem stays put, the relay is not the problem. It could be a bad relay, but did you check the voltage with the glow plugs attached?

If you did, check the voltage again without the glow plugs attached ( I know...a real pain).

If you find the voltage correct at that point, you could progressively check the voltage as you re-attach each glow plug.

You may find one is drawing the power down more than the others. It is quite unlikely though.

The only other problem possible in my mind is bad wiring (internal corrosion).

James L

[Blue Stocking]

Don't know which model you have, but that flat aluminum strip that bridges the plugs, held in place by steel knurl-screws can be a problem from corrosion.