Hey I searched for a bit but nothin. What type of wire (gauge etc..) do I need for the glow plugs? I'm asking because on my truck it looks like the gps and wire have all been changed fairly recently but the wire they used only looks to be about a 16 gauge. I am going to change it out because on the pass. side I noticed today while changing my starter that at least two wires have been coming in contact with the manifold and the insulation is completly charred off of about a 2 inch section :eek:.

its heat rated wire, dont know size but id guess you want at least 12 gauge.

Guys say to use appliance wire thats heat rated as you cant buy new harness for the glow plugs.

Isn't there fusible links in the wires somewhere, I'm going to be replacing all my glow plugs wires, so am also wondering. Maybe Painless Performance has some good wire for it.

It's a heat resistant wire,I believe 18 ga is used once each glow plug gets it's own wire. The wire from the controller to the splice is 14 ga. There is a fusible link in each glow plug wire and one in each feed wire. The spade connectors and insulation are also high heat rated.

ok you need high heat wire. 16GA with a 16GA Fusible link IIRC.

The glow plug wire that extends to each plug is fusible link wire. 0.8 sq. mm. (light blue) and can be bought from NAPA in 10' rolls for about $6 a roll.

Fusible link wire is just standard copper wire with enough non-flammable insualtion (or insulation that self extinguishes) to keep the wire contained when it melts through due to a short or other problem.

Chaser

you hope...it does sometimes burn through. but yes...it's a metered wire that is designed to melt at a lower current rating than the wire its protecting. and is covered in rubberized insulation as opposed to plastic.

Fusible link is typically just a short portion of a circuit that is around 4 gauges smaller than the wire for the circuit.

For some reason GM used fusible link for the entire glow plug wiring and all I can figure is they did it for it's high heat properties and durability of insulation to prevent shorting out. I'm sure they wanted that protection for the entire run of the glow plug wiring. I suppose if the controller stuck 'on' this would also alleviate some tendancy to set the insulation on fire.

Fortunately it is readily available and not terribly expensive.

Chaser

You got that right! I've seen fusible links from batteries devoid of any of the *special* insulation.

Maybe the smoke smells better or something!

Chaser

you hope...it does sometimes burn through. but yes...it's a metered wire that is designed to melt at a lower current rating than the wire its protecting. and is covered in rubberized insulation as opposed to plastic.

thanks everyone, thats exactly what I needed to know

IIRC, at least the one on the passenger side, next to turbo is silicone insulated wires or may be rubberized. If you can find silicone insulated may be better for longevity. It is hot on that side of the engine.

There have been some pretty good posts on the topic of gp wiring over the years, here's but one...

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2012940&postcount=62

IIRC, at least the one on the passenger side, next to turbo is silicone insulated wires or may be rubberized. If you can find silicone insulated may be better for longevity. It is hot on that side of the engine.

They convert from blue fusible link to teflon or silicone coated wire fairly shortly before passing through the heat shields. The bulk of the runs are made with the fusible link wire.

Chaser