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A spark plug is a crucial component of any internal combustion engine that uses gasoline. These plugs are the thing that sets off your motor! But how about diesel-powered vehicles? Do diesel engines have spark plugs? And how many spark plugs does a diesel have?
In this post, Driverevole will explain all you need to know about spark plugs in diesel engines and compare them to those on gas-operated vehicles.
What Are Spark Plugs?
A spark plug is an integral part of a motor. On most petrol cars, a cylinder will only need 1 spark plug. There will be 6 spark plugs in the engine of a 6-cylinder vehicle.
For your engine to get an electrical ignition, it is programmed to ignite the spark plugs in a particular sequence. A little explosion occurs within the motor’s cylinders when the sparks ignite the combination of gasoline and air.
This explosion presses the pistons within the engine bay down, releasing power and propelling the vehicle to move ahead. In other words, if you have bad spark plugs or oil in spark plug well, your engine will fail to work.
How Many Spark Plugs Does A Diesel Have?
There are none, to put it frankly. In contrast to a petrol vehicle, a diesel car does not have spark plugs. To generate power, compression ignition engines (like diesel engines) utilize glow plugs in place of traditional spark plugs.
Why Do Gas-Operated Cars Need Spark Plugs But Diesels Don’t?
What truly causes the difference here is the fuel itself.
Since gasoline and diesel fuel are chemically distinct, the burning process in their corresponding engines is also different.
Generally, gasoline is categorized as a flammable liquid, whereas diesel is regarded as a combustible solution. In other words, diesel fuel will put out a lighted match, whereas gasoline will cause a fire.
Because of this, the ignition is the only thing required to start a gas cylinder. Diesel fuel, on the flip side, is denser and has a higher boiling temperature than gasoline; therefore, it needs a combustor that operates at a higher pressure to be used as a car fuel.
Thus, diesel fuel won’t function in a petrol car since it doesn’t ignite when exposed to a spark and vice versa. In fact, as we mentioned in our “Vehicle Refueling Myths” article, If you use diesel in a gas-powered engine, expect to pay a fortune for repairs.
What Do Glow Plugs Do?
As stated earlier, diesel-powered motors use glow plugs rather than spark plugs. Glow plugs, like spark plugs, are an integral element of your car’s combustion mechanism.
In detail, glow plugs function in 3 processes:
- Warming Up: They prepare the combustion chamber for a fast engine start by heating it.
- Temperature Maintenance: They keep the chamber at the right temperature throughout combustion.
- After-Heating: As long as the engine runs, they maintain the cylinder heads and blocks at the required temperature.
Diesel cars use one glow plug in each cylinder. This suggests that a 5-cylinder motor has 5 glow plugs, a 6-cylinder diesel car holds 6, and a V8 engine uses 8 glow plugs.
To summarize the differences between spark plugs and glow plugs,
| Spark plugs | Glow plugs | |
| Vehicles | Gas-operated | Diesel-operated |
| Position | At the top of the cylinder head. | Under the engine’s valve covers. |
| Usage | Create sparks to ignite the fuel-air mixture. | Warm up the combustor compartment to burn the fuel-air mixture. Maintain the compartment (cylinder heads and blocks) heat for effective operations. |
| Maintenance Schedule | After traveling 50,000 to 100,000 miles | After traveling 12,000 miles |
How Does A Glow Plug Work?
When you start your diesel car’s motor, the compressed air within the cylinders expands rapidly. Consequently, the fuel injector is compelled to discharge diesel into the cylinder, which combines with the air to produce a combustible combination.
In the meantime, the glow plugs start heating up to prepare the engine’s combustors for use. The high pressure and temperature created and maintained by glow plugs during the combustion process burns the air-fuel combination and hence turns the crankshaft.
Glow plugs in today’s diesel engines can achieve temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius in less than 3 secs; thus, the combustion process is actually quite fast.
What Happens If My Glow Plugs Fail?
Delayed starting and the outright inability to start are typical consequences of a defective glow plug.
If the car can still run, it might exhibit a rough idle, some stalling, and dense white fumes while the engine is warming up. One defective glow plug is enough to trigger a slightly tricky start and a lag in a 4-cylinder engine.
In addition, two will make for a very tough start and problemed function. When there are 3 faulty plugs, starting and driving your car should be somewhat impossible. Even with bigger motors, the same rules apply.
Unless your engine possesses extremely low compression, a glow plug problem is likely the cause if your car cranks after block heating recharge but refuses to crank without it.
How To Test Glow Plugs
If you suspect failing glow plugs, try the methods below to test your glow plugs.
The first technique is to use a test light. To begin, unplug all of your glow plugs. Connect the clamp of your 12V test lamp to the (+) end of the batteries. Put your test light’s tip on the glow plug’s connector. It is defective if a glow plug fails to turn on the testing lamp.
Using an ohmmeter is an alternative technique. Once again, to avoid forming parallel circuits, remove all cables from your glow plugs. Check the resistance level between your glow plug connector and the ground. A faulty glow plug is one with a reading of ∞ or higher than a couple of ohms.
Moreover, you may examine the power consumption of any plug separately by using an ammeter. By using this technique, you may detect failing glow plugs with lower power consumption.
FAQs
Can My Diesel Engine Work Without A Glow Plug?
Yes.
In contrast to gasoline cars, which mandate spark plugs for ignition, diesel vehicles may function without glow plugs.
Without a functioning glow plug, a diesel engine may still operate smoothly. However, the caveat is that this is only relevant for diesel cars in hot environments.
Diesel fuel can move smoothly to the fuel injectors if the surrounding temperature is high enough. The combustion compartment’s hot compressed air is what allows the fuel to burn so fast.
How Long Do Glow Plugs Last?
It is advisable by many mechanics that you get your glow plugs checked after 15,000 kilometers.
Glow plugs have a lifespan of about 120,000 kilometers, at which point it is strongly advised that owners get replacement plugs. Even if just one glow plug is malfunctioning, it may negatively impact your car’s power and fuel economy, so changing them all at once is preferable.
Can I Change Glow Plugs Myself?
Even though automobiles have become increasingly complicated over the decades, most car owners can still change their glow plugs at home. But before you begin the task, you should check that you possess the proper-sized glow plugs and a hand torque wrench.
It might take around 60 minutes on some vehicles and as long as 5 hours on others, depending on the obstacles in the approach, or in the instance of certain Ford diesel models, valve cover disassembly.
You can hire a professional if doing it at home isn’t your thing. Costs for replacing glow plugs typically range from $235 to $287. The price of labor is approximately between $140 and $177, while the component costs from $95 to $210. This estimate doesn’t factor in the specifics of your car or region and excludes all fees and taxes.
Wrapping Up
How many spark plugs does a diesel have? The answer is zero.
Due to the different chemical structures between gasoline and diesel, these 2 fuels require distinct engines to combust the air-fuel mixture. While a gas-powered car relies on spark plugs to ignite, diesel vehicles necessitate the use of glow plugs.
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