Another glow plug clicking question.......

[shoosty]

Sorry to add to the many threads on this but I just wanted to confirm that on a chilly day it IS normal to hear a clicking sound after the engine has fired up.
Now that it is dropping below 0'c I am hearing between 2 and 8 extra clicks with in 30 seconds of the engine starting....after that it is all good.
I read someone else is hearing this but is it normal..... or is it time to have the sensor examined? Let's hear from more people on those prairies.

[marsgal42]

Yes, the glow plug controller clicks a few times after the engine starts in cold weather. You may notice small changes in engine RPM when it does.

...laura

[jessef]

Yes, the glow plug controller clicks a few times after the engine starts in cold weather. You may notice small changes in engine RPM when it does.

...laura

x2 normal for extra clicks the colder it gets. Same with Pajero's.

[mararmeisto]

Concur with the others, and here's what's going on:

• -glow plugs at full voltage after ignition is switched, dropping to 0 volts after 4-8 seconds
  -when the engine is cranking, voltage is half
  -while the engine is warming up, may cycle on/off until the engine coolant reaches 60 degrees C or until 180 seconds has passed.

Anything more than that, you've probably got a problem with your board. It doesn't seem that the glow plugs are 'read' for their hotness, it's a timing thing; and the timer should run out after 3 minutes.

And yes, I'm living in Victoria, but I did live on the Prairies for a number of years. Got my ol' '94 Honda Civic started in Winnipeg one winter (just driving through, and my car didn't have a block heater) after not plugging-in, in minus 45 degrees. Boy, did that ever sound like a diesel! For nearly half-an-hour!