VW Golf 1.9D 1996 glow plugs - help!

My old golf has been struggling on two working glow plugs for quite a while. A third has now gone down so now in the colder weather it’s a real struggle to start the car.

I need to replace the glow plugs and have optimistically bought 4. The problem is getting them out without them snapping which is the reason I have ducked this job for as long as possible.

I will attach a couple of bad photos below showing the positions of the plugs - two are reasonably easy to access but two are in front of the fuel pump making socket access impossible so will need to use a spanner which is not ideal. I have ordered some wurth rost off plus and also attached a photo of a new glow plug. The problem with these is that apparently they can easily snap when being removed, perhaps necessitating head removal, etc. I want to try to avoid that so will go for the easiest one to access first in the centre right, hoping that if it snaps, it won’t leak from the cylinder and I can bypass it with the power bar. These have been fitted to the car for a long time but are shorter than most with a 12mm nut rather than the more common and I would guess more fragile 10mm longer versions fitted to the turbo diesels.

Anyone got experience of this sort of job as realise that if it goes wrong could be a complete nightmare. Would be a shame as old girl went straight through her MOT a week or so ago and a tank full of fuel. 

rightmost plugs  

Leftmost plugs in front of fuel pump  

New Glow Plug

All i can suggest is use a good quality 6 point thick wall ring/combination spanner, they are very much like a spark plug where you would destroy the threads rather than snap them, then it would be a case of helicoil or inserts.
I’d warm the engine up first and work it in and out, you ‘hopefully’ might be surprised at how easy they do come out.
Best of luck.
Dave.

As I’ve got older, for daily cars, I’ve tended to adopt the strategy that if the job involves…

breaker bars, skinned knuckles, arms or elbows, or a miserable grovelling around, on the ground, outside,

on a winter day…then it’s…

“**** it, someone else can do that.”, and off it goes to my local garage.

 

However, for reluctant nuts and bolts, my first choices are usually Plus Gas, decent 6 point sockets/spanners. 

I’ve also used a product called Shock and Unlock ( halfords ).

I’m with TH on this. If you must do it yourself then plusgas it daily for a week beforehand. Get the engine as hot as it will go and then loosen all that you can while the engine is still hot. Be gentle with them, they can’t take a huge amount of torque

 

I assume you have been on the VW forums looking for the knowledge that they may have.

Soak in releasing fluid or a mixture of ATF and Acetone for at least a week and lots of heating / cooling cycles. When you feel ready get the engine really warm and repeat the releasing fluid application. Remove the nut attaching the heater wire and try to form a cup using another nut. Apply some plumbers freezer spray into the cup. Repeat. Then try to release the glow plug being careful not to exceed the tightening torque. If this doesn’t work or you break the plug you will need to progressively drill it out and re tap the thread, just like you would with a seized spark plug. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to go slowly and steadily, don’t rush… Best of luck.

Thanks for your input - appreciated.

I posted here because no response on the VWAudi forum but have just had a reply from the main man over there ‘Crasher’

Apparently this earlier type of plug is not known for snapping so hopefully with the right preparation will be able to get the easy one to change out so I can start the car to work on the others.

Wurth rost off plus is the recommended product and works very quickly apparently. I have also bought an aerosol of plus gas to add to my old can of Easol. If I can’t wring their necks I will drown them:-) 

Probably going to be a fun weekend.

Ideally will change all 4 and have an easy starting winter car for the first time in x years. 

Still not sure whether a snapped plug will open up the cylinder - hopefully I won’t find out.

Removal of the head to do work on these is a big job to be avoided. Even the head gasket is confusing - two types available 2 notch or three notch and still not idea what mine would be.

Anyway thanks again, with the right preparation and knowledge that these do not snap like twigs I feel more positive.       

the 1X diesel (& AAZ turbo diesel) engines are easy to work on, glowplugs are a fiddle on cars, (vans have their engine leaning foreward & ar a bit of a git to do but not impossible)


I’ve removed the injection-pump on a few to access stubborn 'plugs as a cambelt is a cheap ‘sacrificial’ maintanance part & easy to setup.

I have a few vw vehicles and some were idi engined, now all are tdi converted.

 

Rich.

Hi 

I have done stacks of these and have never snapped one 

to be honest heater plugs / glow plugs very rarely snap off especially short ones like this 

if anything the threads pick up but that’s where getting the head as hot as possible comes in which has already been mentioned 

just make sure you get on them asap while the engines hot 

and don’t worry it will be fine 

Any update on this? just curious as to how you got on.

Sorry Guys - meant to report back but slipped my mind.

It would appear these had all been replaced in early January 2003, according to garage bill so towards 17 years ago. 

They were treated with WD40, GT85, Plusgas and finally 24+ hours and several applications of the highly recommended Wurth Rost-off Plus.

I was going to count successful replacement of two plugs as a victory but ended up doing three. Only one of the plugs was easy to remove where the penetrants had worked. The two easy ones in theory where direct access possible were very stiff, gummed up all the way. The one on the far left behind the fuel pump was really easy - good job too as only leveraged spanner access. The last one, second one in from left behind pump appeared to undo but the hex nut sheared cleanly where it joins the body so left in place. This was really unexpected. I put the first plug removed in a vice and tried to break it unsuccessfully. The second was removed using my Makita nut runner an the basis that they were gummed up but seemed indestructable.

Disappointed that I didn’t get a full house but 3 out of 4 ain’t bad particularly as breakage of fourth totally unexpected. Car starts better than it has done for quite a few years. Testing the old plugs, three were goosed completely and the one left was only partly working. 

Not a job I want to do again in a hurry!   

Glowplug dissection