M1009 Glow Plug Controller- Missing Capacitor

[NUCLEARSTAR]

Hello all,

This is the first time I've posted to a forum so bear with me. I am beginning the glow plug system troubleshooting process with my M1009, as it currently will not start.

I am focusing on the glow plug system for this problem based on its history of poorly starting and eventual system behavior matching case 2 (nonstop glow plug relay clicking) of the glow plug system failure modes followed by case 3 (characterized by wait light on indefinitely and truck will not start). I happened to remove my glow plug module from under the dash and noticed one of the capacitors is missing. This capacitor is the one that occupies the "C2" position and is commonly portrayed in photos as being a yellow-orange bulb. It is much smaller than the two large capacitors that are side by side.

What I would like to inquire is if someone could inspect their glow plug module and tell me the information written on it so that I can possibly replace the capacitor instead of purchasing a new module. For instance, on the large capacitors mine reads "47 micro-farads (uF) 35 V".

Now this is probably not the only cause of the truck not starting, and I highly suspect the relay will need to replaced; however, the capacitor being missing is probably also causing problems. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Warthog]

Can you post a picture of the card and what is missing? Antennaclimber is building brand new cards and maybe able to give you the specs for the missing item.

Is it the yellow/orange bulb in shown in post #3 of this thread?
http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?46669-Glow-Plug-Control-Card

Have you watched the video he created for the GP system? It is a sticky at the top of the CUCV forum.

 

[NUCLEARSTAR]

Thanks Warthog for the speedy reply! The wealth of knowledge on this site has been immensely helpful for me as a CUCV owner and as of late for gaining understanding of the glow plug system. I have watched the video several times, and it is a great breakdown of the system. I haven't been able to find a circuit diagram of the module itself which would have information on the individual components.

Here is a picture of my module that I removed with an arrow pointing to the missing component.

It does appear to be the yellow/orange bulb in post #3 in the thread you referred me to.

What would be the most appropriate way to contact Antennaclimber?

 

[NUCLEARSTAR]

As can be seen, the card does not appear to have any physical damage such as fried resistors. It is rather obscure that that component is missing haha, after all it lies in that protected black box. I'm not sure how this would effect the system, if at all, and I plan on troubleshooting it according to the TMs anyways.

 

[Warthog]

With the version code of 1986, I wonder if it should even have the capacitor. If you look in the above link, there is another link for card repair for burnt diodes. It shows that capacitor as a round cylinder.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?33903-glow-plug-card-repair

Send Antennaclimber a PM or find his for sale ad in the classifieds

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?102176-CUCV-Glow-Plug-Cards

When you contact him you might see if he can test your card. As far as I know AC is the only one that has ever made a diagram of the circuits. I know his design is different (improved).

There are some older members that have repaired cards. They are in the above links. You might try contacting them.

 

[NUCLEARSTAR]

Warthog, thanks again for your hasty responses. I will contact AC about the missing component. Heck after seeing his modules, I may end up going with one of those as they look immaculate!

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

That's what I'd recommend, Nuke. Even if you find the right cap, there's still a pretty good chance the card is bad in other ways. Get yourself a new one and move on to enjoying your truck!

 

[Skinny]

I've never seen a card up close and that photo really shows how simple they are internally. Basically everything but that logic chip I'm assuming is standard fare off the shelf stuff. Seems like they would be pretty simple to rebuild but that photo reveals corrosion on everything. I agree, go with the new unit from Antennaclimber. Seems like money well spent to know that the card is good for another 30+ years.

 

[antennaclimber]

Capacitor

On one of the cards that I have here it is a 10uf 25v electrolytic. The negative lead goes away from the card edge connector.

Karl

 

[NUCLEARSTAR]

Thanks that helps immensely! And thanks to all who have given input as this is my first post, and it was great to get so much feedback.

 

[MAFLSTAR]

All,

I wanted to give an update on this post. After several months of the truck sitting (due to being in my last year of college and eventually graduating, and thus not having time to work on it), I finally resolved the issue! I replaced that capacitor (didn't change anything at the time), and after further testing and troubleshooting I boiled the problem down to either the relay, the card, some other replaceable component, or a miscellaneous wiring fault. The testing went as follows. I pulled my glow plugs and tested them with a 12 volt battery charger. All but 1 glowed, so no problems there. My next experiment was to have a glow plug removed from the block but still hooked to the positive lead, i.e. the terminal connector, and the threads of the plug connected to ground via copper wire. Flipping the ignition, the plug didn't light. Tried a plug on the opposite side, same result. Thus the plugs were not getting current. Well, current comes down from the relay directly to the plugs. And the process is mediated by the card. So those were the two components I thought could resolve the problem. Decided to replace the relay because it was easily accessible. I decided on the BWD s603 from advance auto. An hour after buying it, I finished installing it, and the truck fired right up! What a relief! Hopefully that's all it was and there's not some hidden electrical problem which caused the relay to fail in the first place. Future electrical work could include the resistor bypass, or a manual switch in addition to the normal setup; however if it is working as originally designed, I'm just fine with that. Also may consider doghead's starter relay mod. For now though, I'm just going to drive it Thanks again to everyone who contributed to getting the blazer back on the road.

 

[AECS]

Dont consider the doghead mod, do it.

 

[doghead]

I'm confused by your "update".

You only have one post(count) and you are not the original poster.

 

[Warthog]

Looks like he might have created a second account. That usually leads to a permanent ban.

 

[MAFLSTAR]

Yes I didn't realize I had two accounts and was just as confused when I posted the update. I think I created the NUCLEARSTAR account thinking I hadn't signed up before. Which is odd since the MAFLSTAR account was made in '09 and the Nuke account in '11. Plus I don't know how I would have forgotten that I used the Nuke account just months prior... Sorry for the mishap, I'll from now on use a single account.

Thanks