Shoutout to that old mechanic who told me to stop using ether on glow plug engines

Had a guy in Nashville tell me to stop spraying starting fluid on a 7.3L Powerstroke back in 2018. Ignored him for two years until I cooked a set of glow plugs and a relay. Anyone else been told this bit of advice and wish they listened sooner?

3 comments

3 Comments

linda50027d ago

Ether's saved my butt more times than I can count.

the_oscar26d agoMost Upvoted

Funny thing is, my old man used ether on a 6.9L IDI for years and never had a problem. Then I switched to a 2000 7.3L and learned real quick that newer tech doesn't like the spray. Burned out my glow plug controller before I figured it out.

riley_west6d ago

Man, that's a rough lesson to learn the expensive way. I've been there with newer diesels thinking the old tricks still work. It's crazy how a can of starter fluid can go from a lifesaver to a total nightmare depending on what you're working on. Your old man probably had that 6.9L dialed in where it'd start on a good day, but the 7.3L Powerstroke just doesn't tolerate that hot shot. At least you figured it out before it took out the whole engine or something worse. Hope that controller wasn't too painful to replace.