OEM Glow Plugs

Newbie....Hope I am doing this right. I own one of the best automobiles ever created...2002 VW Golf GLS, 1.9 TDI, 5 speed, 287,000 original miles. I am the original owner. What is the correct OEM glow plug for my Golf? I am going to have the glow plug harness replaced also. Is there a "parts manual" available on this forum? Really appreciate any help. Thanks.

IT's gonna have either Beru or Bosch glow plugs ...I would replace with whatever make came with your car from factory..Also since there can be a resistance difference between the brands you can not mix them.....You can test your glow plugs to see if they are still good with a test light....Remove the glow plug harness....attach your test light to the +terminal on your battery and touch each glow plug on the tip where it makes a connection to the harness ...the test light will light up if the glow plug is good...no light = bad glow plug...be gentle removing the glow plugs....carbon build up can make them difficult to remove and if you are not careful you can wipe out he threads....i work mine back and forth and keep soaking them with either carb cleaner or Seafoam to break down the carbon and lube the threads

Welcome to TDIClub GloryBea! Greeneville is definately God's Country to me. You are definitely doing it right by joining and asking your questions here.

Here is everything you need to know about glow plugs for the ALH (thanks Wingnut!):

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=749854

The ALH is the engine in your 2002 Golf. I have the same car with a different VIN (you may want to edit that out of your post) at around 288k miles.

For the plugs and harness you can use this:

http://www.idparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=123_94&products_id=2059

metalmanparts.com is another good source.

http://www.metalmanparts.com/product.sc?productId=181&categoryId=38

http://www.metalmanparts.com/product.sc?productId=3&categoryId=38

The 2002 uses a 4 wire harness (there is a 2 wire for earlier systems).

Or you can fabricate your own harness.... I replaced my harness about 3 years ago and the replacement is starting to fail again, and we have emissions testing here in Middle TN. I am thinking of doing something like Vince Waldon from this post (Vince has a two wire system since he has a 2001):

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=4282282&postcount=1423

If you go with the replacement GP harness it is not too difficult to change it out. I basically cut the old plug off and left the old wires in the loom and rerouted the new harness with friction electrical tape and zip ties.

I know that this is an older post, but need some help from the knowledge base out there. I have a 2004 Jetta TDI with the BEW engine. The previous owner had the ECM reflased and the glow plugs replaced on July 9, 2009 due to the recall. The dealer installed four new N-105-916-07 glow plugs. The car has developed a hard start condition and I an going to change out the Glow plugs and replace the harness also. The parts shops are all over the place on the correct GP for the car. I ordered four Bosch 0250202022 plugs for the car and the plugs are stamped 11V. The plugs currently in the car are 5 volt and I don't want to reflash the ECM. Will the Bosch 0250202022 work without reflasing the ECM?

I have always tested ALH glow plugs out of the car on a block of scrap wood. Hook the metal body (threads or hex) of the GP to a negative side of a 12v source. Momentarily run a positive lead jumper from same source to the positive end of the GP (opposite the tip) and watch the tip glow orange- 3 to 5 seconds should do it. CAUTION: let the GP thoroughly cool before you touch any part of the glow plug. Glow =good, no glow =no good.

Good luck, John

eutecticpt said:

I know that this is an older post, but need some help from the knowledge base out there. I have a 2004 Jetta TDI with the BEW engine. The previous owner had the ECM reflased and the glow plugs replaced on July 9, 2009 due to the recall. The dealer installed four new N-105-916-07 glow plugs. The car has developed a hard start condition and I an going to change out the Glow plugs and replace the harness also. The parts shops are all over the place on the correct GP for the car. I ordered four Bosch 0250202022 plugs for the car and the plugs are stamped 11V. The plugs currently in the car are 5 volt and I don't want to reflash the ECM. Will the Bosch 0250202022 work without reflasing the ECM?

Click to expand...

It has been my experience that most auto parts places do not have accurate look up data, and will often sell you the wrong part. It is best to get your parts from a VW specialist such as the vendors who frequent and support this site.

Those plugs are for the ALH engine, and will not work in your BEW. They will fit, but will only have 20% of the power they should have when operated at 5V instead of 11V. The result will be not enough heat to help with cold starts.

These are the plugs you need: https://www.idparts.com/glow-plug-5v-oem-a4-bewb55bhw-p-607.html

The other thing you should be aware of is the software used with the 5V plugs is noted for causing hard starting when cold.

Also, the ECU monitors the glow plugs and turns on the MIL as well as setting a fault code when there is something wrong. If you do not have the MIL on, it means the ECU has not detected a glow plug fault. The end result of this is that replacing the glow plugs may not improve your cold starting.

The later version of software solved that problem, and reverted to 7V glow plugs which were a partial ceramic design. https://www.idparts.com/glow-plug-7v-oem-ngk-ceramic-a4-bew-p-2178.html

jjblbi said:

I have always tested ALH glow plugs out of the car on a block of scrap wood. Hook the metal body (threads or hex) of the GP to a negative side of a 12v source. Momentarily run a positive lead jumper from same source to the positive end of the GP (opposite the tip) and watch the tip glow orange- 3 to 5 seconds should do it. CAUTION: let the GP thoroughly cool before you touch any part of the glow plug. Glow =good, no glow =no good.

Good luck, John

Click to expand...

Gotta be careful with this method when testing 5v plugs though. I was always used to doing it this way growing up on the farm but ended up burning out 2 of the plugs on my BEW the other day while I was testing them.. What ive been told to do since from a VW/Audi specialist is to leave the plugs in the car, remove the GP harness, then get a screwdriver (long works best) and touch it to the head of the GP. Then with a test lead wire from the positive terminal of the battery touch the metal part of the screwdriver on and off a few times. If it sparks, the plugs good. No spark, replace plug. Nice thing about this method is you don't have to risk your threads unnecessarily pulling plugs out just to check them.

Yup, testing with the full 12V is fine for the glow plugs in ALH and earlier engines, but more recent engines (BEW and beyond) use pulse-width modulation and the glow plugs are only rated for 5V or 7V.

The full 12V will make 'em go red hot, but only once.

The 11v GP's will not heat up properly since there is not enough voltage as stated above.

You betcha. Mine were workin GR8 when I tested em with 12v! My two replacements from ECS just arrived yesterday, guess ill pop them in now that the weather warmed up and I don't need em...

In my experience ALH plugs in a BEW will fill the hole and keep the CEL away. Good luck if the temp drops freezing though, better have a good batteries and starter.

turbocharged798 said:

In my experience ALH plugs in a BEW will fill the hole and keep the CEL away. Good luck if the temp drops freezing though, better have a good batteries and starter.

Click to expand...

Believe it or not mine performed pretty admirably with only 2 plugs working this last cold snap. started every time even down around 0* or below.

Here is an update. Changed the four GPs and harness yesterday. Had the battery disconnected for a good while. Started the car and CEL came on. Code reads P0673 Cylinder 3 Glow Plug Circuit. This is the same code that was reading before changing the GP and harness. I don't have a VAGS and was wondering if the light will go out after the computer logs some data.

The four-wire GP harness has very long leads that will reach the fire-wall via the plenum. Did you cut and splice near the engine or did you remove the battery, unwrap the old wiring, remove the plenum cover, etc., and make the splice there? If not, it's possible the issue causing #3 to throw a code is still there somewhere in the plenum or all the way back to the GP Relay.

Being a little more positive, the code may continue to pop-up until it has been properly cleared with VCDS, Scan Gauge or other code reader.

The CEL will not go out by itself. A Scan Gauge or Ultra Gauge will allow you to delete this particular DTC in the absence of a proper VCDS.

Here is an update--CEL is off and the car is starting much easier! I spliced pretty close to the old harness--I screwed up and cut the leads and did not have much wire to play with. Hoping that the fix will last. If not, I'll have to get another harness and redo the job. Thanks for the advice.

Why did you splice it? I cut the old harness off right after the nub on my 2002 and just did it the plug and play way. Pretty simple.