Mercedes, a popular luxury German automotive manufacturer, may develop issues with the glow plug timer relay for a number of reasons. The glow plug, glow plug timer, and glow plug timer relay play an extremely important part in keeping your Mercedes, regardless of the model, on the roadway rather than in the repair shop.
The experts in Green Bay have joined together to help you better understand what the glow plug timer relay is and what to do if the one in your Mercedes experiences failure.
What is a glow plug timer relay?
Mercedes are designed and manufactured with several smaller moving parts that must work together within the system it is placed to maintain the proper function of your vehicle. When one or more of these smaller parts within a system begins to fail, specifically the glow plug timer relay, the entire system is at risk of failure.
The glow plugs in a Mercedes are critical to the engine as they provide the power and heat needed to start the car as well as provide the power needed to start other various systems of the vehicle. Glow plugs must rely on a glow plug timer to tell them when to power on and how long to remain powered.
The glow plug timer itself relies on what is called a glow plug timer relay in order to be ready to tell the glow plugs when they are needed. When this relay becomes damaged or experiences failure, it affects the glow plug timer as well as the glow plugs themselves.
What causes glow plug relay failure?
The many smaller parts that work together to allow a Mercedes vehicle to run are built with durable materials that are meant to last; however, these parts simply cannot last forever. The glow plug relay is exposed to excessive heat and many different electrical currents leaving them at an increased risk of experiencing failure.
In addition to the extreme temperatures and electrical currents, when injectors within the engine block begin misfiring this can speed up the risk of damage to the glow plug relay failure leaving it unable to function as it was designed for.
By maintaining all recommended service intervals and routine maintenance needed for your Mercedes, you can help the glow plug relay last a bit longer. And if there is a problem, the highly trained mechanic providing services to you should be able to detect it early.
Are there any warning signs of glow plug relay failure?
Mercedes experts have spent countless hours researching to determine the common causes of glow plug relay failure as well as warning signs to be aware of such as:
- A dashboard warning light: If your Mercedes Electronic Computer Module (ECM) detects an issue with the glow plugs, glow plug timer, or glow plug timer relay it will alert you by illuminating the check engine light on the dashboard or the glow plug warning light. If this light begins to flash on your dash, it is important that you have your vehicle inspected as soon as possible to prevent further damage.
- White smoke emitted while the engine warms up: White smoke coming from beneath the hood, while not always an immediate danger, is never a good sign. If there is white smoke coming from your vehicle as the engine warms up, this is indicative of an injection problem that can affect the glow plugs and glow plug timer relay.
- Difficulty or hesitation when starting your vehicle: On a cool morning, if you notice your vehicle hesitates when you turn the key or becomes increasingly difficult to start, there is likely a problem with the glow plug relay.
Bring your Mercedes to Our Trusted Green Bay Experts!
At Dell’s Service Center, we have been helping drivers in and near Green Bay, Manitowoc, and Sturgeon Bay, WI with great success. Our team of highly trained experts uses factory-grade tools and equipment to provide customers with the same dealership quality service at a fraction of the cost. Give us a call today to set up your appointment to speak to our service specialists.
We focus on the service, repair, and maintenance of the following brands:
- Audi
- BMW
- Jaguar
- Land Rover
- Mercedes
- Mini Cooper
- Porsche
- Saab
- Volkswagen
- Volvo