idiots guide to glow plugs : help!

[adamskii]

OK so some how I have myself mightily confused. explain to me in simplest of terms how to choose a glow plug correctly, with regard to fuel, engine capacity and climatic conditions.

for example... a nitro star 4.1 motor, running 25% nitro, in dry climate spring weather, would require what glow plug ? I use an OS A5. when would I use an A8 ? or an A3?

what is the rule ? as the nitro content increases, make the glow plug cooler? so a 30% nitro = a3 glow plug , 10% nitro an A8 plug ?

the higher the plug number is that a hotter plug ? the lower the number is that a cooler plug ?

lots of questions but be dammed if i know what it all means, i thought i did but get tongue tied when explaining it.. so who has a KISS method of describing it ? (Keep It Simple Stupid)

adamski

 

[trashard]

to keep it simple; tune your engine until it is running correctly ( no bogging and enough white smoke at full throttle ) and if your plug lets say a #5 gets too hot replace it with a #6.
I don`t know what type you should use in your climate cause I`m running mine in de dutch climate with relative high air humidity.
99 % of my running time I use a #4 but I always have a #3 and a #5 and #6 in my tool box.
always keep several different plugs in your toolbox.
like you I`m not a glow plug scientist but this is how I choose my plug.
however, be careful not to use a too low number or you might trash your piston but if you have a temp gauge you`ll notice it when it`s going over 275 degrees.

 

[crzy-svg-usr]

i jst experimented till i found what i liked. for my wasp .26 it seemed to like med hpi plugs the best. ina ll my engines i have run hpi plugs because thats what my lhs carries and they seem to be of a good quality. only engine i run without a hpi pliug is my rb i just run rb plugs in that. just fool around and see what your engine likes plugs are cheap neway

 

[trippinout]

There is no set outside temp/humidity/sea level reading for glow plugs. One companies cold plug might run hotter than another companies medium plug. Buy a few different kinds and run that glow plug for a 3-4 tanks then change it out and see what your engine likes. Sorry no KISS for this topic. Go to http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3825/is_200301/ai_n9199997 its a lenghty article on glow plugs.