Spark plug fouled!

I just cleaned my glow plugs and noticed that all four of them are burned out!

Unfortunately, my camera can't achieve that level of close-up detail.

http://www.edv-schreiber.at/audi4ever/fdb/pics/700_97217820a9bc0b9d229ea268634f61e9.jpg

I've only heard about this from older TDI models. Apparently, the injectors can malfunction and inject incorrectly if the glow plug is stuck.

Is this still happening with the TDI, or is this normal? I'm just surprised that all four spark plugs look like this.

Thank you for your quick help!

Regards,

Manuel.

Hi,
Generally speaking, that's correct. With your mileage, nozzle wear would also be expected. It should also be noticeable by the smell. The only other possibility is the tuning software, which probably refers to a chip. If it's causing excessive fuel injection, that could also be the problem. Of course, this is only true as long as no one with relevant experience contradicts it.

I have now replaced the nozzles, holders, and glow plugs!

Honestly: The goat still smells the same as before, but now it's just bleating like crazy!

The glow plugs had been installed for approximately 40,000 km! I also had a new cylinder head put on because the dealer messed up! When the old one was removed, the pistons actually looked very good! I only noticed the damage to the glow plugs after I cleaned them.

Regards,

Manuel.

Hi,
Did you check the injection timing after replacing the injectors, or was the cylinder head replacement done afterwards?
After the change, a new adjustment was necessary. The timing had become significantly too early. This would explain the strong knocking sound and perhaps also the damaged spark plugs.

Okay, I had the old nozzles tested at Bosch today!

Were all the pressures around 50-70 bar opening pressure?

Either the injectors are clogged from being stored for four weeks without diesel, or they were simply worn out! Well, 230,000 km with a chip tune is also quite a lot of mileage!

'Now I'm just wondering why my last inspection result of 0.55 (due to a faulty EGR valve) was still considered acceptable, given how worn the injectors are!'

Regards,

Manuel.