Method and device for detecting a replacement of pencil glow plugs in an internal combustion engine

The invention relates to a method for detecting a replacement of pencil glow plugs in an internal combustion engine, wherein, during an operating cycle, at least one electrical parameter (I) of the pencil glow plugs (21-24) is determined and compared to a stored value of the same electrical parameters (I) of the pencil glow plug (21-24) which was determined in a previous operating cycle. According to a method, which assures an exact determination of the replacement of a pencil glow plug without depending on the ambient conditions of the internal combustion engine, the same electrical parameter (I) is determined in the operating cycle for all the pencil glow plugs (21-24) installed in the internal combustion engine, wherein said electrical parameters (I) of the pencil glow plugs (21-24) behave in a certain pattern with respect to each other, and said pattern of the electrical parameter (I) of the pencil glow plugs (21-24) is compared to a pattern determined in a preceding operating cycle, wherein, in the case