Diesel heater problem

normanandsue

normanandsue

Free Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2010
Posts
1,871
Likes collected
21,571
Location
Dunfermline - Scotland
Funster No
14,796
MH
van conversion
Exp
Since 2007
Can anyone help please? We are just south of Torrevieja in Spain and our diesel heater which has been working fine has decided not to work . I switch on and Amber OK light comes on..... A few seconds later the red warning light appears to say it is not working. The heater does not fire up.
Any simple steps I could take before seeking professional help

TIA
 
The problems I had were either making sure the diesel heater exhaust points downwards and give it a shake to get rid of any water (if you’ve had weather) or by charaging the leisure a little to ensure that the initial draw on the battery is ok
 
Causes might include:

Low hab battery voltage
Low diesel level in the fuel tank
On mine the heater doesn't work if the window above the flue is open - there is an interlock switch.
 
As above, it's normally a problem with the voltage/current or the airflow for the hot air supply (check the input air entry is not blocked)
 
As others have suggested, check the voltage and disconnect from any EHU.

Our Webasto runs off three fuses, one 5A and two 10A. You could try pulling the 5A fuses out then replacing it after say 30 seconds. This might reboot the computer, if yours has one. You could try pulling all the fuses out but I have read there is a specific order for replacing them. I've just replaced mine in the same order, 5A first and no harm has been done but yours may be different.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
..does it try to go through an ignition sequence or just switch off straightaway.. Ie do you hear the fan start up or not..
You could try running the engine to see if it helps..
Andy

Andy.
 
To everyone thanks for all your help. Esp Jewellbags Thanks to you all the problem is solved

Our diesel heater is fired from the engine battery, I have now discovered, the battery although having sufficient charge to start the engine, did not have sufficient charge to fire the heater. As soon as I started the engine and started charging the battery the diesel heater fired up immediately.

Problem solved thanks a million to all you Funsters ??????
 
Glad to of help - I’m only returning the help that others had given us . Right now in our little bubble on the hills above Arromanches-les-Bains . It’s sunny , cold but beautiful . Also have a bottle open
 
Thanks for all your help but what I thought was the solution does not appear to be so as the situation has deteriorated.
Initially starting the engine did solve the problem but now I need to run the engine for 10 minutes in order to start the heater despite having run the engine for a 2 hour journey.
The liesure battery and engine battery are reading 12.7v even after standing for a while, so I am reluctant to believe it is a battery problem.
Sometimes the heater will start first time but on other occasions it require me to switch it off and wait a while before having another attempt. These efforts are becoming more of the norm.

I now wonder if the heater might need a new glow plug, it is five years old, but ss the heater has never been serviced if this might be another cause.

I would be interested in the comments from my techie funster friends

By the way we are home now
 
Last edited:
does being on EHU make any difference ?

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
normanandsue said:
To everyone thanks for all your help. Esp Jewellbags Thanks to you all the problem is solved

Our diesel heater is fired from the engine battery, I have now discovered, the battery although having sufficient charge to start the engine, did not have sufficient charge to fire the heater. As soon as I started the engine and started charging the battery the diesel heater fired up immediately.

Problem solved thanks a million to all you Funsters ??????
Click to expand...
Seems very odd.
The battery couldn't supply ten or fifteen amps to the heater but could supply 400amps to the starter.
It seems to me your heater supply wires are too small causing an unacceptable volt drop.
Starting the engine would increase voltage to 14v/15v.....more than enough to counteract any volt drop in the wiring.
 
Ours is nearly 7 years old and runs fine. It has never been serviced and from memory there is no requirement for routine servicing, unlike domestic equivalents.

You could check the battery voltage when the heater turns on. The open circuit voltage may not be a reliable indicator of the health of the batteries.
 
pappajohn said:
Seems very odd.
The battery couldn't supply ten or fifteen amps to the heater but could supply 400amps to the starter.
It seems to me your heater supply wires are too small causing an unacceptable volt drop.
Click to expand...
But they have been working fine for 5 years
 
pappajohn said:
Seems very odd.
The battery couldn't supply ten or fifteen amps to the heater but could supply 400amps to the starter.
It seems to me your heater supply wires are too small causing an unacceptable volt drop.
Starting the engine would increase voltage to 14v/15v.....more than enough to counteract any volt drop in the wiring.
Click to expand...

Could be a corroded connection causing a voltage drop.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
pappajohn said:
Then it's a failing battery
Click to expand...
This could be a possibility but there is no sign of it being so. Perhaps the trial tomorrow on ehu might highlight a problem
This is why I am looking at every possibility as a replacement glow plug is cheaper than a new liesure battery
 
pappajohn said:
It seems to me your heater supply wires are too small causing an unacceptable volt drop.
Click to expand...
Which is quite a common occurence
normanandsue said:
But they have been working fine for 5 years
Click to expand...
& my friends worked for 9 until they gave up. eberspacher agent said they are always fitted right on the mark for cable size & when new work but as soon as they get corroded or high resistance it all goes wrong. Friends has been fine last 4 years with uprated cables
 
Let me make it clear I’m no expert (at anything for that matter) but a trial and error / elimination type problem solver . I would think that if it consistently works in ehu then you don’t have an issue at the heater end. Did u also ensure that the heater exhaust is pointing down (hasn’t lifted up and gathered some water in this filthy weather ) .

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Jewellbags said:
Let me make it clear I’m no expert (at anything for that matter) but a trial and error / elimination type problem solver . I would think that if it consistently works in ehu then you don’t have an issue at the heater end. Did u also ensure that the heater exhaust is pointing down (hasn’t lifted up and gathered some water in this filthy weather ) .
Click to expand...
That is a possibility if it has what is the solution?
 
In my experience the original cable size should work ad nauseum. Corroded or loose connections are usually the cause of voltage drop. I know, - I've owned four boats, two caravans and now two motorhomes!
 
normanandsue said:
That is a possibility if it has what is the solution?
Click to expand...
Bend it down and give it a shake - the exhaust that is ;-) . If you have anything in it you should see droplets coming out.

on my first run out I saw the exhaust for the first time and thought I’d caught it on something which had bent it down - I decided to straighten it up - doh! Add to that driving rain and a storm and I’d collected some water .
 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top